Boring vs. NOT boring...

Running 10.5 miles worth of 0.75-mile loops in the dark is boring. 

That's 14 laps. 

In the dark. 

I now know the sequencing of all the neighborhood sprinkler systems. 

And I know where the skunk lives.

10.5 miles in 1 hour 44 minutes... the middle 7.5 miles were at 9:20 pace. It was harder than I had hoped it would be. But I did it. And finished at 10:26 p.m.

Monopoly is NOT boring... especially when you're winning.

These guys were in cahoots trying to outfox me...which was totally unfair because I seriously spent 12 of my first 15 turns landing on Chance and Community Chest. They, conversely, landed on properties and bought everything. As I was biding my time, waiting for my ship to come in... waiting for that Big Roll...

Big G took control of the game, and Daddy knew his rolls were numbered.

When he couldn't pay a rent, he offered Big G a trade...

Yep, you see that correctly...

Daddy gave Big G Boardwalk in exchange for Mediterranean!

Look how happy he is!

He has a monopoly now!

And a smokin' wad o' cash...

just look at all those fives and ones ;-)

Big G felt like the cat's meow...

Boardwalk and Park Place, the reds, the utilities and...

Look at all that $$$$$$!!!!!

 He had so much he was throwing it around!

Meanwhile...

A few lucky rolls, and I had been able to amass my own little empire.

Once I started ringing the board with hotels...

BOOM!

With daddy out, it was up to Big G and me to finish the game. Has anyone ever actually finished a game of Monopoly in one sitting? Well, we did it...undeterred by Miss C's board-clearing skills even. She was super interested in all things Monopoly, from the little houses and hotels, to the neat-o tokens you move around the board, to the dice... not so much the money, interestingly. 

Big G hung in there until the bitter end. Offering trades when he was cash-poor, selling, mortgaging, doing all he could to stay in the game. I was blown away. I have never seen him work like this. Historically, he has gotten pissy and had a fit when things have not gone his way... there was none of that. I tell ya, it was definitely a proud mom moment. 

Was your Sunday boring or not boring? Did you play Monopoly? When you do, are you cutthroat? Did you exercise? If you did, what did you do?

How's the weather over there?

Burn, Baby! Burn!

What's cookin', kids?

So the other day when I was in the garage finding all the photos for my awesome collection of Big G's first year as a traveling man, I was simultaneously starting to cook my lunch.

Based on my pies... whether turkey pot or mixed berry... and my awesome gadget collection, you'd think I was some kinda somethin' in the kitchen. But I have been very honest with you about my lack of culinary prowess... or is it simply a case of "CRS"... can't remember s***?... so let's drop all expectations.

I was so distracted engrossed in my trip down memory lane research project and recovery mission in the name of The Blog, that I did it again...

And this time the toxic crap from the melted plastic of the steamer ruined the best 50-year old, popcorn-making Revereware pan in the universe. I am in so much trouble :(

Both the pot and the steamer were goners.

Also cookin'...

This kid on the track... she LOVES to run! If you don't remember her indoor workout from a few weeks ago, you can see it here. And now that the weather is super nice, she got a chance to stretch her legs outside...

That is not a load in her pants... I promise. The pants and diaper just look like it is. Really.

The last item on our menu of what's cookin'... or not cookin'...

I have been so slow and struggling with my running all week. My legs still feel thrashed from that hilly leg of the Oakland Marathon Relay last Sunday :(  On Tuesday, I squeezed out a tempo run that felt okay enough to feel good about, but Thursday night... whoa...

Just an easy 5 miles was slated. I headed out at 8:40 PM. Yes, PM. And I really wanted to be out there running... really, I did. But my legs didn't :(

But I made them :) 

We went around the loopy-doos 6 times for 4.5 miles and then they just said, "uncle... no mas." And I obeyed. I have a tenner on the docket for this weekend, and I want to be able to do it. I was going to do it today, but my husband just now told me he has to work all day, and I have to work tonight (yes, people, I kind of have a .... yob .... steering clear of the "J" word... can't quite bring myself to use it). Looks like the big 1-0 will have to happen tomorrow. I'm scared ... wish me luck!

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mommy goed RUNNING!

yeah...

that's cuz mommy goed poop!

lol... do you like how I made that brown? click on it if you missed the background story.

In my last running update, I mentioned that I would be trying to run on Tuesday.  Well, that didn't happen.  It was slated to be a tempo run... which I usually like.  But I just wasn't in the mood.  Not like I always have to be in the mood to go running when I go running, but on Tuesday .... "oh, excuses, excuses, XL. you just suck and are lame and have no biz being on this planet"..."oh, shut up, you." yes, I talk to myself. I can't remember what happened.


I went on Thursday.  Just a mellow 5.25.  I ran 7 of my little 0.75-mile loopy-doos inside The Gate.  It was all that... but we're skipping the side of chips ;-)  Very consistent laps... only a 6-second spread between the fastest and the slowest not counting the one lap where I was messing with the iPod... gotta stop doing that... never again in a run for time like my 5K two weeks ago... but it is hard to run to anything by Flight of the Conchords and not bust up laughing, and it is hard to run to In My Father's Eyes without crying, and the seminar on How to Listen to and Appreciate Great Music just wasn't working for me, nor were the little French pronunciation mp3 downloads from the kids' school... you see?  I had to search!  It still was a very relaxed and relaxing pace right around 9:40 per mile.

Next up... 8 to 9 miles tomorrow.  I'll be shooting for the 9 but knowing that, after nearly 2 weeks off, the 8 is probably more realistic.  I am a realist.  My husband is the optimist.

I know all you running readers doubt that I really run.  And those pics from my last 5K were in the dark and I run at night when no one is looking so there is really no proof... I know that is what you're thinking.  So here are some pictures of me running in the day a few long runs ago... maybe a month or so ago...

My biggest fans giving me the ol' high-five as I speed past...

Big G in typical fashion pissing me off trying to show me some "new" way to high-five... 

that he invented as part of some mythological alien body language based on the last 40 bazillion books he has read

LOVE THAT KID!

Approaching the halfway/turnaround...

this is near that portapotty I was telling you about ;-)

And there's my sweet Q!

I have to stop for hugs!

how can I not?

Tomorrow I am hoping to share the new core workout of the century.  I started it last week... in my own way... still waiting to see the results.  But this routine... if you can do it... guaranteed to give you the core strength of... of.... the guy who is in the video!

I'll let y'all know how that big run tomorrow goes... now that I'm 'going' there shouldn't be any problems ;-)
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