This is the dilemma I face lately...

As I have mentioned in a few of my recent posts, I am tired.  I have a few explanations - the fact that I get to bed late, my increase in biking (versus October) and work-related stress.  The "getting to bed late" part is the one I can really control.  However, my only alone time with my wife is after 8pm when all the kids are in bed.  I want to spend as much time as I can doing stuff with her (which is why we've gone to sleep at 11:00 or later for the past 2 weeks!); however, I really should get to bed by 9:30 or 10:00 at the latest or I will crash and burn at some point!

So what do I do?

I will be staying up again tonight...probably...I think...yea, that's what I'll do.

Crash and burn, here I come,
Brad

Bike troubles...

First, an injury update...

My older son is still limping, but the x-ray came back negative.  He probably just pulled a muscle or strained some soft tissue in another way.  I'd say he should rest and stay off his leg for a while, but I don't think boys his age know how to do that unless they are really sick.

For the first time in a while, Aldetha is out of commission.  This morning while performing my pre-trip inspection, I found that her front tire was about 50% flat.  I attributed the air loss to the sub-zero temperatures overnight and used our full-size manual pump to inflate the tire.  It stayed inflated through my entire morning commute and seemed solid when I got to OCC.  This afternoon I decided to check her out before I got changed into my biking clothes.  Sure enough, the tire was flat again - this time entirely!  My portable air pump was ineffective and I didn't have a spare tire anyway.  I had my family pick me up and Aldetha will be headed to Padi's Pedal for a replacement tire and a long overdue accessory installation (my family got me some side-racks for Fathers' Day that require professional installation with my old-school rear rack) and overall check-up.  My older son's bike also needs some reassembly work.  I think we'll be able to get them in and out by Thursday so I can get back to biking by Friday.

I definitely need to keep up on my exercise.  I feel so much better when I do and it is the only way I can survive the holidays without adding extra weight (I know I do not have the self-control to maintain my weight by limiting calories.)

"It's the most fattening time of the year,"
Brad

Injury updates...

In honor of my Utes win over "they who must not be named" from Provo, and my Chicago Bears' win over the Eagles, I thought I'd post something football related about my family.  I love football and other sports analogies, but they have been horribly overused and abused by our society.  I will therefore go with the standard injury update.

Daddy [likely] - minor stomach pains after eating fatty foods (pecan pie and milk chocolate being the latest culprits); general fatigue from lack of an early bedtime; continued sharp left elbow pain (when pressure is applies) from fall 3-4 weeks ago (I was holding my daughter and my elbow took the full force of my backwards fall.)

Mommy [likely] - neck and head pain from "throwing out" her adjustment from last week; fatigue (see Daddy); foot pain (wore some awesome - and hot - boots to church today; unfortunately, they lack support for standing/walking for long periods of time)

Older son [questionable] - hip pain and accompanying limp (possibly from injury 2 weeks ago), x-ray taken on Friday but no report yet; possible fatigue manifested by sleeping-in more than his siblings (he could also be turning into a tweenager)

Younger son [likely] - no injuries to report

Daughter [likely] - fatigue (though she slept for 11 consecutive hours last night); minor "bonkahead" as she calls them (no concussion indicated); moderate Mommy separation anxiety.

Overall, we are favored to survive this week.  The spread is 7.5 and the over/under is 44.5,
Brad

Saturday is(n't) a special day...

Well, I did accomplish a lot today. The boys bedding got washed, as did another load of laundry. Two loads of dishes got washed, the upstairs hardwood got "vacuumed" and the entryway stairs got swept. I also got grades completely caught up in over a third of my classes. Overall, very productive. Plus the Utes won. Who cares how they won, the point is: they won! I didn't watch any of it - I don't know if I could have even if I wanted to. I would have turned it off after the 13-0 score in the 3rd quarter.

So why is today not special? I don't know. I really needed to get some OCC work done, but I think that is the culprit. My mood (and I'm pretty sure my family's mood) takes a bit of a dive when I spend lots of time on the computer (most of my grading and "work" is through OCC's online portal "Ocean Cruiser" or the more general "Blackboard")

So what am I doing typing a blog entry when I've already spent all day on the computer? My wife is downstairs and I think she is done with her Primary preparation. I think I'll go downstairs and see if she wants some company.

I know I could use some,
Brad

Black Friday...

My "Black Friday" started late on Thursday at Toys R Us. I drove by at 11:30 to see over 200 people lined up still waiting to get in (they opened at 10pm!) I quickly drove on to Walmart.

Walmart does not close anymore. How, you may ask, do they handle time-sensitive sales, then? Well, they wrap the goods in black plastic and put employees of various levels of effectiveness as "guards" to prevent anyone from buying anything. Depending on which employee you got, you were allowed to (a) TOUCH & SEE NOTHING; (b) look, but don't touch; (c) pick what you want, but stay on the spot until 12am; (d) take what you want and go stand in line to wait to check-out at 12am; (e) "I'm not sure what's going on, so..., whatever!" Needless to say, I didn't find much and I plan to never go to Walmart for Black Friday again.

The family and I headed out to join my wife in her mid-morning sales run. We ended up staying out until 4pm! We got lots of good stuff, but were not as organized as we would like...(grrr!) The Asbury Park Press did not deliver our paper yesterday. I lodged complaints both online and via the phone system (nobody was at work) so we got both yesterday and today's paper today! A lot of good that does us! Asbury Park Press, welcome to my "enemies list"...say hello to Walmart.

Our last errand was over to Community Hospital to get an X-ray of my oldest son's hip. He's been limping and complaining of pain for over a week and our chiropractor recommended we get him checked just in case his growth plate or something else more serious is damaged (just to be safe!) We'll get the results tomorrow - so I'll let you know what's up then.

Time to eat ice cream and watch something silly,
Brad

Thanksgiving Day!

We had an absolutely fabulous time at our Thanksgiving dinner. Although the food was awesome, the socializing was really the best. From the moment I walked through the door I was continuously involved in conversations on topics from football to homeschooling, parenting to politics, career to cooking. My two younger kids probably didn't get enough to eat because they were so busy playing with all their friends. My oldest probably got enough just because he is more mature and is beginning to turn into a tweenager.

The downside of such an exciting social event is that my kids all came home somewhat crabby. No nap, general fatigue, low blood sugar, post sugar-high letdown, over stimulation - you can take your pick as far as explanation. By 7pm they were all in bed and by 7:30 they were all asleep.

I would love to be in bed asleep; however, I have the late-night post-Thanksgiving shopping run (my wife is taking the mid-morning run.) I will be headed out for 10pm and 12am sales. Hopefully the real crazies will be waiting for the HDTVs, laptops, and blu-ray players that go on sale between 3am and 5am (after I'm home in bed!)

Mmmmm, home in bed,
Brad

Continuing our only Thanksgiving tradition...

My wife and I brought very few family traditions regarding Thanksgiving Day to our marriage in 1999. From 1999-2001 we actually went to both sides of the family for some part of Thanksgiving. When we moved to California in 2002, we had a two-year tradition of eating out for Thanksgiving dinner - which is when I first had duck. That died with 2004 as we hosted family members who were visiting California to escape the cold of Utah and 2005 as we hosted even more family members and friends from our ward. In 2006 we traveled to Utah for Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving Day with my in-laws and that Saturday with my family.

Our move to New Jersey and my teaching schedule at OCC ended any traveling over Thanksgiving. We invited a couple and their infant son over to our apartment for 2007. By 2008 we had moved into our home and we hosted the missionaries and a larger family from the ward. In 2009 we hosted the missionaries, a family from the ward, and one of my wife's former mission companions and her family (husband and 3 children.) This year we decided to just have a quiet Thanksgiving at home (unless we got an invitation from someone - which we did and we are so excited to go!)

Aside from the Thanksgiving Day meal/socializing, we have tried different "traditions" out to make the Thanksgiving holiday more meaningful. We tried having a "Thankful Tree." Beginning 1-2 weeks before Thanksgiving you cut-out pieces of construction paper (beginning with brown for the truck and branches and proceeding to red, orange & yellow for the leaves), write one thing you are thankful for on the paper, and tape the paper to the wall as part of the "tree" you are forming. You put one piece from each family member on the tree each day. By Thanksgiving Day you have a fabulous Fall-looking tree with all the wonderful things you are thankful for written all over it. This lasted from either 2004 or 2005 through 2008. I think we may have tried to start it last year, but we never even mentioned it this year.

The tradition that has really become a tradition is our Thanksgiving Eve dinner. This tradition started in 2005 and involves us preparing and eating (on the night before Thanksgiving) the Thanksgiving meal that Charlie Brown prepared for his friends on the "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" special: toast, popcorn, jelly beans (preferably Jelly Belly), pretzels, and a parfait. After the meal, we watch the special (along with Garfield's Thanksgiving.)

This year's edition of that tradition was awesome. My daughter loved it (it was the first year she could really appreciate it) and my boys enjoyed seeing her reaction to it. My wife found a great smoothie mix to use as the parfait and I picked up a quart each of Soy Nog and Soy Chocolate-Mint Milk to accompany the meal. We made too much popcorn, so we had to eat the rest while watching the two specials.

Overall, a fabulous evening. If you want to see pictures of our meal, you'll have to find my wife on Facebook!

Brad