Mayhem

I just came to realize that our family walks a fine line between some sort of organization allowing us to do what we want to do most of the time and utter mayhem.
These past two weeks mayhem has been upon us.
So what tipped the balance!

1. Accident on way home a couple weeks ago, and having to deal with having to repair my car. It will be ready end of March. More over the price of the repairs although not enough to total the car is enough for most of us to buy a new car :(
2. Dealing with rental car and incompetency. Thankfully they came through for me and I got a nice upgrade which is quite nice as my car won't be repaired until March 31st!
3. Had to be more involved with school stuff help the kids prepare candies for Valentines day celebration, bake cookies and make some cute little origamy pockets for a bake sale, go to a play in honor of presidents day.
4. Figure out baby sitting arrangement for my son's week off school at a time when no other school are off and thus no camp available.
5. Clean up the house for guests
6. Finally deal with a sick little guy I know twice in 3 weeks awesome which then shared his sickness with me because heck sharing is caring right. He had his fare share though since he battled two viruses back to back!

Because of all of this well I was a better mother, and our house is a bit more organized but well my training has taken a second seat! Ah well that's how life is... but I'm ready to go back at it but I'm sniffling and coughing and aching so I guess I will have to wait another couple of days!

Now I'm going to continue to relax in front of Despicable me while nursing a glass of wine!

Good night!

What a week...

I left you last at I have to go care of a sick little boy... Well sick little boy became sick mama, then sick mama and daddy! Yay stomach bug. Thankfully the little girl in the house escaped that one.

Monday I stayed home with MAC not feeling too hot I actually took the day off. MAC was back at school on Tuesday and me at work but not feeling 100%, on Wednesday I was back at home with B but this time feeling worse than Monday but working from home.

Finally Thursday came around and I felt human again, had lunch with a coworker which was super nice. I felt old yet again because well she graduated from highschool the year I got married. Mind you I got married at 24 but still that was like 12years ago. Boy I'm having a hard time with the 36! Friday being pre-menstrual resulted on having my dark glasses on and so it was doom and gloom or giant pit of despair day.

I got to Torrey Pines and was stuck in traffic. Finally at the bottom of the hill when well things started looking better, and I was closer to sharing a wine of glass with my neighbor BAM a car rear-ended me! Yay, luckily no one got hurt Maia who was in the car didn't scream so everything good. The poor kid who hit me felt terrible, the back left side of my car is all scrunched. Not surprising since he was driving a Suburban and I'm driving BMW station wagon :) Anyways after waiting in the cold for about 30min I finally got home to the neighbor for my glass of wine. B dealt with the insurance. We finally put the kids to bed, I finally prepared dinner, my brown rice balls which I thought would be good pre-race meal cuz well I have a half-marathon to run the next day.

I finally went to bed at 10:45pm all set up for the run the next day!

Post

A month since my last post... I almost shot down my blog but then B told me to just blog when I felt like it.
Sometimes my posts feel like a brag board, hey look at me I'm so cool I do all these things!

In 4 weeks, a lot has happened but yet a lot is the same. For starter I just weasled my way out of my bike workout again today. Except that this time it wasn't after a several weeks of hard training but after 3 weeks of vacation.

I did my first "almost" Olympic distance just before leaving on vacation. It was a really fun fun race! I finished 33 out of 57 which is of course not quite where I wanted what's new. However I was happy with my splits go figure! Putting the ego aside the course was really beautiful even the swim wasn't too bad!

Then I had to pack, get stuff ready for our trip to France, deliver my project and go!

Managed to do all the above, got up at 3:45am got on a plane then another one then we landed in hot Paris! It is funny how your mind is wired. We have been travelling to Europe mostly in the winter and thus I expected a cold breeze once I stepped out of the plane instead I was welcomed by a hot scorching breeze.

It was great to be home, having a few more set of eyes looking after the kids, lounging in the sun catching up on my reading.

I polished the millenium trilogy (the girl with the dragon tattoo etc...) I absolutely loved it. Now I'm waiting patiently for B to read them so that I can watch the movie!

Three weeks of vacation, lots of sleeping, lots of reading, lots of good food/wine, not much running (too hot and humid).
We got back to reality on wednesday night at 10pm and everyone was back at work/daycare the next day at 8am!

Here we are trying to lose 5lbs in the next several weeks, get back into training eat better well the whole nine yard! Well my first run workout left me with serious sore harmstrings and I just bailed out of my bike workout.

To finish a recipe... I tried Bunny curry chicken salad and I have had a craving since I got back. Of course I didn't have time to make it but today I was starving (salad and a nectarine even with chicken isn't enough!), I was tired and cranky so I decided to make something like the chicken salad but warm and voila:

Sautee some garlic, and onion
Add some curry powder (as much as you'd like)
Add chicken cut in small pieces
Add some chicken broth
Simmer
Then when the juice has reduced enough
Add some snow peas or spinach or whatever greens you wish
Slice some scallions and some cilantro
A dash of cream serve it on a bed of rice!

Jam packed

This week end was pretty busy. Friday night we had our neighbor for dinner. I made the pasta with meat sauce from Williams sonoma. Of course I was out of half of the ingredient but the result was still delicious.
Saturday morning the kids went to their swimming lesson. MAC is having a hard time adjusting to the challenges of his new class. The fact that the 2 other boys are a year older than him and already know how to do most things. He is doing great but needs a little time to adjust. MEC is stubborn as ever and her teacher a little too soft most of the time.
After that we grabbed a bagel and a gift since we had to a birthday party. Fueling for my workouts are a challenge on saturdays. Since that biometric screening I have tried to eat less white flour stuff boooo. I had a power bagel with low fat cream cheese and a much needed coffee.
We went to the birthday party. I took tons of pictures, chit chatted with moms and was goggling the sky hoping for no rain later. Luckily I was able to go on my ride outside. I had to do 3 Torrey Pines outside 2 seating and 1 standing. Following the ride I did a 30 min run, 5 min at high tempo, 2 min easy. B then went on his run. During that time we played some board game with the kids, did some playdough.
For dinner we went to eda-mami, the kids had fun, the food was good. Nice evening.
I went on my 1:30 run this morning after breakfast and was faster than last week while maintaining my HR in the right zone! Yeah 6.6M.
After that we went to Chipotle for lunch where I ate half of my burrito. We went grocerie shopping then to Home Depot to get ready for my parents arrival.
I folded some laundry Yay! I'm not so far behind any longer. The kitchen is clean, the guest bathroom has a new shower head and new faucet and the fridge is full.
Good way to end the week end.

Need vacations...

I so need to go on vacation. We were supposed to visit my father in law this week but B started his new job on monday. So instead of a week of in Northern Northern Cal (Shasta Valley), we will be spending the 4th of July in Lake Havasu and hopefully relax. I will be taking my thursday off to go on a loooong bike ride, well long for me we are shooting for a 40miler up the coast.
This week end was completely crazy. Saturday morning, B went surfing and I stayed home with the kids who played at home. We went to the park a little bit. B left for a 2H00 bike ride as soon as he came back from his surf session. He had just enough time to try to set up the pool which has several holes. He filled it up with enough water for the kids to splash in it for a while. We had lunch then calm down a little. B came back from his ride, we got ready to head out to a small party in PB followed by a trip to La Jolla Shores for my ocean swim. We left the Shores at 7:45pm famished. We stoped on the way home at a new place Edamame which was really pleasant. The next morning we slept in until 8:30am eventhough MAC had been up for a while. We took the kids to their swimming lesson, followed by a trip to Fashion Valley to buy B some new clothes. I could not find anything that I liked or fit it. I know I have been complaining about my 3lbs weight gain eventhough I really don't look like I gained anything at all. Without being "fat" nothing fit nonetheless. We then came home to go to change car, load up the beach stuff and head out to Torrey Pines the beach for a late afternoon surf session for B and play in the water for the kids. Finally after a trip to the grocery store to mainly stock up on alcohol we got home in time for me to hop on my bike and fit a 14 miles bike ride.
Pfff so much done but a little too busy for me.
Monday morning we got up a little earlier than usual to try to figure out our new routine. With B's job in Carlsbad, I am now in charge of both drop off and pick up of the kids. It isn't a big deal if I can still find some time to train either early morning or at lunch.
Monday was spent in a deep fog. I was tired tired tired. I was planning an easy run but instead opted to go to the mall to 1) look for something to buy and 2) look for a pics of a ring I really liked at Ben Bridge.
I found a cute shirt dress from Limited on sale, and a belt to go with it. I also successfully managed to get a pic of the ring I liked and already have some new design ideas.
Today I went for a run managed to complete a 3.5M run @ 9:40min/miles with 2 stops. Finally tomorrow i'm swimming with a friend who is going to help me out.
I also got roped in a Club race on the 11th morning, probably because it will be a perfect practice for my upcoming race! I hope it goes decently.

So long since I last posted...

Sorry for not posting for so long. I always complain when my light reading is not maintained up to date and then I look at the date of my last post and I am ashamed to see that has been so long.
I don't quite know what to babbler about. Training has been doing well, I can now go swim in the ocean without feeling like I can't breathe. I still have to make a conscious effort to keep the bad images and thoughts at bay. I went for 1M swim at the cove and got sea sick from the swell. This morning was a short swim at Fletcher Cove to practice surf entry and exit for the Solana Beach Triathlon. The weather has been really really gloomy lately which doesn't make the ocean apealing at all.
Anyhow I managed to get out there, swim swallow a few unpleasant gulps of sea water. Do I feel ready for the next triathlon heck no but hey you gotta start somewhere!
I also decided to work on my speed. I joined a group last week to go for a track workout and odly enough I enjoyed myself. B has also been saying that I should be able to go faster if only I could decouple my breathing from my gait. So I decided to hire him as my running coach. His years as a soccer player and the subsequent years as a runner are qualifying him to get me better. Today he decided to make me do 40M sprints. That is going to be interesting.
Finally since hills are the key to improving your speed on the bike as well you will find me going up and down Torrey Pines hills on Sunday. I am planning on going 3 times we will see.
My goal for this next triathlon is to beat myoverall PR by 2 minutes if not more. I have no idea if it is at all possible.
Other than that we have had to take an impromptu trip to Montana which turned out to be a nice one given the sad circumstances. I love that place, I love the calm, nature and lake. Why do I have to swim in an ocean? Give me a lake and I'll be happy.
It was so peaceful out there that it kicked up my cravings for a simpler life again.
But since B just got a new job in San Diego I think we will be there for a while longer ;) Now that he has a job in Carlsbad we have been toying with the idea of moving slightly north of where we are and of course I just found my dream house, a small cottage like 3B/2B with a nice yard, but sadly slightly out of our price range. I love San Diego but would like to move in a house with a slightly bigger yard to grow more vegetables ahahaha.
To celebrate the new job we went to the Del Mar *Market restaurant. It is comparable to Georges at the Cove or Laurel. The food was absolutely delicious. It is our new special occasion restaurant for sure. Lucky that our 10th anniversary celebration is coming up soon.
So in short, the weather has been gloomy and so have I a little. I try to push my training a little to get a little faster both biking and running and confortable in the water to get through the swim. More later....

What else...

As you may all have notice, triathlon has been put on the front line lately but a lot more things are going on in my life.
On the reading front, I just finished (a year after starting very unlike me) a book about an amazing woman "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi. I would highly recommend it. I always find it interesting to learn about other way of life, usually way less cushy than my own upbringing. With recent unpleasantness at home, I picked up one of my feel good book, Good Things. This book makes me fantasize about living in the woods next to a lake. I will always have the image of the beautiful house, we stumbled upon while fishing on a lake in Montana. I know it may be funny to a lot of you but even though I was raised in the middle of Paris, I have a secret wish to live in the country somewhere. Anyways if we go down the path of fantasy, I wish I was a more rugged person. I wish I was more adventurous and back packed around the world. Even when picking triathlon I feel like I chose the more civilized version of the sport instead of the more adventurous one which are the XTerra event.
I have also been enjoying the sight of our kids with their grandparents. One of the benefits is to witness the amazing progress of MAC in french. He will now speak to me in french when before he would solely answer me in english. MEC is still a little bit small but she sprinkles french words in her sentences. So going to the beach is now going to la plage.
Lately we have been cooking a lot as usual. My mom being a cake machine with the help of her helper who wants orange cakes and chocolate cakes every other day!
On the training front I gave myself a week of break which I'm enjoying and I am preparing myself mentally for a somewhat structured training program. I read a lot about other triathletes and I came to the conclusion that at this stage of my life training is one of the other thing I do. The things I really won't give up for a triathlon, spending quality time with my husband after the kids go to bed, spending quality time with the kids,cook healthy and tasty meals, work, paint maybe. However I know that I still can accomplish a lot with the time I have and that puts a smile on my face so I can't weasle my way out of training!
On that note, with pandora tuned on my "Travis station" I will get back to my code which is screaming at me.

Wednesday night already....

I know I sound like a broken record but oh boy where does time fly? I mean I looked at bunny's site and realize that my last post was 3 days ago but wait I feel like I posted yesterday.
So what is going on in my wonderful life for me to not see time go by... Well not that much but we are still really busy and it always feel good when I can finally sit down for 10 minutes and write something.

On monday I had my second life coaching session which was part of a gift certificate. For those who know me I am very skeptical of those things and also very proud. I don't need help I can do it all and if I get help then it removes a little from the pleasure of succeeding like I cheated. I know twisted but anyhow.
I have to say that I am very glad that I had those 2 hours. Although it is not something I will pursue at this time it is something that I may consider later when I have a little more time and cash.
The thing that makes me happy is that eventhough I always doubt myself, can't find myself and feel lost and confused I do deep down know who I am and live by the core qualities that make me. But I can tell you that the layer around the core is a real turmoil of questions, self doubts etc...

Besides that I went for my interval session on tuesday and was proud of a 5 miles run until I my other half told me he just ran 6.4 miles which included climbing up Torrey Pines hill the tough way (inside hill).
I hate him well not really I am just really JEALOUS because I can't do that. Well maybe I can one can wish upon a star no...
We were wondering with Bunny who the heck just goes for a run at lunch and goes down Torrey Pines than up just like that.
Today I went for my swim and managed my kilometer and swallowed half the pool in the process. Well maybe not quite but it is how I feel after a swim.

Although I don't like talking about politics I have to say that I was really happy for Obama to have such a clear victory I am hoping for a brighter future. On a sadder note I can't believe prop 8 passed. I mean don't we have more important problems/issues in California than worrying about gay marriage. Let them be and lets worry about why art programs are cut out of our schools, why working people don't have medical insurance etc... Grrr... should have taken care of my citizenship and voted1
Back to life and cooking a new chicken noodle recipe with oyster flavor sauce, hoisin sauce and brocolini.