Bed Time Reading

Wake up, get two kids and a dog off to their respective schools.  Go to work and have meeting after meeting and intern looking for things to do and stairs that are still not built, and donor who wants to give you a large piece of questionable furniture, and mailing that needs to go out and grant that needs to be written.

Then pick up kid and dog from respective schools and remember you have no food and go to the store quickly to buy dinner. Come home and check the mail, make the dinner, clean the dinner, and pack the lunches for the next few days for all.  Send kids up to bed while doing dishes and starting to think about evening tasks.  Open a bottle of wine and sit on the couch to catch 5 minutes of Extra.

And a child appears at the top of the stairs.

What?

Will you read a book with me?

About to sip your wine.  And you think.  NO!  And then you say.  Yes.

Walk upstairs and have your almost 7 year old read you a book.  Perfectly.  He is amazing and ahead and smart and he wanted to read with me.  Give him a kiss while he is reading.  Enjoy the story together.  Then he asks for a second story.

And you tuck him in.

Write down this memory.

And go drink the wine.

James is 5

A bit in the making - the crazy, loving, sometimes emotional, always sensitive - boy named James just turned 5 years old.

Ok so it was almost a month ago, but I am finding it hard to keep up with everything!  We have about 10 back up posts that I have drafted and need to catch up on.  June should be a big month for the blog, here. But now - more about James.

Best smile, handsome and tan guy.  Our James is growing into quite a young little man.  He is still lego obsessed, and still calls the lego directions "constructions."  He is still a sweet, sweet boy and will get tremendously upset if he thinks I am upset.  He is a Mommy's little guy and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Don't try to play Candyland with him though, because if he is not winning then he is crying.  Sore loser is not the word.  I am hoping he grows out of this, it is quite the dramatic nature.  He has also taken to be defeated when he feels he is in last place and will repeat "I'm so stupid" through tears.  Which makes me both angry and want to cry at the same time.  I am guessing this is the 4 year old leftover and I hope it will go away soon.

He will pick out excellent clothes to wear to school each day, his favorite shirt a bright yellow tennis ball color which he matches with the same color shorts.  When we go out and he needs to be handsome, he will still wear a tie - though reluctantly.

He loves Star Wars, anything Star Wars and will tell you all about Star Wars if you ask him.  He loves Chebacca, and he and his brother will play Star Wars for hours outside which is awesome.

His favorite friend is still Bubba, seconded by Sven - and he has a friend entourage that is second to none.  If we go anywhere he wants a stuffed animal. He loves stuffed animals and I am worried about what we are going to do with all of them.

He is a loving little guy - and he is ending preschool which is amazing to me.  He is going to Kindergarten.  I am pretty sure he is going to rock it - but his teachers are also going to be challenged.  His preschool didn't really let omn too much - but we already knew.  He has a hard time sitting still on someone else's program.  If he wants to build a puzzle, or build a lego, or watch a specific TV show - he will, no problem.  But ask him to sit for Circle when it's not really his thing, and problem.  Here's hoping we can work with him this summer to really prep him for success in the fall.

He is a good guy.  And a great dancer.  If I could pick what he would be when he grows up, I would say likely a Gronkowski.  Or maybe and Architect that likes the salsa dance in the evening.  Either way, I will always make him take me out to dinner.  And, I will try to let him win at CandyLand (though that is really hard to do!).

James Moment

This is what happened in the car the other day, a pure James Morris moment:

James, babbling about something, randomly says what I say to him at every night before he goes to bed which is:  "see you in the a.m."

So then I say: "Do you know why I say that?"

And he says:  "no." 

So I say I say: "Because grumpy always said that to me."

Silence.

So then I said: "You know what AM means?"

And he says: "No" 

So I proceed to explain a.m. means morning, p.m. means evening-- so there's an 8:00 AM and there's a 8:00pm...

Then, James interrupts me and says: "Look mommy there's a cat!"

So then I laugh and I ask if he heard what I just said at all -

His response:  "Let's just stop talking about it."

There shall be no conversation, only listening of James and his thoughts.  Don't try to interrupt, people.  Nothing will come of it!

Pre-Race Poetry

Here too Early.
Yet Again.
Oh Why Can't I be a Procrastinator?
How do procrastinators train, anyways?

No Line at the Port-o-Pottie.
A Line Be A-Comin'
So I best Be A-Goin.
Nothing.

Why do people wear Tutus?
Seriously, do you train in that?
Does it chaffe?
Too much wind resistance.

We sit in our cars.
By Ourselves.
We occasionally turn them on.
To fuel our cellphones.
And heat our tushies.

I will drink some coffee.
Must drink more water.
Must go to the port-o-potty.
Did I overdo it?

Line at the port-o-potty now.
Which four are assigned to my line?
Does the person in front know?
Do they pay attention?
Everyone knows everyone else.

I should probably stretch.
iPhone.
I should totally get out and stretch.
Facebook post.

How much goo is needed?
Racing strategy?
Eh.
Should have brought sunglasses.

Social Media post.
People must know
What I am about to do.
Imagine I don't finish?

National Anthem.
Why do runners not sing?
Lets Go.
Nope.  Lets wait for our corral to be called.

Last Minute Disney Tips

The theme of this trip was - change it up, do not be afraid to try and get last minute reservations - and really, you do not need to book everything 180 days in advance at midnight in order to have fun.  You can have fun booking the day of, too.  (please note, there are still some awesome things that you will only likely get to do with advanced booking, it is just the way it is, but this post is for all of you last minute people who are booking a month out and want to make it memorable and fun).

You may not get on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and you may not eat in the Beast's Castle - but what you can do in a day's notice is pretty awesome. (please note, this does not count for peak times like holidays, but for all other times of the year). Here are some tips:

1. Show up to the Park early, at opening.  Have your goals for rides mapped out ahead of time.  I would forget 7 Dwarfs as it seems to be a 90 minute wait the second they open the park - but Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain - they are 5 minute waits from park open until about 20-30 minutes in.  Then they are really long waits - and you should stay away.  Other advantages of being there park open, no matter what park - is there are really cool things that happen, like in Animal Kingdom a fly over of 20+ macaws; or at Magic Kingdom all the characters come out and do a little dance.  Then, you walk into the Magic Kingdom, and HUGE TIP - wait in town square and within 5 minutes Pluto will come out and you get to meet him.  We do this every time and we love it.  Take advantage of the lesser and more dispersed crowds in the park and get there early and no lines will happen.
2. Get the app.  You can get fast passes at the last minute.  People drop them all the time, in favor of something else, or the park releases more depending on the day, I'm not sure - but we noticed that you can change things around and sometimes get really lucky.
3. This is the same for dining reservations. People cancel those all the time and you will be surprised what opens up.  Just keep checking on your phone.  We could have had some great reservations while we were there as I was just testing it out all weekend just to see what would open up.  If you are a newbie, too - this is a nice way to have the restaurant self-selected for you.  Go with the flow.  Choose which park you are in, what time you want to eat, and see what comes up.  Say you want to eat there and you are done.  Simple and awesome.
4. One great thing about being last minute is going with the flow is just what you do.  Happen upon a show or a ride that doesn't have a wait, go on it - it will be a new and fun experience for you no matter what.  Sometimes when you get so caught up on having to do this ride or needing to be here for this dining reservation at this time, the joy of just seeing where the day takes you is gone.  Don't be frustrated by the long wait lines at the "must do rides" and instead focus your attention on having fun as a family and seeing what crosses your path.  Joel Andrew and I had a blast doing the pirate hunt at MK this last trip, and I would have never known about it had we not had time to kill, and just decided to try it out.  
5. Final tip - for last minute Disney, is to not book up your whole stay in the parks and enjoy some hotel time too.  Ask your hotel what is happening on grounds during your stay and enjoy some of these things - a band in the lobby, a movie at night, trivia at the bar, its vacation people!  Enjoy it!

Sent Survey to the School Board

When asked on the recent online survey of the 2015-2016 year at my son's small elementary/middle school if I had any suggestions, this was my response...  (they should have known I have a history of stating my thoughts on schools in the written word form). Now that I read this 6 hours later, I feel I was snarky and I didn't mean to be - I thought I was being nice...

As a working parent it is difficult to be engaged on all levels of activities as the very many engaged non-working parents.  I never really considered myself apart of this debate until my child went to LAS.  I miss very many classroom things, can never make PTA meetings because of travel, and (may have self imposed this) but feel that I am looked down upon because I can't help out as much.  I always buy materials for the classroom, and try to help where I can.  But it is tough when we get 2 weeks notice for events and things to make it happen.  And, I work locally.  I can't imagine for others. I hear from my child that so and so's mom is always in the classroom, and I am never there. Are there other things that the school needs, that working parents can provide - other than a batch of brownies here and sign up for the grandparent luncheon which can never happen because I have a board meeting on Fridays that lasts all day, etc.  How else can these parents feel involved and making an impact? 

Adding in a few points about the structure of the survey in general -- In this survey moving forward, I would separate out teachers and administrators when asking questions about support for both parents and students. I think then you might be able to glean better information on how each party is doing.  Perhaps even a question of how both parties (teachers and administrators) are working together, as per the perception of parents, would be helpful. I have had completely different experiences when working with the administration and when working with the teachers. Our teachers have always been responsive. 

I felt that many of the questions - is there enough space for certain activities, etc - are leading into the war with the townspeople over the renovation.  I would have loved those inferences not to be sprinkled throughout the survey but a small place at the bottom, and for the bulk of the questions to be about our children's experience and our thoughts on the known and changeable infrastructure of the school. How can we make the current school experience be better for our children within known and reasonable/potential actions?  We all know we need more space.  But this survey should be about what we can do to improve on where we are now.

***I worry we focus too much time and energy on this renovation which is only creating a deeper divide in our town and we are going to lose what is great about the small town community school.  It would be great to have more space, we really do need to separate gym and eating - yes - but the this is not the end of all needs. Are the administrators handling disruptions within classes well (I have had a hard time watching this from afar with our grade this year)?  Are parents feeling like they are in communication with all needs of the school - and not just who is signing up for donuts or who can volunteer for another event during the work day (see my comments above)? 

Some suggestions that go beyond space to continue to improve our ability to educate our kids -- Can we promote arts more through arts days at school; is there an art show?; do we have visiting artists come in and showcase their work? Can the kids enter their artwork into competitions to be shown at local galleries and museums? PARENT SUGGESTION here - has the art teacher ever been encouraged to reach out to parents and asked them help?  Maybe there is a parent that could give a demonstration on cyanotypes; maybe someone has an art collection to share?  Maybe someone is an artist themselves?

For spanish - can we do spanish language day where at lunch it is mexican food and they have to order in spanish? Can morning announcements be made in spanish and then english? All kids in the school go home the night before and discuss with their families - if you could go to any spanish speaking country in the world, all expenses paid - where would it be and why?  And then classroom/school discussion the next day.  What other outside the box things can we do to ensure every day is a new day to open our kids minds up to all aspects of learning, and not feel we are limited by a classroom space.

And, how can we work with the community better to feel all on the same page rather than divide further? I know many feel this is a lost cause, but I do not. The most special thing about our community is how small it is.  Do we have community members come and speak to the students to tell them what life was like in Hampton Falls years ago?  Do we do things with the local historical society ever?  Is there a frequent assembly where we can bring people in for such an event?  Or, even on the classroom level - have we explored the opportunity of working with parents/neighbors in each classroom - our grade has parents who deal with big sports athletes; run a local farm; a local museum; run half marathons/full marathons; surf; our neighbors know the history of the town; have livestock; are expert gardeners; historians and writers. Can we bring these people in to tell their stories?  This affords an opportunity to open up kids minds to the larger world around them and the possibilities that can exist for their future.  While getting to know their community. While the community gets to know them. This would attract volunteerism in new ways, from new individuals who can't miss a board meeting to help at Grandparent luncheon, but come and talk about how learning the sport of archery changed their life, and hopefully excite someone to have an interest too?  Might be more likely to happen. (in full recognition that grandparent luncheon volunteers are also needed).

I wish to stress I thank all of those on the Board and all of the very many teachers at the school, and the many parents who donate the time- all who do so much for our kids here in LAS. My suggestions are probably lost on the inability to completely understand the difficult and overwhelming situation the Board and the school's administration find themselves in on a daily basis and when making decisions.  So I hope you will not see my suggestions as a criticism but rather a reflection on the hope that our school can continue to make lemonade, and maybe if we use a different angle of trying to reach out through the community, we might be able to continue to build our dream school on a different level sometime sooner - both figuratively and literally.

#5 Wallis Sands Half Marathon

Wallis Sands Half Marathon, Rye, NH
May 15, 2016
2:04:27.3

Placed first in the Athena category.  Placed 393 overall (out of 827). (would have been 64/115 of Women in my age group, but deferred this rank to Athena, good plan, right?-- more on this later)

The run went well though I had a hard time finding my stride and keeping my head in the game in the beginning.  By mile 6 I found it though, and was golden the remainder of the way.  My guide, Dave2 showed up with a poster "Go Drew" and ran with me by a crowd of about 50 people who he had all screaming and yelling, this was about mile 9 and carried me to mile 11.  If you can make mile 11 you can make anything.  The last mile was windy and wind-y and hilly, but then it ended super quick.  I sprinted, danced and smiled over the finish line making the excellent DJ point me out to the crowd (see below in regards to excellent DJ).


Plusses of the Race:

• Parking: The parking was quick and easy, as long as you got there early enough.  Like, ridiculously easy.  In fact, you could walk three feet from your car to the start line.  I, of course, showed up at the crack of dawn to ensure parking and to get my bib number.  Of course, I was way too early.  Was all set by 6:30, and then needed to wait for 90 minutes to run.  I noticed other people showing up at 7:15, still getting parking in the lot, and still getting their bibs and having no problem whatsoever.
• Race Size:  This was like the perfect race size.  There were around 800 racers (by the results it seems as though 1,000+ were registered, and a lot of people did not show).  This race is notorious for selling out quickly.  And, it is nice.  There were enough people that while you were running you could always see someone else and feel like you were in a race.  But not too many people that you ever - except for the starting 100 feet, felt crowded in.  It was not a crazy mob scene and waiting an hour for your wave to start, waves were within 5 minutes of eachother and reasonable sizes.  It really was a good size race, and well run for that -- it was my second "smaller" race, and I think I like them better?  Maybe?  Eh, they are just different.  But for this one it was a plus.
• Route:  It was the beach, which I love, but a new area I do not explore enough.  The wind was tough on this day, but it is beautiful and mostly flat with only one big, short and quick hill and a few long gradual inclines that bother you but you do not realize you are running them until you plateau at the top of them and then you are ok. 
• Support:  This felt like small town support (which I mean in a good way).  The water stops were competitions from local charities who benefitted from funds from racers.  They were cute - each one had little signs announcing they were coming up (which was nice for those goo eaters out there).  Everyone was very supportive, there were also a lot of people out on their lawns though never tons of cheering people like say a big race, in DC.  This is actually kind of nice as you don't feel like you need to wave back at the people.  And, if a long stretch goes by and all of the sudden you see a 5 year old cheering for you -- you are happy to give her a high five and keep going.  
• DJ: Whomever this man was, he was the best.  He had all of us smiling the whole morning, while we were all sitting in our cars in the parking lot trying to keep warm.  I can still hear his voice: "This is going to be the best run of your life."  "This is a beautiful day, let's make it a great one." "You are all healthy and beautiful people."  He was like a life coach for crazy runners with some chill music in the background.  I'll have what he's having.
• Potties: Perfect amount, never waited more than 3 minutes.

Drawbacks:

• Food?: I feel bad I "complained" about this on my survey from the race.  I think by the time I took notice of where the food was after I finished, it was just all gone.  I should have realized this too because they even (on the survey) listed all of the foods to ask what we liked the best.  Pizza, Bagels, Oranges, Bananas what, what?  I saw a few cookies and got a gatorade.  Hmmm.  Also, every other race I have ever done I have been completely spoiled with something like beer, or a lobster roll, or a cup of stew at the end.  So, I did recommend they get a food truck with lobster rolls and a beer truck and even if they had a sign that said: "to keep costs low, there is a small charge for these items."  Maybe they can't sell because of the beach?  Maybe they do not want to prolong people here?  Not sure.  Either way, after I left I went to Beach Plum and was happy to pay $30 for a huge lobster roll and cup of stew and ate it with a beer at the house.
• Risky Course: I guess all courses are risky, but the wind really made this one tough.  I'm glad I had trained on the beach, in wind, within the past few months - so I was all set, but I think others had a hard time.  Otherwise the course is beautiful!

I'll tell you more about the pre-race poetry I created while waiting for 90 minutes for it to begin, and the whole Athena thing, in future posts.  

I would totally do this one again, though maybe not for a few years so I could try to mix it up with other races too.  It was a great location, very well run, and good community.  A for me!  (plus with a lobster roll!).

The Best Day for Our 5 Year Old

Today James Morris turned 5 years old.  And he has had the best days both leading up to his birthday, and today too - and his birthday party is not until Saturday as well.

Yesterday we went to Legoland - just Mommy and Jamesey, and then had a great lunch of one of his new favorites- soup, followed by his old favorite, ice cream.  But today, today...

His brother sang him Happy Birthday in the morning and lent him the birthday cake hat for him to use at school.  He was sung Happy birthday by me in the car, and then once at school was able to create a birthday crown as well as the entire class got a Black Raspberry frozen yogurt treat.  (don't try to bring make at home things into the fancy preschool, people!).

They sang happy birthday to him, and in the ride home he was sung Happy Birthday again by his Nana and Pa (over the phone), and then told Happy Birthday by his cousin Lucie, Auntie Jennie and Uncle Jeremy.  He beamed.

As soon as we pulled in the driveway, Ama and Grumpy face-timed him and again Happy Birthday.  Once inside he dictated the dinner - appetizer of "salty chips" (salt and vinegar potato chips); followed by mac and cheese and chicken nuggets.  We started watching the Sandlot, and then had dessert of ice cream and cobbler.  He blew out the candles in record time and then opened his presents - lego "guys" for him to build, all Disney characters; a stuffed animal bag of dinosaurs; a new bike/cart thing from Ama and Grumpy; lots of books to do with Star Wars including Mad Libs;
Stencils kit for the artist, and a Bobofet Donald Duck picture and Mickey as Anakin picture too.  Excited about each gift, so happy that it was his birthday.

We measured him, he is a full inch and a half taller than his brother when his brother turned 5.  He is now reading with his brother before going to bed, on the best day ever. Smiles included.