Teri Parris Ford's Blog

Conference Swim and more

This morning I got up with my husband who ran a half marathon today. I got Monika to her soccer tournament, took Balt for a walk, picked up my veggies and then helped Jessi get ready for her conference swim meet. After everyone was gone, I decided to clean and cook instead of doing yoga. I'm not sure it was the right thing to do but if I don't clean, no one else does and I'm not sure I can enjoy sitting in my own house looking at a mess.

Jessi had a great swim. She came in 6th for her 50, 4th in the 100, 1st for her 200 relay and almost 1st for her 400 relay. There was a DQ that wasn't Jessi's fault and didn't matter for team points. They came in 3rd and seemed okay. Monika did well playing soccer (win and tie) and my spouse survived his run (the survivors get medals). All was well with the universe this evening.

Represent

It was Jessi's last dual meet and it was parent night. Because it was against an easily beaten team, Jessi was swimming events she rarely swims. Because I didn't want to miss the time when parents were called up to get flowers from the swimmers and take pictures, I actually got to the meet fairly early and stayed nearly the whole time. This year's pic isn't as great as last years, but it's kind of fun to look at them after three years (I'll save the blog post of all of them together for next year).

The day started early. I made breakfast sandwiches for the swim team this morning. Jessi was happy with my presentation of food. All the moms take turns bringing in food twice a week for the team and while I don't feel the need to necessarily be better then them all, I don't want to embarrass Jessi with something gross. Between the serving of breakfast and the meet this evening, it made for a super long day. I did manage to get in a walk for Balt after school, before the meet. He was super eager to get out and wasn't too thrilled to go back into his crate. I wanted to get a late yoga class in but opted to go to bed early tonight instead. I'll be happier in the morning.

Moving On

The school year is well on the way. My classes are settling in nicely. There's a lot of energy in them-- positive energy. I was told by a couple of seniors today that my class was more difficult than their physics class. I had a very hard time believing that, but I never took physics. Maybe it would have been easy for me!?

Autumn has finally come to Wisconsin in full force and I'm enjoying to slow down as the weather cools. My husband mentions moving up to Minnesota to me weekly and as much as I hate the idea of living north, I am getting used to living in 4 seasons. The change of pace with the change of seasons makes for a more interesting life. 

Tonight both our football and swim teams had matches against Middleton. Both had a lot riding on the meet ups, neither prevailed. While JMM didn't beat Middleton, Jessi did get a PR on her 200 and did pretty darn good on her 100-3rd place but only less than 1/2 a second away from first. She was please with her new coach which is actually the old coach seemed pleased with the results of the meet as a whole. Middleton is most likely the second fastest team in the state, so a very close meet, although a loss means possibly being third in the state. There is still a lot of hope to hang on to dispite the big changes this week. Jess came home in good spirits and that was all that really mattered to me.

Chit, chat, shots, and swings...

I had a nice half day today. As I get to know my students, I enjoy the chit-chat more and more. I missed my afternoon classes to see a podiatrist specialist who had been referred to me for my foot pain. My feet are in constant pain now, just at different intensities as the day progresses. I have been only taking my mega doses of ibuprofen at night so that I can sleep and just deal with the foot pain during the day. I'm not doing all the things I have been told to do, I admit, but I try. Anyway, it was nice to get some straight answers and advise. I won't heal quickly without staying off my feet and I can't stay off my feet. The doctor would like me to take two weeks off yoga, and work on a bike or swim for exercise. Of course, I paid for an all day workshop this weekend, so I'll take off after that. I cannot go bare-footed, ever. He told me to get a pair Birkenstock for the house and wear them to bed (not in bed), and slip them on even to go to the bathroom. I got a pair of orthotics made (insurance will pay) for my other shoes, but until then, he preferred I stayed in Birks. I got two shots of cortozon into my heels but only on the condition that I keep shoes on. I'm not supposed to feel the relief for a couple of days, though. I got x-rays as well and lots of compliments on my pink toe nail polish.

Monika had a match at Middleton. She lost after 3 sets, which was frustrating for her, but her coach was pleased with her performance. I took Balt and walked around the courts catching bits of her games. I had to run out to get bread sticks and milk for Jessi's team potluck but then returned to pick up Monika and go out to dinner (Panera). Then I took Jessi to Target to get footie pajamas for dress up day at school- a boys XL will barely fit. I was happy to get home and finally get off my feet.

Happy the day is done!

Today was the 2nd annual Student Government Leadership Conference. We had hired someone last year to organize and lead the conference with the grant money I had won. This year we modeled it all after last years and I think, made it better, but it was exhausting. Having 6 adults in charge makes it nice to play tag team and share the load. I think the kids had a valuable experience.

Jessi and Monika both participated today in the conference. Monika was part of the leadership who helped run it because she is a class officer, but she had to leave early for tennis so she didn't get to be in the group photo. She's in Milwaukee for the weekend at an invite. Jessi had a swim meet tonight in Verona that she was dreading. Her coach has been working her hard and she knew it would be tough meet to win. They came close but victory was not won, 81-84. Jessi did not swim her best, but she certainly did not swim badly either. She's getting stronger, it's just a painful process. We both came home from the meet beat and ready to put our feet up. I got us a couple of burgers  and a shake for Jessi. She needs the calories, I don't.
 

Back in Blue

The last time Monika was in Regent blue was when she played basketball in 5th grade. It's been a while. She had to leave tennis a bit early to make the game, and then played the whole time. They won 3-0, her best friend, Emily, made all three goals. Monika had quite a few shots on goal, but not a lot of luck. Still it was a good first game with a brand new team with a bunch of girls who had never played together.

My school day was crazy full starting at 5:30am getting Jessi going then taking care of Balt. Our walk this morning was beautiful but very wet. Monika and I got to school a bit early which was really nice. I had hoped to get a lot of work done tonight, but the soccer game sucked the evening up. So I will put off, yet again, work that needs to be done by tomorrow for tomorrow. It's not a good feeling, but my eyes are burning just trying to finish this post.

Thunder and Rain

The morning started with thunder and then the rain came. I didn't get Balt out for much of walk so he was pretty antsy all morning. I went to a morning yoga class and he stayed home and chewed up a trash can. I finally got him out after noon. I am thinking the morning walk is going to have to happen no matter what or else I am in for some destruction. He needs to loose weight, I need to loose weight. It seems like it's just meant to be.

Jessi had a follow up appt to get her sutures out. We found out that the biopsy came out abnormal which is not good news. She'll need to be extra careful in the sun from now on and will need to have annual dermatology exams. It isn't what you expect to hear, but when it was all done I was so glad her doctor had been so careful about it. I thought it was too much only to find it out it that it would have been a bigger problem later.

Luckily the sun came out and dried off all the tennis courts. Monika's meet against East was not cancelled. She and her partner, Megan, are getting better and better as they play more and more together. They continue to win and win. Her team did not do as well, losing to East 2-5. I came home and made dinner, then went out to get ice cream for the girls to celebrate. The three of us watched a Monk episode enjoying chocolate chip... only I didn't deserve it.

Allergies or Empathy?

Balt developed some weird pimple-like bumps on his nose yesterday (one near his eye) and I immediately thought he was taking on some of my stress. Maybe adolescent dogs get acne? It made me think of the scene in 101 Dalmatians where the dogs look like their owners (or vise versa)-- see below! So, I ran him over to my vet, who is a long time acquaintance of mine and asked what she thought. She prescribed some benedryl, assuming he got his nose into something that was upsetting his system. He won't let me pick at them, which is probably really good. If I didn't pick my own, they'd look a lot better on me. His pimples seem a little better today... but I'm still not sure what they are (they better not be warts!).

Monika got her wish and got to play in the soccer tournament today. She played so well with the white team that they ended up going to the finals and the ride she had, couldn't stay so I had to drive up to Fond du Lac to pick her up from the afternoon championship game. I got there right at the half and got to watch them go from 0-2 to 3-2. It was pretty exciting. Monika was then asked to play with the team for all of their tournaments. She was pretty pleased to get a medal for tennis yesterday and a trophy today for soccer. It was quite the weekend despite her flare up of allergies. 

Rain Delay, Big Day

Monika was invited to play in a soccer tournament this weekend but she also had a tennis tournament to play. I could tell she really wanted to do both, but with rain delaying tennis, there was no way she'd get away for soccer. (She'll make it tomorrow.)  She had a great day of tennis once the sun came out. She won three matches with her partner earning a couple of medals at the end for an undefeated day.

Jessi had practice this morning and then a PCN meeting. I had to pay for her fees. I paid a whopping $400 for her to swim ($115 goes to the school, the rest to the swim team for her suit and other not so necessary items). Compare that to tennis-- the same $115 fee to the school plus another $40 team fee. Granted, the tennis uniform is optional and the swimsuit is not. Still, I am always dumbfounded that swimming costs so much. Okay, it's not as bad as hockey, I know!

Anyway, after her meeting, I rushed to watch Monika play and then forced in a yoga class. I have 8 classes yet to take in order to earn my summer medal and only 10 days left of August. It's a bit ironic that I let going to yoga get a little stressful. It's pressure to do something good for myself. I don't think that's what's giving my eye spasms. I got a quick shower in and then I got back to catch the end of Monika's third match and then made it to Jessi's first swim meet of the school year against alumni. It's a nice way to start. She looked good, but her coach said she breathed too much. I told her I like it when she breathes; it's makes for better pictures!
 

The summer days are numbered...

Every morning this summer I have taken Balt out on a nice walk, unless it was raining. He's enjoyed having a lot of company this summer but things are going to change soon! I feel like tomorrow is my last day off as every day seems to get busier with things that need to happen for work. I have to be at work at 8am on Monday. Balt will have to get used to walking in the afternoon. The girls have exactly 2 weeks still of no school, but it's filled with tons of sports and other school meetings and activities.

After Balt and I went on our walk, I got some work done then went to yoga. There is a new handsome young instructor who has a soft gentle voice but a kick-ass work out. I was glad to get my workout done before noon. At one both Monika and I had a meeting for freshman day (exactly two weeks from today). I love having Monika involved with student government and planning.  Monika ran off for her tennis match warm ups while I finally got to Costco for fruit and cat food. I was afraid the cats were going to start bringing in dead animals to make up for their empty bowl. A few dead mice on the porch isn't bad, but who knows what they'd do without good kibble. 

I got to Monika's first set a bit late but she was winning and it kind of looked like a blowout. By the second set the girls were feeling the heat and lost the first couple of games but finally got back into it to win 6-1 and 6-3. She stayed to cheer on the JV girls while I went home to clean up and check on my husband. He came home just for the evening to see Monika play. He returns to Milwaukee in the morning for the weekend. Jessi's swim team had an ice cream social after practice tonight. She came home exhausted. The practices keep getting harder and the new coach is taking her to her limits. She will either became a great swimmer or get injured... or quit in frustration. Of course I'm encouraging and hoping for the first option, but there are never any guarantees.

Smashingly Good!

Monika had her first tennis match up today. Actually she had two-- the tournament from Saturday was made up today with great weather and even better scores. She is playing with an incoming freshman who is the sister of the tennis team captian. The two of them seem to make a good team. I saw lots of high fives and smiles but only one crash. I think they will only get better. She is playing doubles 3. They won against Stoughton 6-1 and 6-3. Then without much of a break, they beat East with same scores.

The whole team won both match ups which is a great way to start a season. They play Parker tomorrow, so get ready for lots more tennis photos.

After a lot longer time in the sun than I expected, I popped into the Entryway Redesign meeting. I felt sick. A summer cold turned into a terrible cough. It doesn't surprise me at all that I'm sick. After eye twitches, teeth grinding and pimples, it only made sense that I would add sinus head-aches to the mix. I left the meeting early to take Monika to soccer practice. After picking her up I was too exhausted to go to yoga. The school year hasn't even started but the schedule is already getting difficult. I am hoping once school actually starts, things will settle in.

All City Tennis 2011

After an early morning walk in the dog park with Balt, I took Monika to school for her last EHS. Summer season is coming to a close for her. The All-City Tennis match in Middleton is no where near as big of a deal as All-City Swim, but Monika has been apart of the Shorewood tennis team since 2008 and takes pride representing her age group for Shorewood at the event. They didn't win any matches, but Monika seemed pleased that they didn't lose miserably.

After the event I went to the pool. I started reading a new book and enjoyed the sunshine with dips into the water every so often. I got a couple of short naps in as well. I haven't gotten many afternoons at the pool this summer, I feel like this week has been the first I've had time to. I came home, picked up a bit then made it to the last yoga class of the evening. While I love practicing yoga, it is an intense experience for me. I leave completely drenched in sweat. What I have always loved most is that I never leave in pain. I was having a lot of foot pain and feeling quite sore from yesterday's massage when I walked into class. I limped out, dripping wet but renewed. I came home and made myself a bowl of mixed vegetables and watched Netflix. I enjoyed a wonderful summer day today while taking note that my list of things to do did not change-- it'll be just as long tomorrow as it was today.

F my Motherboard

I try to keep things light on my blog and I try not to complain too much or too often. I'm supposed to be sharing life as a woman, a mother, an artist and a lover (Monika hates that I list "lover" in my by-line). Obviously my life isn't perfect and bad stuff happens. But, in all honesty, nothing REALLY bad has hit me yet and yes, I am thankful. Now I'm going to complain about some trivial stuff...

Last night my laptop just stopped working. I got a few restarts with a little time to work and now I am kicking myself for not backing stuff up when I had the chance. I realize with some hindsight that the machine had been getting hot, but so has most of the US these past weeks. I talked to Safdar Salam or "Sam" over at Dell in India (or maybe the Philippines?) and he told me I most likely fried my motherboard. I love that laptop and use it everyday. I took it across America and treated it like gold bullion under my car seat. Do I spend $600 for a new motherboard or $1200 to replace it? I HATE computer problems!

I took Monika all the way to Brookfield today for soccer tryouts--Wisconsin ODP (olympic develop program). Monika decided to decline 56ers for tennis but still wants training opportunities. ODP would be a great program for her if she made it but she's going against the best in the state. I was afraid that she might show up and feel like she didn't belong, but she had a great day and hopes she has a shot. It's kind of crazy that I drove an hour and a half for an hour and a half tryout process then drove another hour and a half home. It's what soccer mom's do.

I loved that I had last week in Minneapolis to work on art, but I hate that I didn't exercise at all. I hate that my feet hurt almost all the time a little bit and sometimes a lot -- it makes exercising so much more difficult. Just walking Balt is difficult at times and he needs to be walked more. Complete strangers tell me he's fat and I know it's all my fault for not exercising more. I feel like I need to kick start something drastic tomorrow because it's August 1st. Beginnings do that to me. I'm thinking I might start a fast, go nuts training, do something crazy. I hate feeling fat and feeling responsible for having a fat dog.

All City Final Day of Swimming

Today was a great day for Jessi! I made sure to come home from my week in Minneapolis to catch her swim today. I had hoped she would make finals and she did.

Her medley relay came in fourth in the city. She swam next to the Shorewood team during both of her relays and made the difference in beating them both times. It was kind of funny. She moved to Parkcrest to work harder and swim faster. The fact that she got to swim with her high school team peers seemed to be icing on the cake. She made the consolation heat for the freestyle championships. Her time improved so much she should have been 8th in the city but consolation heat swimmers don't bump kids off the heats above them. 

She had a nice break during her day to rest and eat a sandwich. I went to yoga and got reaclimated to the intensity of hot yoga. It was good workout but I was pretty stiff and my feet were just killing me.
I came home showered and down to the pool just in time to see Jessi swim her last race of the summer season. Her freestyle relay came in fifth place, earning enough points for the Parkcrest team to edge out against Shorewood and come in 3rd place. Jessi was so happy. I, of course was pretty proud of her.

Below is last leg of Jessi's freestyle swim. She is in a red cap swimming just behind her team mate (also in a red cap)...

Mad City Fun

Balt woke me up at 4am this morning. He seems so eager for his day to begin, that he just can't wait to get up and go. I get up, check on the cats, tell him to "go potty" and hope he'll go back to bed almost every morning. This morning there was a spectacular view off in the distance, I could the lightning of coming storm. It was beautiful and the air was actually cool for the first time all week. By 5am I could hear the thunder, but it was still very far away. As the morning progressed the storm came in and dropped tempertures and much needed rain. Jessi was thrilled to sleep in-- swimming only gets cancelled for a half an hour every time lightning strikes and thunder is heard. Because of the rain, I cancelled my dog park date for Balt, but later took him to a friends to play.

At 11am I met up with teachers a local pizza parlor to stamp invitations for a big event Melissa is planning. At 1pm I took Monika to a tennis match and got a swim in. With the rain gone, the temperatures rose. By 2pm it was 90. I went to school to help set up for a basketball tournament that Jessi's team hosts.  I worked the clock for two games and then stayed to watch Jessi's second game. I dropped Jessi off at home after and went to the grocery store to enjoy the air conditioning and stock up for the girls in prep for my absence. I made Jessi a late dinner and cleaned up the kitchen and then called it a day-- a busy one. 

Heat Wave

The day started early. Saturday swim meets do that. At 5:30am I took Balt out and got him breakfast, then woke Jessi at 5:45.She had warm ups at 6:30am across town (Seminole Pool in Fitchburg). I ran over with Balt to the dog park and I was suprised how many folks were there before 7am. Everyone was talking about how hot is was going to be this week--extreme, even record-breaking, heat. 90's every day in Madison, but only 89 today. After only 1/2 hour at the park, we went to get bagels and pick up my CSA vegetables. I got back to the meet in time to see Jessi swim her first relay. She had a winning day and I enjoyed hanging out at the pool chatting with pool parents, taking pictures and a video (below) and just enjoying the sunshine. Bring on the heat.

I got sandwiches for the girls for lunch and then went to the pool. I ran home, changed and went to yoga-- the class was a bit overwelming. I came home, showered and then turned on the air conditioning for Jessi (she's so much like Jim when it comes to needing air). I then spent my evening dealing with vegetables. I made 3 salads; a pasta salad, a potato salad and a mixed green salad. I started a quiche to cook early in the morning and then just chopped and put the rest away. If I am taking Balt to the dog park tomorrow, it's going to have to be early. We're in for an even hotter day.

Jessi is in the lime green cap in lane three. She wins a little too easily. I can tell she stopped swimming hard at the end. What for?

Red, White, & Blue... go Green!

This morning started early with a swim meet. While Jessi went to warm ups, I took Balt out to the dog park for a quick walk out in Middleton. He's starting to depend on that morning dog time and wakes me eagerly between 5am and 5:30 for some fun.

Jessi's swim meet was at Shorewood this morning, the pool she used to swim for. When announcing her name during one of her races they accidentally said she was a Shorewood swimmer. She got first place on all her events and at the end of the meet one of her coaches from last year approached her to shake her hand and congratulate her for doing so well. 

Almost immediately after getting home, Jessi changed and went to a basketball tournament. Her basketball team had been playing all day; she was only able to come to last game of the tournie, which they won. 

So while Jessi was running all over, Monika was having to make some tough decisions. She and her best friend decided to decline their 56er soccer team offers and play on a lower level team in order to have more time for school and more energy for tennis. While I did not want money to be part of her decision, I will be very happy not to have to fork over a grand just for her to be on a soccer team. Last year's juggle between club soccer and varsity tennis was hard on her body and I did not want a repeat of that this year. Monika made sure it would not. I am very proud of her for making so difficult a decision, but having a friend support her (her friend plays tennis for West) with the same decision, makes it so much more fun for her (and me). So now Monika will be put on a local classic team what wears blue. I thought it was kind of weird that Jessi changed from wearing a blue swim suit (Shorewood) to wearing red one(Parkcrest) this summer-- although she's been racing in her school colors (green)-- and now Monika is switching from a red jersey(56ers) to a blue one (classic Regent soccer) in order to play better in green (tennis)!

First PC swim meet!

Balt woke me up at 5:30am, but I didn't need to wake up until 6am this morning. I wish there was a way to tell him to sleep in on Saturdays. Jessi had warm ups at 6:30 for her very first swim meet of the summer and the first EVER as a swimmer for the Parkcrest Pool. I volunteered to work clerk of course and felt very weird-- a little bit like a traitor. There is a Madison pool culture during the summer that I am used to but each pool has a different flavor. Parkcrest is much more competitive then Shorewood-- I could hear it from the parents as well as the swimmers. The buzz about beating Middleton was an important part of the meet. While the score is something most Shorewood swimmers are interested in, it was not as big of a deal. That competitive part of swim team is what Jessi wanted; practices are longer and harder. They actually run twice a week as part of practice and according to Jessi, kids are repremanded for not trying hard enough at practice- something she never heard from a Shorewood coach. While talking to a few parents about our Shorewood membership, several commented on how the coaches always have the best costumes at the meets-- yes, that's a priority there. Postive energy that pushes participation over competition has been a good thing for the Ford family, it's just not what Jessi needed this summer. I did miss being the clerk of course queen for the morning. I was just a drone, but I did hear a couple of pool moms talking about my "skills" (that made me feel nice).

The rest of my Saturday was pretty low key. I picked up CSA fruit and vegies, made a quiche for father's day breakfest and a strawberry rubharb coffee cake. I went to a late afternoon yoga class with Melissa and Jen (yoga with them is always more fun). Melissa told us all about the nake bike riders at the capitol today that she and her daughter saw while at the farmer's market. The World Naked Bike Ride people were in Madison today! There are pictures and even a video on Madison.com. I had to look, you can too if you want!

“Winning is great, sure, but ...

....if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose." -Wilma Rudolph

Monika's team lost their first game today. Monika was very frustrated because the winning goal could have been prevented had one of her team mates marked up on the player she said she was going to mark. It is one the frustrations of a team sport; sometimes you see failure in your team mates but there's not a lot you can do about it. I got Monika Chin's for dinner to make her feel a little better. She had had her first day going out to the middle schools with Student Voice putting on skits for kids to talk about the transition to HS. She had been nervous this morning but at dinner shared that all went great. Aside from the losing game, she had had a good day.

Jessi had her Regional Track Meet today in Waunakee. She made the finals in shot put. I left before the discus began in order to make the end of Monika's game. She did not PR, but her coach was pleased with her performance. I saw a coach from another school approach her to ask what grade she was in and congratulate her, assuring her she had a couple of years yet to compete. She is a remarkable athlete.

Today April called in sick, so I was in charge of all my own classes again. I was thoroughly excited to have may classes all to myself for a day. It was pretty mellow and I still got tons of other stuff done (those Rock, Paper, Scissors t-shirts finally got printed!). We had a lunch time staff meeting that pushed off swimming-- at this point I'm just waiting for the out door pool to open. I can't wait til the weekend already!

Graduate, in the finals, and Win-Win (2011)

Balt graduated from his Puppy2 class today. He continues to amaze me in his classes as very smart, eager to please and never agressive, while in real life (at home) he seems pretty lazy, never very concerned about my wishes and kind of nippy. I found my offspring all to be so much better behaved at school than at home-- I guess the same is true for my pets.

Jessi had another track invite today. It was cold and rainy. She managed to get to the finals in the shot put but then scratched her good throw (if you step on or out of the circle it's called a scratch and your throw does not count). Tuesday is the conference meet which she will be competing in. She will have another chance to throw strong.

After my favorite afternoon yoga class, I took Monika to see Win Win with Paul Giamatti, who I first fell in love with in Big Fat Liar (2002) and totally admired in the mini series, John Adams (2008). He plays a familiar role (the complicated, not successful guy) in a familiar story (stray kid finds a good home), but the movie is heartwarming and not completely predictable. Alex Shaffer who stars in the movie as a HS wrestler actually won the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship last year and hasn't been in any other movies. I thought he was adorable and look forward to seeing him in other movies.

Athletic Tuesday

Tuesdays are usually about me juggling Jessi's track meet and Monika's soccer game lately. Today, Madison was amazingly hot (a high of 90) but by 5pm, it was wonderfully warm with a nice breeze. Poor Balt was not used to the heat, but he managed to enjoy the beginning of Jessi's track meet and the end of Monika's soccer game. Monika's soccer team won 5-0. Her back was bothering her again, so she took it easy. She needs to work on strengthing her core. I keep telling her to do yoga with me, but she says she can't take the heat nor the crowd. She's too much like her dad!

Jessi did well on both of her events, making finals for both and placing 3rd in Shot Put (not sure about Discus). After her success at the invitational last Saturday I asked her if she wanted special track shoes for spinning and she said no. According to her, next year is her year. So I get to save up for them for next spring. I can't wait.

Both girls are doing well in their sports and it is really fun to see them having success. 

 

Shot Put & Discus stuff

Jessi and two other Madison Throws Club girls were in a competition of 30 throwers at the 2011 Lady Highlander Invite on Saturday (while I was decorating for Prom). Her coach just put this video up. Jessi got 5th in Discus and 6th in Shot Put. She had P.R.'s in both the Shot 32'6.5" and Discus 90'11".

She shoots, she scores!

Another day of just trying to get as much done as possible. Having April in the classroom is making this week a whole lot more pleasant. When I left at the end of the school, I felt like everything was under control. 

Jessi had a track meet in Beloit that I had no desire to attend-- too far, too cold. I made it to Monika's game and even watched the whole game outside, which is not typical for me in 40 degree weather, but I had Balt. I had to make sure he stayed away from other dogs but he is feeling  a lot better and no longer drugged with cough suppressants. 

Monika's game was nice, the Memorial girls dominated the whole time and Monika made the first goal. She had been frustrated for the past two games because she had not been able to score. When she first started 56ers, I told her I would pay her $100 for every goal she made. Luckily for me she always played defense, either in goal or as sweeper. When she started playing for Memorial she moved to center-mid, so I told her goals were only worth $50 now. After her first 3, I had to lower my price to $20 and if she keeps scoring, I might need to make it $5. It is wonderful to see her having so much success.

Too much isn't always enough

Last night Balt jumped up to the kitchen counter and grabbed a drumstick and gobbled it up quick. He's been quite the scavenger this week and getting worse. Monika decided to take her Easter basket up to her room and hide it under her desk with all her candy in it. I came home after school today to get Balt to take to school and found the chewed up basket. It was an $80 Longaberger basket and Balt seemed to have really went to town shredding it up. There was a full bag of M&Ms near by and an un-opened box with a chocolate bunny. I wasn't sure if any other chocolates were in the basket until Balt vomited.

I called the vet to ask about a hacking cough Balt had that I was sure was from the chicken bone he had gobbled up the night before. I did not mention the possibility of deathly amounts of chocolate. I was told to give him bread and keep an eye on him. I took him to work to ask Melissa what she thought (she's had dogs all her life, even bread them). She said that he seemed unaffected and that a vet visit would mean a big bill. Balt got some wonderful attention from Geof who also thought he seemed okay. AND then when we were getting ready to walk to Monika's game, he puked up a huge bucket load of vomit  up his gullet that included loads of candy wrappers of chocolate candies. It looked as if he had swallowed candy bars whole.  Melissa suddenly had to leave but Geof was eager to help with the clean up. I think there is something pretty amazing about a guy who will bend over and help clean up your vomit... or your dogs vomit.  Even after vomiting, Balt continued to hack-- I'm pretty sure there's still some chicken bone in there somewhere.

We made our way from Monika's soccer game to Jessi's track meet and Balt seemed to be fine. Monika won her game 9-0 and Jessi did okay considering it was raining (no P.R.'s).  I came home and fed Balt more bread and walked with him a bit more, making sure he pooped (kind of runny). He refused his dinner until I sat with him and fed it to him with my hands, but I think he was still holding out for more bread. I made a big fire for all of us to enjoy after dinner... kind of a crazy day.

Road Trip Part 1

On Thursday, Jessi had an invitational track meet in Watertown and Monika had a soccer game in Janesville. Initially when I planned the road trip to Chicago, I thought Jessi's meet was in Whitewater, which is not too far out of the way toward Janesville (south)-- BUT Watertown is north of Madison, so my timing got all tweeked. To make matters worse, Jessi made it into the finals for her event and we had to wait even longer before being able to leave. Poor Monika had to wait in the cold, but was watching the varsity soccer game. It was very stressful getting to Janesville before the varsity team left her there alone. Plus, I was sorry to miss Monika's game as she made two of the four goals. JV continues to dominate. By the time I picked up Monika and stopped for dinner it was nearly 9pm. Jessi brought her friend Lauren along and the ride to Chicago went without a hitch once Moni was in the car. We checked into our hotel at 11pm. The girls were too excited to go to bed, but not me. 

Day 35: Spring Break

The sun came out today, and it kind of looked warm but it wasn't (high 40's is still too cold for me). Balt got me up at 7am, which was very nice. I kept him up until almost midnight last night, hoping he'd sleep in and he did-- kind of. I got a little laundry done, payed a few bills, signed Monika up for summer stuff, made Jessi a big breakfast after her morning track practice and then went to noon yoga. I came home and had lunch with Monika while watching netflix. Monika is hooked on a bunch of UK programs and Jessi is watching Grey's Anatomy (season 1). I'm not sure if watching netflix is as bad as watching television-- there are no commercials and better options, but you have to pay for it.

After a pretty relaxing weekend, my first day of spring break was also somewhat relaxing. I like to feel like I'm accomplishing something but I'm not sure I'm going to get much done this week. I wanted to clean the garage, but it's still too cold. I started doing a bit of the basement, but it's even too cold down there. It's really hard to spring clean when it feels like winter.

Monika had a soccer game at 4pm. I took Balt with me and we stayed until half time. He was getting hungry and I was getting too cold. Monika made the first goal and when I left the team was winning 2-0. I ran home, fed Balt, got a pair mittens and a scarf. I got back in time to see a 3rd goal, so they are now undefeated 4 games into the season. It's very exciting! Their next game, on Thursday, will be miserable - rain in the mid 30's are forcasted. Yuck. I predict 60's and 70's for the week we get back to school; Murphy's law. 

Day 32: Almost There

I got to be honest, I'm kinda grouchy. Today was freezing cold and the weather isn't going to get any warmer in the next week. Vacation starts tomorrow after school and it's not going to be as wonderful as it was earlier this week. Poop. It's going to get to 80 in Alabama (where we went last year). Next year, I'm going back. I'm tempted to just get in the car and go this year, but all three girls have school activities.

This morning I left at 7am to get bagels for my editors. We met to discuss picking editors for next year. I then rushed over to the photo show. My first two classes popped in to check it out. I ran around during 3rd hour and then went home for lunch with Jessi. There was a tornado drill during 5th hour and an "environmental symposium" with Mayor Dave and Representative Spencer Black during 6th. It was an odd day. As soon as I could leave, I grabbed Balt and went to Monika's soccer game in Verona after school.

By the time I got to the game it was barely 40. Balt wanted to walk around, but I couldn't stay outside long to watch the game. I managed a few photos before going back into the car to watch the rest of the game. Verona was supposed to be the hardest game of the season and the girls tied 0-0. Monika knew several girls on their JV team from club soccer, which made it a bit more fun. By the time she joined me in the car she said she could hardly feel her arms.  She said at one point she thought it was raining but then realized it was just skin feeling frost bitten.

Day 30: Victory!

It was a gorgeous day! The most wonderful day for both a track meet and a soccer game. Jessi's track meet was in Verona and Jim decided to go to that while I took the soccer game at Memorial. I ran home and grabbed Balt and came back to my class room while Monika had her warm ups. I took Balt to the game and he made a friend right away. The whole time the game was going on, he got to play. I let him off his leash during half time so that he could run around with another lab. The two of them had a blast. Monika looked like she was having fun too-- especially after winning 2-0. On the other team were several of her 56er soccer friends. I got to say hi to lots of soccer-parent friends too.

Everyone seemed to have a great afternoon! Jim got to Verona right after Jessi threw, but caught her discus-- in which she tossed a personal best! Jim had a chair and a book, enjoying the sunshine while he waited for the rest of the team to finish up. We all got home for grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. It is so wonderful to finally have great weather, time outside and vacation within a week.

Day 24: The first time in green, the first time as 17

Monika had her first game tonight at Middleton. The game originally scheduled for 5pm was moved to a nicer field at 7:30pm which I thought was great. It gave me some time to walk Balt and take a quick nap. The turf field at Middleton is pretty sweet with exception for when you slide on it, then it's not so nice. Monika has quite a few rug-burn red spots on her legs. She played great as center mid-fielder. Middleton is one of the best teams in the conference, so I think the games all get a lot more exciting after this. Everyone seemed quite pleased with the 0-0 tie.

Day 16: Not quite Spring!

Jessi had her second track meet this morning-- the City Track Meet at the UW Shell with all four high school's competing just at the varsity level. I was thrilled it was inside since it was freezing outside along with flurries. Jessi had to be at warm ups at 9am but we ran in late. I decided to go and watch since the weekend was pretty clear of activities other than cleaning and laundry-- stuff I love to procrastinate when I can. There are three JMM varsity shot put girls-- two of them placed on the top 5. Jessi got 4th place in the city and she was not thrilled with her performance. She has yet to PR from her last year's throws this year.

After the track meet we went home and I got to laundry right away. The basement full of it. I got in all organized. I went to yoga and then ran errands, including taking Monika to a birthday party. I did big grocery shopping and bought Jessi a steak for dinner- she had a craving! I chopped a little bit of the steak into my chili and enjoyed a wonderful dinner as well. I had plenty of other cleaning to do, but sat and watched The Office with Jessi by a fire. I am finishing up editing for the April issue of the school newspaper and then hopefully bed not too late for a Saturday. Jim and Jessi have just begun the movie Hannibal-- they'll be up late.