Texas Round-up, Here I Come

I am not sure why I was so nervous about the 10k I walked/ran today.  I loved it.  Absolutely loved it.  I didn't die (not yet anyway).  My brain didn't swell.  And they do have porta-potties along the route!  Woohoo!   

My friend Julie and I walk/run a lot together so it was fun to do this race with her. We didn't run the whole way, but we did run a lot.  I didn't train as well as I should've. I know this because I am lying on the couch nursing my very sore legs.  They feel like they are going to cramp up any second. My awesome neighbor across the street, who happens to be a nurse in a cardiac unit, brought me a gatorade and an orange this afternoon after I told her I had a headache.  She said I was dehydrated.  So no, not everything was perfect, but I had a great time walking and running those 6.2 miles this morning.  

I had expected to be done in 2 hours since it normally takes me 45 minutes to walk/run the first 3 miles and I was sure it was going to take me more than an hour to finish the second 3 miles.  I told David and the kids to meet me at the finish line at 11 a.m.  Well, to our surprise, we finished in 1 hour and 42 minutes.  My sweet husband showed up a the finish line right at 11 a.m. and we had been sitting for more than 15 minutes already waiting for him.  I felt so bad for him.  He had the camera ready to go and he had missed me crossing the finish line. Oh, well. Next time, the whole family is going to run the race so no one will miss any of it.  

I loved it so much that I am considering running the Texas Round-up 5 K on April 25th.  

TTYL.

Race Nerves

I am getting very nervous about the Capitol 10K this weekend. Why did I sign up for that? I am not a runner. I am so dreading this. The first thing that got me nervous is the waiver I had to sign. It talks about runners who die during the race having no legal recourse. Die? What did I get myself into? Then I took a look at the elevation map: lots of hills. Ugh. I hate hills.

I actually waited until the last possible moment to sign up for the race perhaps hoping that something very important might come up and I wouldn't be able to go through with it, but no such luck. I am on for Sunday at 9 a.m. Deep breath. What if I am the last one to cross the finish line???? No. That won't happen. What if I drink too much water and I get a swollen brain???? What if I have a heart attack in the middle of the thing or an aneurysm???

Ok, back to reality. This ain't no marathon. It's a six mile race. Who dies in a six mile race? Right? I will be fine. I will be fine. I will be fine. I will not be the last person to cross the finish line. I will not let my brain swell from all the water I'm going to drink. Oh, no...what if I have to go potty from all the water I might drink??? Are there porta-potties along the route??? Aaargh. Too many scenarios I have not thought about and probably shouldn't...

TTYL.

Rice Sandwiches

I went to a reading last night by my favorite author, Sandra Cisneros. The Austin Public Library Foundation sponsored the reading in honor of the 25th anniversary of the publication of The House on Mango Street. As with most things good that have happened in my life, my husband introduced me to her writing.

When we first met, he owned a copy of The House on Mango Street, a collection of powerful short essays about the lives of Latinas in poverty. I read it voraciously. I could identify with the narrator of almost every story. It seemed that her stories were about me.  

My all-time favorite short essay is "Rice Sandwich," about a little girl who wants to eat in the "canteen" with the kids who bring lunch to Catholic school every day. After relentlessly pleading and begging her mother to please pack her a lunch, her mother agrees, but they don't have lunch meat so all her mother can pack her is a sandwich made out of rice. The little girl couldn't be happier. She walks in to school with her lunch and a note from her mother asking the mother superior to let her daughter eat in the canteen. But the little girl is not prepared for the humiliation that awaits her.

Every time I read that story, I weep. Seriously, not just tear up a little, but really cry a flowing river of tears. I guess it's because the story reminds me so much of when I was a little girl and how badly I wanted to take a lunch to school. My dad always said no because we already got a free lunch at school. I couldn't stand those free lunches, especially on the day they served Tortilla Soup. It was so gross.  Everything was all mixed together. It looked like it had already been processed in someone's stomach. I longed for the day when I could bring a lunch box to school filled with goodies from home and then one day, I met my friend Julie Farmer.  She brought a lunch to school every day and she hated that. Funny how life is sometimes, but what a perfect opportunity for both of us! I gave Julie my free lunch ticket and I got to eat her delicious bologna or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  

Anyway, last night Sandra Cisneros read two new short stories.  Like the rest of her writing, they were powerful and funny. I did not realize Sandra was such a funny person. I should've known since her stories can be very funny. Her last story was about her mother dying when Sandra was 53 and how that made her feel like an orphan in the world. In the story, two little girls who just lost their mother also lose their cat, Marie. 

"Have you seen Marie?" the little girls walk around asking in the neighbors. 

"Marie, where are you?!" they call out.  

They don't find Marie but in the process of looking for Marie they discover that they are really looking for their mother. When they finally start asking about their mother, her spirit responds: "'Here I am!' says the Wind."  

"Here I am! say the Trees."  

"Here I am!' says the River." 

As usual I am not doing her story justice.  It was beautiful and as with most of her stories, by the end, I was sobbing like a baby. But the beauty of being in a room full of Sandra Cisneros fans is that when I looked around most people were sobbing, too.  

TTYL.

Spring Break

I am starting to get more emails with comments about this blog and it is starting to get a little scary for me to write in here knowing that people are actually reading this. Most comments are congratulatory except for the one from my friend Kim who chastised me for using too many chemicals to clean my house (read my "Whirlwind" post). She's right. I shouldn't use that many chemicals, but I don't like my house smelling like vinegar all the time....

Anyway, this post is not about chemicals or housework. It's about the best time had by a family during Spring Break this year. I love traveling with David and the kids. It is so much fun to be together in the car. We sing. We read books aloud. We play games. We listen to music. We read some more. The kids write in their journals. They make puppets out of socks. They read independently. They eat A LOT. Actually, we all eat a lot. We feel so, so lucky to have such wonderful traveling kids.

The first day of our journey to the Grand Canyon was last Saturday. We packed the night before and were able to leave the house at 5:30 a.m., a first for us! We had several short stops along the way that day -- the longest stop was a 30-minute break for lunch at a playground -- but made it to Tucson, AZ by 6:00 p.m. (Really 8 p.m. our time, but it was a nice bonus to gain two hours during that trip. ) We traveled a total of 900 miles that day with three kids in the car, the youngest being only 21 months. We couldn't believe it! Wow! Now we feel like we can go anywhere in a day! We were hoping to camp during this trip, but after checking the weather we realized it would be too cold for me to camp. I don't like camping when it is going to be below 32 degrees at night. The projected temps for most of the areas we visited were in the low 20's. Too cold for me! (But not for my husband who has camped through a blizzard in Alaska!).

I am a list person and don't want to bore you with details so here's a quick itinerary of our trip and what we saw each day:

Day 1: Traveled 900 miles from Austin to Tucson.

Day 2: Visited Saguaro National Park in Tucson where the kids earned their first of four Jr. Park Ranger badges. That night we drove north 6 hours to the Grand Canyon!

Day 3: Natalia woke up at 6 a.m. begging to go the see the Grand Canyon. David took her while the rest of us slept in. We spent all day exploring the park. Daniel and Nati also got to hike down part-way into the Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail with David while Isabella and I ate ice cream and walked the South Rim Trail. Isabella spent most of her time in the stroller or in the backpack. The trail is fairly safe, but there are areas without a rail and it made me a little queasy to have Isabella walking around so close to the canyon's edge. That night we also watched a beautiful sunset. The kids earned their second Jr. Park Ranger badge that day.

Day 4: The whole family woke up early to watch the sunrise over the canyon. It was very cold, but totally worth it. The colors look majestic as the sunlight reflects and shadows are cast on the sides of the canyon. We drove to most of the lookout points on the east part of the South Rim trail and then we were ready to move on. That afternoon we drove to Navajo Nation. Our first stop that evening was in Monument Valley, a breath-taking display of red clay and sandstone formations that sore into a gorgeous blue sky filled with billowing clouds. (See picture above.) Several western movies have been filmed here. We didn't want to leave, but we had reservations for that night in Canyon de Chelly also in Navajo Nation.

Day 5: Canyon de Chelly is a gorgeous area that has been inhabited by the Navajo for hundreds of years. It is hard to explain how beautiful this canyon is. There is a lush, green valley at the bottom along the river that runs through it. I think it is more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. We hiked all the way down into the canyon to see pueblo ruins. The hike itself was only 2.5 miles round trip and it was fun for the kids to walk down these beautiful cliffs. The kids also earned their third Jr. Park Ranger badge at this park.

Day 6: We woke up early this day too and visited the Painted Dessert and Petrified Forest National Park. This was another amazing spot. We hiked the Long Logs trail and the Agate trail. The kids loved seeing the rock logs and learning how trees turned to stone. That evening we drove to Albuquerque and got a quick look at Old Town Albuquerque. Beautiful! The kids earned their final Jr. Park Ranger badge this day!

Day 7: Woke up in Albuquerque and drove all the way to Austin with one stop in Roswell, New Mexico to picnic and play in the Spaceport Playground. The kids loved the aliens!

The Grand Canyon was absolutely stunning and I am so glad that we went, but I have to admit that my favorite part of the entire trip was our visit through Navajo Nation. David found Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell at the Monument Valley Gift Shop. We read that aloud to the kids on our way to Canyon De Chelly. It is a poignant story about a little girl whose entire clan is brutally escorted out of the canyon by American soldiers and taken to Bosque Redondo at Fort Sumner. It helped explain why we were seeing areas of stark poverty amidst such beautiful landscape. The book provided us with a frame of reference for the rest of the trip and possibly for the rest of our lives...

TTYL.

Balance

I am energized by being around people. Is it because I grew up in a large family with many people around me all the time? I slept in the same room as my grandma and my six siblings until I was 15. The only reason my sister and I moved to a room of our own was because a friend made fun of me for still sleeping in my grandma's room. I love the noise, the warmth of a full-house, but I also love being alone with my own thoughts. Balance is good.

Torn Again

I took a class on human biology in college and loved it. It was a combination anthropology, biology, and psychology class. One day the professor walked in and his first question to the class was, "At what point, in the gestation of a human, does human life actually begin?" He proceeded to ask us to raise our hand if we thought a human baby was a human life. Of course, the whole class raised their hands. Then he asked if we thought a 39-week old fetus was a human life. Only one person in the class did not raise his hand. I remember thinking, "Wow. I can't believe that that guy thinks that a baby about to be born is not a human life!"  The questions continued , each time the number of weeks getting smaller. What about a 7 month old fetus?  Is it a human life? It was interesting to see people's responses.  As the number of weeks in the question decreased so did the number of hands going up.  He got to two months. Is that human life? Several hands were still up in the air.  Finally, he got to conception.  Are a blob of cells human life? Only one person had his hand up in the air and it wasn't me.  

I think back on that day frequently. It made a big impression on me that there were such varied opinions on this matter within my own classmates, whom I regarded as being very progressive. A few months ago, when the Obama administration announced that it would reverse the policy on stem cell research that the Bush administration had sponsored, I started thinking about those questions again. This time, however, with very many years of life experience behind me. Now I think I would be one of the people whose hand would be up when asked about human life beginning at conception. Not because of religious beliefs, but simply because biology dictates it.

The stem cell research ban that Obama just lifted allows scientists to conduct research on leftover human embryos that were created in vitro for fertilization purposes. The research is usually conducted when the embryo is five days old. At that point, a human embryo consists of 120-150 cells. In the past, the embryo was destroyed as part of the research process. However, now researchers have figured out how to not harm the embryo. If you look at the picture above, it in no way resembles a human, but still I feel very, very queasy about the idea that we are tinkering with a human life. Again, not because it has anything to do with religious beliefs, but because to me it seems that there is no question that biologically-speaking, human life begins at conception.  

How do scientists define something as being "alive?"  Kids, in Texas, learn that in kindergarten. For something to be alive, it needs to 1) grow and change,  2) reproduce (have offspring),  3) require energy (eat, breathe, etc.),  4) be composed of 1 cell or more (have a highly organized structure), and 5) respond to stimuli (e.g., move).  Based on this definition, a human embryo is definitely alive then.  

I understand the plethora of benefits that can be achieved by studying stem cells.  Stem cells are the cells that help us heal. It is possible that scientists might find cures for many debilitating illnesses because of this research. But how can one ethically justify using a human life to experiment? What happens to the embryos after the research? Are they allowed to develop into fetuses and eventually full-blown babies? Do the ends really justify the means? Can anyone ever really answer that question? 

TTYL.

Torn

I am so torn about going back to work.  IK is still so little.  She will be two in June.  But I will have been out of the workforce exactly five years at the end of April.  I should just stick with my plan to do some consulting, especially because IK is scheduled to go to preschool in the fall  two days a week.  Or should I wait until she is three?  This is so hard.  Two days a week is not that much time away from her, but still, it's time away that I will never have back with her. 

She is at the cutest stage where she is learning to talk.  Every day she says a new word. yesterday's word was  "Nati."  She says it so clearly now.  She also is a bilingual baby so she can understand and speak both languages.  Will I be able to continue that when she starts school?  I don't see why not, right?  I can still speak to her in Spanish only like I have been doing.  And her school is a very nice one.  It is a Waldorf-oriented.  They have a beautiful garden where the children spend most of their time.  They grow their own herbs and use them in the bread they bake.  They water the plants themselves.  Most kids who attend do not watch TV at home. Lunches need to be healthy.  No one is allowed to wear clothes with TV or cartoon characters on it.  No one yells at the children.  They call them by ringing a bell or by singing. The best part is that the school celebrates all the holidays it seems so they get an early introduction to different cultures.  

N and D are not too excited about me going back to work.  Will we have a nice sitter they ask? Will we have to stay late at school with Dad every day?  Who is going to help us with our homework?  Who is going to take us to after school activities?  Will we still be able to have play dates after school?  Who is going to make us dinner? 

I am sure David and I can figure our routines and schedules.  We've done it before.  Not with three children but with two.  Maybe I am just scared of starting the actual process.  I am not sure what I am scared of: missing out on my kids' life?  taking a job I might not enjoy?  not being able to be involved as much in my children's education?  

I don't know.

But I need to figure this out soon!  

TTYL.

Why I can never get projects done

Today went like this:

7:30 a.m. Wake up and jump in the shower

8:00 a.m. Check facebook before driving Isabella to the doctor

8:45 a.m. Finally see doctor!

9:00 a.m. Arrive home

9:30 a.m. Walk/run with Isabella and friend

11:00 a.m. Lunch with friends

12:30 p.m. Salvation Army bookstore with friend

2:20 p.m. Drop off friend at her house and head to school to pick up kids

2:52 p.m. Pick up kids

3:30 p.m. Arrive home; kids start homework

4:30 p.m. Homework done; start dinner

6:00 p.m. Dinner

7:00 p.m. Kids get ready for bed

7:15 pm. Reading time

8:00 p.m. Lights out for kids; dishes for me.

9:00 p.m. Bedtime

Wake up and start over!

Whirlwind

What a whirlwind of a month!  It was so much fun!  I got to see so many friends and relatives that I don't get to see that often: David's cousin from Tennessee, my grad school friend from Chicago, my high school friend from DC, my sister and her boyfriend, my entire family at my little sister's bridal shower in Brownsville.  I love it!

In preparation for our company, I kept trying to clean our guest bathroom.  I tried everything on the shower curtain - bleach, tylex mold and mildew remover, soft scrub and still the thing would not get completely clean.  I finally gave up with our last guest and went out and bought a new shower curtain.  In the process of cleaning the shower curtain, however, I discovered the best way to clean my tub.  I had also tried all of the chemicals mentioned above, plus I tried toilet bowl cleaner and the soap scum stayed there.  The day before our last guest arrived, I sprayed the curtain with Tylex Soap Scum remover and accidentally spilled the bottle into the tub.  The solution splattered all  over the tub and then Ta Da!  The soap scum started coming off.  Hallellujah!  Surely, I have cleaned that tub before, but for the life of me, I could not recall what I had used to remove the soap scum (probably because the thing only gets cleaned when we have guests coming to see us).  Anyway, it was a good discovery.  

Yes, I can't believe it either -- I am wasting a post to talk about Tylex!  :)  TTYL.