Monday was so busy, I barely got to sit down-- I even ate lunch standing up! I don't think sitting in a moving vehicle fully counts as sitting and resting, especially when a teenage driver is behind the wheel. Rose got her permit one month ago today! She has come so far and is a pretty good driver overall, but she's still a new driver requiring guidance and private parental hand-wringing in the passenger seat. Times before 6pm that I got to sit down on Monday:
- Driving in the car on various local errands (picking up Rose from driver's ed, driving to track practice, to the library & piano lessons, driving home from all that).
- 35 minutes in the dentist chair at the most efficient dental cleaning of all time.
- 35 minutes while I played piano.
The kids had no school on Monday. Jeff had to work because it was a teacher grading day. In the morning it was so hard to get up, thanks to daylight savings. Spring forward! I never was good at jumping, haha. I had the was the fastest dental cleaning that I've ever had! I was in in and out of there in 35 minutes! I was relieved, because I really don't like when they poke my gums and scrape my teeth.
When I got home, the sun was shining, and even though the wind was blowing, I decided to go on a run. I randomly decided to do a tempo workout. It was very hard thanks to the wind and thanks to my tiredness. When I got back from my run, I checked the flowerbeds by the shed and discovered that the tulips I planted in the fall are sprouting! But it was such a warm wet winter, that there were weeds and grass growing all around the poor little tulip sprouts. Naturally, I had to clear the weeds out to give the tulips room to breathe and grow. That took about 30 minutes, and the wind blew on me the whole time. Talk about sensory overload!
I almost gave up on lifting for the day after all that tiring weeding, but at the last minute I decided to do just some lifting. That led to a full 30 minute lifting session. My shoulders and arms and legs are so tired! I'm so glad that I managed to lift, though. I'm still trying to figure out how to allow yardwork and strength training to coexist in my life. Yard work and strength training kind of feel mutually exclusive. If you do one you're too tired to do the other, but if you only do on, then the other either gets overgrown or weak! Solution pending.
On Monday afternoon, I ate my late lunch sandwich standing up while prepping dinner. Then I assembled dinner and put it in the oven on delay timer cook, so it would be ready when we got home from track practice. Track practice was very windy and cold. I wore my down coat and two jackets and fleece lined wind pants and barely stayed warm enough. Rose, Amber, and I managed to go to the library right after track practice, on the way to piano lessons. It was such a relief to come home and sit down to eat dinner after all that! Jeff did family scripture in French as usual for Monday nights, much to Amber's dismay. For a girl who likes to answer questions with "oui" instead of "yes," she is quite reluctant to Jeff's ecritures francaises.
Tuesday morning when I came into the kitchen, the pans from Monday night's dinner were still out on the counter. The handwash dishes were still dirty by the sink. An egg crusted pan was on the stove surrounded by gloppy chunks. The counters were crumby. The trash was overflowing and stinky. I felt sad. I wrote a message on the board on our fridge, ranking the Monday night post-dinner kitchen cleanliness: only 2 out of the 6 kitchen cleaning jobs were done: the food was put away and the dishwasher was loaded. So I rated the kitchen 2/6 = 1/3 = 30%, or a 3/10. I listed what jobs had been done with smiley faces next to them, and what jobs had not been done (even though the notecard with those jobs written on it has been hanging on the fridge for the past 8+ months).
Tuesday night after dinner I asked my family to refer to the fridge message and do better tonight. I reminded Jeff that he is in charge of telling the kids what to do and making sure it's all done. I told everyone that they don't have to beg me to cook dinner for them, so I shouldn't have to beg them to clean up after they eat what I cooked.
The kitchen was shiny clean an hour later. (Although Amber used a stinky dish rag to wipe the counters and I could smell it...so I might have redone that job...while nobody was looking...)
I got to run with the distance kids at track practice on Tuesday. We ran 5 miles and talked the whole way. It was pleasant, and the wind didn't come in as strongly as it was forecasted to do so I was comfy in shorts and a t-shirt. I love running with those girls. That's the thing I miss the most when middle school track season starts: running with my high school girls.
Wednesday morning, Jay and Rose both texted me within five seconds of each other:
Jay: I made state for orchestra
It's on April 25
Rose: Guess what! My small orchestra group qualified for state!
And so did Jay!
He's going on April 25th and it's April 24th for me
Jay and Rose were both first alternates at solo and ensemble last month, and they got spots at state! I love that they are interested in music and finding fun and success with it.
Wednesday was blustery and gray, but it wasn't nearly as cold as forecasted, so track practice was bearable. I made a tasty kielbasa white bean soup and fresh bread for dinner, which went perfectly with the weather.
During track practice on Wednesday, lots of kids asked me questions and told me things and asked for help with their sore muscles and tweaks. A few times, there was an actual line (or cluster) of kids waiting their turn to talk to me! It's equally exhausting and satisfying to be able to help so many kids. I'm going to miss the low profile of just being a helper, not being in charge, that I have at high school track practice when I have to go be in charge and extra responsible at middle school practice. The clock is ticking down to Monday, when middle school track practice begins! What's it going to be like this year? Ahhh, the waiting game is always so agonizing! I'm fine. I'm ready. Mostly.
Thursday was one long sustained rushing windstorm. It was whistling through the back porch door and driving me crazy, so I jammed paper towels in the gap. I know we bought weatherstripping but I can't find it and I haven't been able to bring myself to buy more. Hence the paper towels. But the wind blew two of the paper towels OUT of the gap! I ran on the treadmill to avoid the wind. The best time to run on a treadmill is when I am so thankful NOT to be running outside.
The middle school spring sports coach meeting was Thursday afternoon! My head was spinning with facts, procedures, and information when I left. Hopefully I can document what needs to be documented and still have time to actually coach, haha.
I went to the HS track practice after my MS coaches' meeting this afternoon, and stood in the cold wind answering questions and giving tips for an hour. There were a lot of sore lower calf muscles from running in spikes and getting used to new movement patterns.
We had leftovers for dinner almost together as a family on Thursday night: we didn't all eat at exactly the same time, but we all were together at the table. Jeff played 3 Donny Osmond songs from Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat on YouTube and tried to pass it off as family scripture. I tried reading a few verses aloud after that, but nobody was really paying attention. They were measuring hand sizes across the table (Jeff included) and making faces at each other. Grrr.
Friday was colder, but with lighter wind, but with a steady drizzly mizzly rain all day. I waited until the afternoon to go running, so I could do all of my time outside in the elements at once. I parked at the high school and ran in the 43 degree rain on the bike path before practice. Then I proceeded to slowly succumb to pre-hypothermia for the next hour and a half at track practice. I may have taken my longest, hottest shower of the year that evening. Then I spent a few hours wrapped in my heated blanket. By bedtime, I was finally warm again.
Saturday was the first high school track meet of the season! It was windy and chilly with scattered clouds in Yakima. Whew, track meets are exhausting! It was fun hanging out with Jeff and the other coaches, watching Jay and Rose compete, and being there for the other kids on the team. I brought 4 loaves of bread with PB & jam, and the team ate all of it!
Rose ran the 2k steeplechase for the first time ever on Saturday: 5 laps, 23 barriers. She fell in the water pit twice and submerged up to her shoulders in the frigid water. Even though she was going over hurdles beautifully during practice this week, she couldn't bring herself to hurdle the very solid, very different steeple barriers, so she stopped running and stepped over each barrier for the entire race! It was amusing. Afterwards Rose said she didn't run fast enough to get tired, and the classic Rose line "I could've run faster, but my legs wouldn't move." She said her legs were too numb from the cold water at the water barrier. Rose seems to shut down during competitions, and the coach in me as well as the parent in me are both not sure how to help her through that. I told her as a goal for her next race, I would love to hear her say "I gave everything I had in that race, and I know I couldn't have done more" instead of her usual "I could have done better, but..."
Rose also threw discus (I missed it, sadly--throws are 90% waiting, and I was waiting at the track to watch Jay run). Rose threw a big PR of 60'2"! She finished 18th out of 52 in the discus, and was Sunnyside's #2 discus thrower! Only one other freshman threw discus farther than Rose! Rose and I hung out together for most of the rest of the meet.
Jay ran the anchor leg (an 800) of the sprint medley relay, and then the 1k (2.5 laps). He raced well in the 1k and finished strong! He was happy and had a good time at the meet with his friends too. I enjoyed observing those boys' shenanigans from afar. The online results are a bit messy due to technical errors so I don't know Jay's finishing places or times.
I went to Costco on the way home from the meet. I forgot that last year at this meet I went to Costco during the endless 35 heats of the 100 meter dash, then came back to watch the last 2 races. I hope I remember that trick next year, because it was brutal doing a Costco run after 6 hours out in the elements at the meet. Windy days double the amount of perceived time outdoors for me, so every hour takes a two hour toll on my body. I was so tired! We got home at about 7pm and then had to unload the groceries!
Since last week I neglected everyday photography, I made a greater effort to take pictures this week.
Rose constructed a massive blanket fort with Amber last Sunday afternoon.
My tulips!! I planted them by the shed because there was lots of heavy machinery rolling all around by our house while our driveway was being paved in the fall. I figured the shed was a safe place for my flower babies to grow. I need to plant more flowers. They make me so happy, it surprises me every time! While I was weeding around these baby tulips, I talked to them. Yeah. It was involuntary. I laughed at myself, but then I talked to the tulips again. Also, this shed flowerbed is a work in progress. The yard keeps encroaching on it. I spent hours of backbreaking labor last fall excavating the endless heavy landscaping rocks from this flowerbed so I could plant tulips. Next I need to define the border of the flowerbed somehow. I am a total gardening novice!
Track boys, attempting to stay warm in the relentless wind. Jay was in that stack of spoons, but the blanket wasn't quite big enough to cover more than his arm, so he got out before I could sneak a picture.
Heading home after another windy track practice! My hooded down coat is so necessary and warm, but the hood gives me such a hilarious bubble head look! I'm glad I usually don't see myself with the hood up, haha.
Jay and two of his teammates (Josh & Johnny) approaching for a steeplechase practice leap. Since we don't have steeplechase barriers, Jeff had them practice on the long metal bench that the soccer team uses on the sidelines during games. First Jeff demonstrated how to go over a steeplechase barrier, stepping on the back of the bench as he went over it. Then Jeff and I each sat on one end of the bench to stabilize it so it wouldn't tip over when the kids stepped on the backrest. Only a few of the kids ended up racing the steeplechase, but this was a fun exercise!
So thankful for treadmills during windstorms.
My paper towel weatherstripping--see how it blew out along the top? One of the paper towels along the side blew out and fell on the floor too!
More steeplechase barrier practice...Rose was so frustrated! Poor girl. I would be nervous about leaping such a solid barrier too!
Sister time: every night before bed they talk. It's the sweetest. Also, Amber's bedroom will never be tidy. I am 79% on my way to accepting that fact.
On our way to the track meet on Saturday, Amber and I stopped at WinCo for team PBJ supplies, and picked up some discounted strawberries en route. Amber is so intense when given a task. She examined almost every box of berries there before selecting some.
Jay, cruising the 800 in the medley relay!
Rose, starting the 2k steeplechase--only 5 girls raced it! Rose came in 4th with a time of 10:56. She was the only 9th grader in the race, and she was also the only one who could easily step over the barriers. Long legs!
Go Rose! Rose did not want to jog her warmup for this race alone, so I went with her on a 10 minute jog. When we got back to the track, Rose White was being paged over the loudspeaker because the steeplechase was starting 30 minutes early! She dashed over to the clerk and checked in. Rose's teammate Joshua had borrowed her spikes for his relay, and he found her at the last minute to return her shoes. Rose made it to the starting line in the nick of time!
The girl behind Rose was doing barrel rolls into the water pit. For the first 2 laps, she was in front of Rose and Rose had to wait for her to get out of the way before Rose could go over the water barrier. Rose didn't want to step on this girl's face with her sharp spikes!
Our brave Rose girl.
Jay in the 1k!
Jay raced his buddy Shaun for the entire 1k. Shaun barely beat him at the end.
Coaches' shoes! We all got the Nike Zoom Fly 6 shoes when we went to the coaches' conference in January. The two throws coaches were not at the track (since they were at the throws area), so when I sent this picture in our group text, they took a picture of their feet (2 people) and sent it back to us.
Hanging out at the track meet trying not freeze with my Rose-girl.
Jay, in red, huddled with friends at the team tarp.
Amber is friends with the high school girls--or she acts like she is, haha. They are all used to her and nice to her. She walked up to them, put her arms around their group, and joined their huddle for warmth. Amber is also taller than a lot of the high school girls (that's Amber in the floral coat). We each survived the wind in our own way!
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