This Rock Looks Nice

I will start off by saying it is a good thing that little Miss Kyra is only three and her cuteness saves her many times over because that child has taken to blurting out inappropriate commentary only because she does not know any better. For example, last week we were at a store when a rather large gentleman came in as we were exiting. Before I knew it, Kyra exclaims, "Whoa! You're BIG!" I immediately corrected her and told her that it was impolite. I really don't think the gentleman was paying attention as he was already in the store as I turned to apologize.

Of course, there are times when I am at a total loss for words and that time happened to me today. We went to the pet store with Mel to get some more dog food. It's somewhat of a challenge to corral both Kyra and Mel without knocking over displays, etc., but we managed to make it through the store fairly unscathed (and without any puppy "accidents" either). As I was wrangling the two to the cash register and trying to keep my eyes on Kyra while keeping Mel away from the dog treats (why do they put those things unwrapped at a dog's level?), I heard a someone ask me which of the two was easier to handle - the two-legged or the four-legged child (given Kyra's temperament these days, I might opt for the latter). Now, realize I wasn't really looking up and the voice was clearly a very deep voice. But when I looked up, I realized it was a "lady." Now, I am not a stranger to transgender folk; however, you can imagine how strange this might appear to say, your average, ordinary three-year old who cannot let things go. Yep, before I could put my hand in front of her mouth, out comes "You sure sound different!" Yes, if they made those hermit crab rocks in adult sizes, I surely would have been under it. I really need to get some "if you can't say something nice . . ." lessons working with that child!

Warming Up

This weekend, we decided to head to Madison for the Madison Quarter Marathon. The whole story about why we decided to go was quite humorous. Our friends have run in the race the past few years and afterwards always have a great post-race BBQ. After talking it through, we decided to sign up and head to Mad Town. When I ended up talking to Ms. B to cordinate her watching Ian and Kyra, I found out that Mr. S & Co. didn't sign up BUT that was no reason not to have the post-race party.

So, I got to run the race "with" Rich. As you notice, I put that in quotes as he took off like a jackrabbit on steroids at the opening bullhorn. I didn't see him until the finish line. We both finished with good times. I ran in 58:51 which put me 12th out of 87 in my division and 106th amongst 624 females.

All in all, it was a nice warm up for the Bellin in three weeks and a nice half trial run!

A Brisk Run

On a bit of a whim, I signed up to run the Cellcom 5K Run this morning. It's a smaller part of the Green Bay marathon but the half was closed and I don't think I would have been up to that right now as I'm only about midway into my half training. But, why pass up a race on such a beautiful day I say.

There were over 4,000 participants in the 5K and it was a flat course for the most part (if you want to call that one blip a hill). The supposed "highlight" was running around Lambeau Field. Yes, it was painful for this Bears fan, but I conjured up the strength and made it through (heck, it probably made me run faster to get it over with). I ended up finishing in 27:17 which was almost 30 seconds less than the 5K I ran last month. (I'll take anything I can get at this point). I was 194th out of all the women and 21st in my age group. I'll have more official numbers as they update the site, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. I got to hang afterwards with Ms. N who also had an awesome race and took in all the post-race festivities including a nice massage. Next race is the MadCity Quarter Marathon next Sunday.

Treed!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about re-reading Where The Red Fern Grows. The more time I spend with Mel, the more I think she is just like what Little Anne was like (ok, maybe not quite as smart, but she's definitely got the personality).

We know Mel has some dachsund in her but only the Lord knows her true mix. Our vet suggested maybe some beagle but I'm beginning to think she's got some sort of hound in her (she did come from a shelter in Kentucky). She definitely has the howl going on!

So, why am I musing about my pooch's mixture? Well, last night Rich and I sat down to watch 24 when we heard a ruckus coming from outside (I had just let Mel out back to do her business and sometimes it takes "a while"). I ran to the back and all I could see in the shadows was some sort of creature perched on our fence post and Mel circling frantically on the ground and barking like we have never heard her bark before. When I initially saw the thing, I swore it was a racoon (remember, I had just read the book) and was fearful that it would come down and hurt Mel. But when Rich came with a brighter light we saw it was an extremely large cat (bigger than Mel who is only 24 pounds dripping wet). I think the cat was just as freaked out as Mel but did manage to hiss at Mel and scare her a bit. We finally got Mel into the house but she did not go quietly. No, she wanted that cat! After a rawhide bribe though, the feline encounter was soon forgotten and all is right in her world. Thank you Mel for saving us from the invading cat! :D

The Princess' English

Today, I told Kyra that if she finished all of her lunch (a delicious strawberry bagel with cream cheese), she could have a bowl of sliced strawberries. I use it as a motivational tactic because otherwise the main course gets overlooked for the much tastier fruit (who can blame her on that?). I set the bowl of sliced strawberries on the counter for her. She did indeed finish the bagel and came into the kitchen to grab the bowl of berries. Here is the rest of the conversation:

K: Can I have my strawberries now?
M: Did you finish your lunch?
K: Yep!
M: Of course you can.
K: Ok. Where's my straw?
M: Your straw is in your milk glass.
K: No - my straw!
M: (Puzzled face) What do you mean, Kyra?
K: How can I eat my strawberries?
M: Ummm, with a fork?
K: Yes, a straw! That's how I say fork in English.

I guess I need to go back to school!

A Contact Sport?

Proving that I am really behind the times, I received a call from the school health assistant this afternoon. Apparently Ian was involved in a playground "altercation" (to which he was not the aggressor). He fell down and hit his head and has a slight bump. I was glad the school called to inform me and Ms. A felt that he was acting fine and was back at class.

When Ian came home, I asked him what happened and he told me he got knocked down getting someone "out" in a game but he was feeling better. I figured it was dodgeball or something like that. No, further proving how "old fashioned" I am, apparently these days, four-square is a contact sport! Lord, please help me!