Unscheduled Sleep Positions VIII

This is a blast from the past for me, as Godzilla who is now 5 was just 3(?) here. It's nice to go back through my archives and know that I have taken pictures of our second child, even if the third is currently getting the shaft. 

This kid has always been the one to sleep when, where, and how he wanted. Obviously, our train conductor hit his hours limit and needed take a break for a while, but the hands behind the head, legs up tell me he really had worn himself out and this was not just a pass out where I fall, rather he made a conscious decision to pass out here, in this spot.

Dad's Book of Awesome

I like to get my hands dirty with my kids, and as such, I'm always on the lookout for new things to do. The Internets offer a lot of options, but many of them are "crafting" or stuff you can color, cut, and paste, which isn't always what I'm looking for. Enter "Dad's Book of Awesome Science Experiments" by Mike Adamick. This book is so much more than the random Pinterest finds, and each science experiment included comes with perspective. It's not just a "how to," but a "how, when, and why to." 

Mike is funny and engaging. From taking corners a little too fast in your car, to blowing up a balloon with a banana to taking your pulse with a marshmallow, he presents chemistry, physics and other sciencey properties in a highly accessible way. This book is really about opening your children's eyes to the science all around them, and finding teaching moments in every day life. You can stumble through these things on your own, or you can get a little help from a guy who's been there before, and wrote the book on it.

Stuff My Kids Say XI

Godzilla: "You just don't get kids. You don't get us... No. You. Don't..."

Seems I got told, though I think this will hurt more when he's 15 and saying the same.

However, it really begs the question, what is it I don't get? There is a lot of things that change from the time you are 5 to the time you are 35, but I didn't think I had lost touch just yet! Not only that, but while my parents had "My Generation", my generation had "Parents Just Don't Understand". So... you know... I get it.

Another Spring; Another Challenge

If I may be so bold as to borrow a famous line:

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
That somewhere is right here - today I got my bike back out.

Up until Monday, my bike still hung from the ceiling of the garage where I put it away last October. My bike shorts (not spandex shorts, I'm not that into biking, but regular athletic shorts) still rested in my drawer. My helmet remained on its hook, waiting to be used again.

But on Monday they had their chance.

For the first time this year, the sun came out and gave us a 60 degree day. For the first time in 2014 I mounted my bike, earbuds blasting music by The Baseball Project, and set off for a ride. And as I rode, it struck me that it was opening day. Opening Day 2014 and I was setting out for my first ride since the last game of last years World Series in October. I won't get into how depressing that could be that winter lasts five solid months here. I won't mention how frustrating it is that I haven't worked out since the RedSox won their last game.

Instead, I moved on to figure out how I can re-motivate, and I didn't have to look far.


Opening Day.

World Series.

Lets play too.


So, I'm challenging myself (and you, if you think you can) to put in 162 workouts in the next 214 days.

162 workouts between the first pitch in March and the last out in October.

Perhaps this was not the best thought out challenge, because 162 in 214 comes out to about five workouts a week. But while I'm taking a hard stance on the number, I'm playing it cool with the type.

So take a bike ride. Go on a run. Walk around the block. Even pull the kids in the wagon up the block 20 times. Whatever it is, just get out and get moving.

Then head over to Daily Mile and record it.

See how you do.

I dare you.