Random Nonsense from My Corner of the Globe

Chicken Basil (Thai)

2009-07-07T08:25:00.005-05:00

Spicy Basil Chicken (or Tofu) with rice or noodles is my standard order in a Thai restaurant. It's one of those dishes I always think "I could do this at home" but never actually try. Probably due to the spicy part of the name. The younger kids are just starting to be okay with flavorful spicy. Hot spicy is still a while in the future.

But when we came home from vacation to a planter thick with Sweet & Thai Basil, I decided to give it a shot. Googled "Thai Basil Chicken Recipe" and started sorting through the many, MANY results. Skipped anything which was attached to a particular brand of sauce, television show or magazine. Narrowed it down to two recipes I could work between to get the dish I love in restaurants... minus some of the heat.

Chicken Basil Recipe from ThaiTable
Spicy Basil Chicken from Thai Food & Travel

Once you get over being hung up on not having packets of Holy Basil in the pantry, it's really a very simple dish. Chicken, basil, garlic, peppers, lime, fish sauce and oil for stir frying. Steamed rice on the side.

Sent kidlet outside to gather a small bowl full of both types of basil from the planter, set other kidlet to juicing a couple limes. Here's what I did to make it for the picky members of my crew:

Cut two boneless skinless chicken breast fillets into very thin, 2" long strips. Put them in the freezer for 20 minutes before cutting, so they'd be easier to handle. (Recipes called for ground chicken or chopped chicken thighs.)
Used a little over a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed Indian red pepper, since there'd been no thai chili peppers at the store. I could have substituted jalapeno, but didn't want to. (Would use more than 1/2 tsp if not making for kids.)
Added a thin sliced Vidalia onion. The one recipe called for shallots, but it's summer in Georgia, which means I'm happily putting Vidalias in just about everything.

As with any stirfry, the ingredients are important, but the magic is in the timing. The recipe from ThaiTable has step by step photos, which made it very easy to get the timing right.

My plating wasn't as pretty as this lovely finished photo from their site, but nobody seemed to mind. All the plates returned to the kitchen completely empty, so I'd have to call this a keeper.

Will probably try other versions soon. Tofu, most likely, with ribbons of egg.

Silver Comet to Chief Ladiga Trail

2009-07-06T14:22:00.006-05:00

Rode the Silver Comet Trail on Saturday. Not my normal rides on the trail - rode the whole trail. The family was out for a short hike and a movie. (Ice Age 3 - something I really didn't have to be there for.) They were available for me to call in case of equipment failure - either bicycle or rider - but were planning to meet me at the Georgia-Alabama state line.

The first 20 miles of the trail are pretty well populated, but farther out, it gets to where you might go 10 - 20 minutes without seeing anyone. Didn't pull out the phone until I hit the point on the trail which had been my farthest point until Saturday.

Weather hot-ish, but not oppressive. Not very humid, and there was a nice breeze for most of the afternoon. Lots of stops along the way.

Picked up honey roasted peanuts and chamois butter at the Silver Comet Depot. (4.3 miles) So glad I did, as I'm not sure I'd be able to be sitting at my desk today - two days later - if not for the chamois butter.

Hopped off at The Chain Station in Hiram (14 miles?) for a break, and to grab more water. The breeze kept me from being drenched in sweat, but I'd gone through most of my first bottle. Had a talk with the bike shop owner about rentals while I was there. He has a city tricycle (think that's what it's called - upright, not the low to ground model) which he thinks he should be able to adjust from adult size to accomodate a 10 year old. Might be just the thing to get B2 back on the trail. He's refused to ride since the big wipeout last fall. If we can get him out on three wheels, maybe he'll get over thinking about which bones can be broken in a tumble.

Was extremely happy to roll past the 25 mile marker, between the Pumpkintown Trestle and Brushy Mtn Tunnel. At that point, it went from feeling like just another long ride out-and-back to exploring.

Coots Lake was the next stopping point, at 33-34 miles. Bought a big water to refill one bottle and top off the other, then enjoyed honey roasted peanuts and banana chips before heading back out. Am very glad I installed rear rack. Would have been a tougher trip without it.

Paused in Rockmart, to snap a few photos for sending to the family for my promised updates. (Supposedly to let kids in on the journey, but actually to reassure dad I was still alive & rolling.) They have a beautiful park along the creek (may be a river, but it's a small one), with shops and restaurants just off the trail. I can see this being a good turnaround point after stopping for lunch on future long rides.

Between Rockmart (39-ish) and Cedartown (51) there were remote sections and rolling hills. The trail zig zagged a bit when crossing roads, and this played a part in my "walk of shame" up a hill. Had to go up and over to follow the trail and didn't build up enough speed for the one and only big climb on the trip. Switched to granny gears, stood up in the saddle, and... lost my balance. Had to unclip FAST to get my feet on the ground. No way to get moving fast enough to clip in again, at least not for my clumsy riding style, so had to walk the last half of climb. Made the most of it by pulling out the vitamin water and the rest of the peanuts. (Ugh.) From that point on, it was rolling, so could build up momentum for each climb. Cedartown Train Depot was closed when I got to town, so sent a photo to the family, and kept pedaling west.

The section from Cedartown to Alabama was lovely, but definitely qualified as remote. I think I saw only five people during the last nine miles, and four of them were together. Rode through Gateway Park at the AL-GA state line a little after 4:00. Had gone about a mile down the Chief Ladiga Trail when I got a call from the family. They were back at the last Georgia trailhead. Was a nice lazy ride back to Esom though. Had a chance to snap a photo of Bloo at the Silver Comet Trail side of the gate, in addition to the Chief Ladiga.

62.77 miles in just under 4.5 hours, including breaks. Glad I did it, as it's good to know my legs can take it. If not for my sore seat, thunderstorms, and kids who wanted to play Monopoly, I'd have been out riding again on Sunday.

*Had a chance to listen to several podcasts I'd fallen behind on over vacation. Listened to Gardner Goldsmith's three part series on rights from Liberty Conspiracy (early June), and to the FreeTalkLive episode from June 20th with an hour of Walter Block. They were discussing Block's great book Defending the Undefendable, and it kept my mind quite busy, which probably helped distract me during the tougher part of the ride. Great discussion on "slumlords", in addition to a discussion with a caller about the self-ownership / ethical arguments for voluntary cannibalism. Yes, that's right. Voluntary Cannibalism. (Only something you'd ever hear from diehard libertarians.)

On a good day...

2009-07-05T15:53:00.005-05:00

...you recognize the signs before an incident of sibling terrorism happens.

And on a really good day, that potential for hair-pulling, pencil jabbing and gadget throwing can be turned into a silly photo op:
This is on the way back from the Alabama-Georgia state line. Family met me at the Esom Hill trailhead on the Silver Comet Trail. They saw Ice Age 3 in 3d, went for a short hike, then met me at the end of my quest to answer the question of whether or not I could handle 60+ miles in one ride. (Longest ride until yesterday was 50.) Means the goal of doing a metric century this fall is reachable.

Heading to Alabama

2009-07-04T08:44:00.004-05:00

All packed up, and ready to strap the trunk bag onto Bloo's temporary rack. Taking the Silver Comet all the Way to Alabama, 60+ miles. Two tubes, levers, pump/CO2, bare bones tools and a rag. Peanut butter pretzel sandwiches, banana chips, and an emergency GU. It's supposed to be close to 90, so I've two bottles of water, with spare drink in the trunk. There's places to stop along the trail, but I'd rather not chance running out, my first big outing. Have the sunscreen and chapstick...just need to check the charge on the phone, and I'm ready to go.

Not sure I'll be able to make the ride all the way back, seeing as how this is my first over 50 ride. We have it timed so that I can meet back up with the family in Cedartown this afternoon. They're going to a movie and out for a short hike, then we'll all grab BBQ (or Mexican) on the way back home. If I'm feeling great, will start early morning next time, and do the whole thing out & back.

So excited. There's super views once you get into the rural areas. Tunnels, big trestles, rivers, and all the things you'd expect with an old passenger train line. At least that's what I've heard. Today I'll find out!

How I spent my Mommy Pool Camp free time...

2009-07-02T11:23:00.006-05:00

You can lead a horse to water...

...then pop the trunk bag and grab a drink.

That's a 10 calorie Vitamin Water sticking out of the bag. I'm usually a water only person, but have to switch to alternating water and electrolyte beverages for the summer months. I'm not one of those women who "glisten" during workouts in the heat. I'm a completely-drenched-with-a-flaky-shell-of-salt-crust woman. The lemon and orange low cal vitamin water flavors are okay, but I prefer the Cherry Lemonade enhanced water from Whole Foods, as it actually tastes like cherry lemonade, and not just a chemical representation. (Fortunately, Whole Foods is not far from the house... great excuse for a ride.)

Next week's Mommy Pool Camp free time will be spent as plain old "Mom" (frequently said in exasperated tone, sometimes with eye roll), as I'll be going for a trail ride with the 15 year old. OMG - still can't get used to saying that number in reference to B1

Tourism by Detours

2009-07-01T17:02:00.002-05:00

I have a view of vacations which is not always popular with my children. Ask kids where they want to go, and you're bound to get a list of theme parks. Or the kid-themed cruises. Ask my kids, and you'll get some of the same answers. Tough, I say. (Fortunately, I'm backed up on this one.)

I remember going to amusement parks as a kid, but they're sort of a hazy blur. The childhood vacation memories which stuck with me are of digging my toes into the sand along a creek bed. Putting worms on fishing hooks. Toasting marshmallows over the campfire and burning my tongue when I pulled them off the skewers with my teeth. Pouring over maps. Cheeseburgers in diners. Racing to finish a book before we reached our destination, so I'd get a brand new book for the drive back home.

Hoping to instill a sense of adventure in the kids, we don't do theme park vacations. We'll go to Six Flags here in Atlanta, and will bend to a birthday trip request for Sea World or even Universal - which is very affordable when it's just the birthday kid and a parent. But vacations are for getting out and doing something we can't do at home. Spending a week in the mountains of North Carolina on the river, with tubing, hiking and horseback riding. Camping in New Hampshire and swimming (some diving) in the icy waters of Lake Winnipesaukee. Renting a house and spending a couple of weeks exploring (and doing nothing) around Apalachicola Bay.

While we like to go someplace and stay there, the journey is a big part of it. We've seen some truly beautiful sights on the long drives, from a sunset while crossing the Washington Bridge in NY to miles of migrating butterflies in Florida. The long drives usually involve a little bit of time off the interstates, too, giving us plenty of opportunities for detours.

Carlsbad Caverns was one of those detours. A look at the New Mexico map on the way back to Santa Fe from Capulin Volcano - yes, an off-the-beaten path destination on it's own - sparked a discussion of how close we were to Carlsbad. By close, I mean 5-6 hours out of the way, but what's that in the middle of 1,500-1,800 mile trek?

The drive to get to Carlsbad was all highway, and part of it was on the Historic Route 66, which made for some cool "ghost town" driving, and an amazing sunset to our right after we turned south. Drove through Roswell, NM after dark, which gave the children great entertainment... alien head street lamps and a UFO shaped McDonalds. (My photos are missing, so this image is from the livejournal of a fellow named brennando).

And Carlsbad was probably one of the favorite road trip stops of my life. It was wonderful to be sucked into the enchantment with the kids, and to have conversations about not just the science and history of the geological monument, but to weave the fairies and greek gods from our trip audiobooks into the conversation during the miles long walk through the caverns.

The photos from the camera may have been lost, but here's a few of the images taken on the iPhone.

Oh... even the food in the cafeteria by the gift shop was delish. I expected high prices like you find at most tourist stops, but the meals were worth it. They had the typical beef hot dogs you'd expect, but we got bean or chicken burritos in tortillas made with organic flour and FRESH green chili sauce, a spicy pulled pork which is far better than from my favorite mexican spot at home, and a grilled chicken salad on locally grown mixed greens. (No, didn't eat all of those things. I had the burrito, but was sharing across the table.)

Mommy Pool Camp = Best Idea Ever!

2009-07-01T09:06:00.003-05:00

Okay, it's not the idea that going to solve world hunger and global energy issues, but it's really high on my list of GREAT IDEAS this summer.

One of the other moms came up with the idea a few weeks ago that it would be nice to get the kids together three hours each Wednesday afternoon. Between the four moms, we each take a day and provide snacks and our skills at waterlogged child herding, while the other three get some much needed time to think in complete sentences.

As a bonus, the children will be able to break into groups that don't necessarily include the siblings they're beginning to get sick of during summer break.

Today is not my day for herding, so I will be taking The Duchess out for a ride, and then visiting the bike shop to put together an official list of what I need to do to get her 38 year old frame & gears ready for a metric century this fall. Hopefully, it's doable. Though I'd be happy to take Bloo (road bike), I like the idea of doing my first metric century on the old Raleigh 10-speed, seeing as how she's my age, and this ride will be one of those milestone events for me.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 26

2009-06-30T21:40:00.007-05:00

Week 25 Shopping:
Whole Foods - $91.70
Publix - $87.24
Total - $178.94

2009 YTD - $3,493.14
Average weekly spending - $134.35

These first two weeks back from vacation are a bit higher, as I'm restocking the fridge & freezer we emptied out before the trip. And, there was the matter of junk food. Publix had both brownie mix and ice cream sales, so it was a good time to restock the items for occasional gluttony. It turned out to be a bit more spaving (spending to save) than spurging though, as the promise of a scoop of ice cream or cold can of yoohoo (don't ask) when we get back home from the pool saved my wallet - and patience - from begging for pricier single serve items sold by our friendly neighborhood ice cream man.

Supper Wars
Meals were fairly simple this week.

Orange Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Jasmine Rice and Broccoli
Father's Day request. Two kids liked the shrimp, one ate under protest. None of them ate the peppers, onions and mushrooms on the skewers. That was anticipated, which is why there was broccoli.

Turkey Tacos, Mango & Black Bean Salad
Still can't get the kids excited about the black beans in salad form. Guess they'll have to be mixed in with the turkey for a while longer. Had ice cold Dublin Dr Pepper with this dinner. No dessert necessary after. (Wish I'd bought an extra three or four cases of the stuff while we were at the soda shop in Texas.)

Chicken Fried Rice
Got a night of leftovers out of this, too.

Brinner!
Spinach & Mushroom omlet, Turkey Bacon, Whole Wheat & Flax Waffles. (No mushrooms for kids.) Turned out to be perfect comfort food on a night we all needed it, too.

Thai Basil Chicken & Sticky Rice
Used thinly cut strips of chicken breast instead of ground chicken, and cut back a little on the red chili to keep from scaring off the kids. Used loads of both Thai and Sweet Basil from the planter. Soooo good. Will post link to recipe soon. Want to make sure I link the one with the step by step photos.

Photo Library Heartbreak

2009-06-30T21:12:00.005-05:00

I'm generally not big on the whole idea of revenge. I'm a fan of restitution when it comes to property crimes. But I'm having to fight some serious anger issues at the moment, in light of the thief who hit my house.

I don't care about the television, the cell phone or laptop. That's just stuff, which will all be replaced over the next couple of days. It's the photos not yet categorized and backed up which get to me.

The yellow-bellied marmot B1 caught on camera on the Cog Railway, which none of the six others in the group managed.
Swarms of ladybugs which turned tree trunks solid orange.
The shots taken while bracing themselves against the desert winds at the top of the Capulin Volcano, with mountains far in the distance; or in the snow at the summit marker on Pike's Peak.
Mahogany which had been converted into giant, silk-strung ghosts by throngs of green/blue caterpillars.
The double rainbow my daughter spotted after the rainstorm on our way into Odessa, Texas.
A beautiful shot of Birmingham, taken at 2 a.m. by a child who I thought to be asleep, but was quietly playing a gameboy. (It's quite pretty at night.)
The many cool buildings we saw in small towns on our highway driving. Some still in use, and others hollowed out stone and brick shells, like something from a ghost town.

I have snippets of some of these places, taken on the iPhone, but it's just not the same as some of the great shots the kids captured on their cameras.

Between anger about the theft of a part of our lives, and the restless week of sleep, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to meet up with the fellow(s) and introduce him/them to a few of my other possessions... and yes, being the potential domestic threat that I am, I'm talking about firearms.

Butt Dialing

2009-06-29T09:29:00.003-05:00

I've always found this commercial quite funny. The Motorola Slvr on the family plan, which was replaced by an iPhone, was horrible for butt dialing, and had to be kept with the keypad lock on at all times. Always the #1 & #2 spots on the quick dial, too.

It was still a great phone, so became our home phone on the shared minutes plan. No more butt-dialing. At least, not until Spring/Summer, when B1 started sticking it in his pocket on trips with his younger siblings to the park up the street. Until I showed him how to set the key lock, slot #1 (me) and slot #2 (dad) were treated to many, MANY calls featuring the muffled sounds of children on the playground and teens with skateboards or frisbee.

Background story in place, so let's flash forward to the present.

Our house was robbed on Thursday. The @#!*! took our new 42" LCD television and laptop. Called police, was told by the responding officer it was probably someone we know, or an extremely lucky young criminal with great timing. Nothing to worry about from a safety standpoint. A detective would be calling me, but I should call if we had anything to add after talking with B1 (away for the week) and the neighbors.

Around six o'clock, I received a text from a number I didn't recognize about Michael Jackson's death. I figured it was a misdial, and went on with my evening. A couple hours later, and several miles away, dad received two calls in a row, of the background noise variety. Thinking it might be work or kid related, he called back, and got a young man who denied making the calls. I was asked what - if any - business/personal finance activity I'd done on the stolen Dell, in case it was someone going through our data. (None - it was the kid computer.) I asked for the phone number. It matched the earlier text message I'd received.

That's too large of a coincidence for me. Especially when you take into account the discovery that the home cell phone was missing from it's normal spot on the shelf right next to the table where the laptop had been lifted.

There was no activity on the phone after the time we left for the pool on Thursday, so whoever took it wasn't using it on our plan. When I called the number, it went straight to auto message, no ringing. Our two numbers were stored in the phone, not on the sim card.

So here's what we're thinking:

The @#*%! who took it replaced the sim card with his own (or gave/sold to a friend), but didn't think to wipe the actual phone memory. When he sent a text about MJ's death to the #1 contact on his card, it sent it to me, the #1 on the phone. Later that evening, while out & about with the SLVR in his pocket, he butt-dialed the #2 stored on the phone. There haven't been any more mysterious phone calls, so the return call on Thursday probably tipped him off.

Left a message with the Sandy Springs police Friday morning. Didn't hear back from them, so did a Reverse Lookup on the phone number. Got an actual name and a residential address in Decatur. Makes me think the "really lucky" option is the case, if this is the @#%*!, and that he probably works at the road construction site less than half a mile away.

Still haven't heard back from the police, though I've called again. Either they're calling my home number, which doesn't go to anything until I visit the at&t store, instead of the cell number I left in the message, or my little non-violent home invasion is far down the list of priorities.

Either way, if they don't hurry, the inexperienced young criminal who robbed my house is going to get away with it. And next time, he'll know to wipe the phone before using it or giving/selling to a friend.

Grocery Challenge Catch Up

2009-06-26T16:00:00.002-05:00

Missed getting the last couple of weeks up before vacation, so am putting up stores & totals without the full shopping lists. Full lists and "try something new" menu will restart next week.

Week 21 (5/17 - 5/23):
Trader Joe's - $60.32
Costco - $86.94 (Stock-up trip)
Trader Joe's (bike) - $23.03
Total - $170.29

Week 22 (5/24-5/30):
Publix - $32.34
Little Euro. Bakery - $8.29
Publix - $59.33
Total - $99.96
This was an experiment in standard supermarket shopping. Prices good, but some of the food, especially produce... meh.

Week 23 (5/31-6/6):
Whole Foods (bike) - $30.25
Publix - $31.73
Whole Foods - $49.81
Total - $111.79

Grocery spending (as of 6/6/2009): $3,239.90
Average weekly spending: $140.86

We were on the road for Week 24 and Week 25. The restaurant meals we ate were officially part of the vacation budget, so don't figure here. I did pick up travel food at Trader Joes before we left, and again in Colorado at Safeway before we headed out for the trek back home.

The little bit spent on peanut butter pretzels, olive oil popcorn, juice boxes, baby carrots, apples, babybel cheese wheels, dried fruits and nuts provided us with a few picnic lunches, helping us avoid greasy fast food meals and more expensive "healthier" restaurant alternatives. Also saved quite a few whining rants - I mean requests - for the pricey snacks while we were refueling the van.

Week 24 (6/7-6/13):
Trader Joes - $33.13

Week 25 (6/14-6/20):
Safeway - $41.17
I'm totally spoiled by Trader Joe's prices on bagged fruits and nuts. The list of items purchased for the trip home was quite close to the list for the trip out, but the cashews, pistachios and almonds in the little canisters cost quite a bit more than my usual $5.99-$8.99 baggies at TJ's.

Grocery spending (as of 6/20): $3,314.20
Average weekly spending: $132.57

I'll post a few of the memorable "try something new" meals in our ongoing Supper Wars this weekend, after I see if I can dig up recipe links. If not, I'll type them up and post. Yes, a couple were that good.

Applewood bacon, heavy cream, strawberries...

2009-06-26T09:23:00.004-05:00

How's that for a shopping list?

Only things we need from the store today.

Edit:
Maybe I should have put need in quotes. After all, I don't "need" the strawberries, I want them.

Unbelievable...

2009-06-25T17:31:00.003-05:00

...we're gone for 2-1/2 weeks, and the house is fine. Four days after getting back home and into our regular routine, we come home from the daily trip to the pool to a missing 42" flatscreen and laptop.

Somebody walked into the family room through the one door I didn't think to check on the way out of the house, and braved a loud, 85-lb dog.

Whoever it was unhooked the cables and cords from the television and picked up the remote from the coffee table. Left the xbox 360 completely alone. Then they must have noticed the laptop which couldn't be seen from the (locked) kitchen door on the carport. That was simply unhooked from the surge protector and taken away with the mouse still attached.

Must not have walked through the rest of the house, as I don't see anything else missing. The officer who responded was pretty certain we're physically safe, as he thinks it was probably a younger offender, since they were careful to take the things they'd need to use both items right away, and didn't go through the rest of the house.

On the phone with insurance now, and should hear from the detective tomorrow.

My initial thoughts are:

Thankful nobody (including Peter T Dog) is hurt.
Sad about the photos the kids have copied over the 4-6 weeks. Without the Flickr uploader working this week, I was unable to get them backed up. I wish I'd copied them to my computer with the vacation photos.
Disappointed in the kids, for not locking the back door when I told them to; and in myself, for not following behind them to check.
Anger at the thought that I now have to wonder about every teen, lawn guy, contracter and construction worker from the road project by the park. And, I have to wonder if it's bad to be predictable by following a set routine. Oh, plus wonder if dropping our 42" projection television off at Goodwill might have been the tipoff for this act, and not some random crime of opportunity.

Now, to fix some brinner and make a catalog of everything else... after I go put the lock on the bikes. Yes, the stable of bikes had just been moved back out to the carport yesterday, were not locked, and are all still siting there.

Home again!

2009-06-22T22:21:00.005-05:00

Took a detour on the way home from Colorado. Spent time in New Mexico and Texas, and took some extra time to wander an hour - or four - off the interstates.

I'm working through the mountain of laundry, restocking the pantry & fridge, and organizing photos. Will begin posting some of our "off the beaten path" gems (to borrow a segment from Slamdunk) in another day or two, along with regular topics. There's the best rootbeer float of my life, delicious BBQ, stunning scenery, cattle roadblocks... and more.

Until then*, here's a snapshot from Pike's Peak. We rode the Cog Railway up to the summit. Went from sunny summer to big old snowbanks in an hour. (iPhone photo, as I'm still sorting the images from the two cameras.)

*To be honest, I'm stalling. Haven't been on a run since the GOTG 10 mile over a week ago. It's been almost three weeks away from the bikes. I'm relying on the 15 year old and the Xbox 360 to keep the younger two busy tomorrow morning, while I go for a two hour ride. Love the children, but need the mental health break.
Will take them swimming or out for a hike after lunch, lest anyone think I'm letting them become complete couch potatoes.

Still on the road, but off the interstates

2009-06-15T19:38:00.011-05:00

Now that the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile race is finished, I'm taking some time to save all the photos stored and cameras & iPhone. We're in Colorado for another day or two, then head south into New Mexico before turning east toward home.

We spent a few days in Nebraska and Kansas, without spending a single moment on the interstate. It is lovely country this time of year. Green as far as the eye can see. Much better than our last long visit, in the middle of winter, during heavy snow & wind.

Sunset in Kansas on Monday night (Photos by DD)

Alma, Nebraska - running out the extra energy at park across the street from grandparent's house:

Alma is a wonderful little town. Many people ride bikes to get around, because everything is close and the roads are safe. Kids riding bicycles and walking everywhere. Children swarming over the playground equipment before going to the summer programs at the library. It was wonderful to see whole families walking to the park. It's not something you see in Atlanta. Families at the park, yes. But that's after they've loaded up in the SUV/minivan and driven there.

The multi-use lakeside path which runs the whole length of town made the perfect place to get in some maintenance miles while we were there. Plus, the start was only a block from the house, so no cars were involved in getting there.

Great visit with grandparents and great-grandparents. If not for the upcoming race, we might have stayed another day or two. As it is, we're looking forward to going back out next summer. (And I'm looking forward to leaving the three children with Grandma & Grandpa for a week. But that's next year.)

We're at the other grandparents' now, and are spending a few days doing many touristy type things.

On the road

2009-06-10T23:23:00.006-05:00

We're three - or is it four? - days into our cross country trek. The kids are doing great. The drive has been lovely, even when the weather hasn't been so great. Driving with the three of them by myself is not anywhere near as bad as I'd feared. The DVD player isn't going full-time, and there have been long stretches where there isn't a single video game in play. Audiobooks and a license plate spotting app on the iPhone (Spotters) have kept kids far more entertained than I'd imagined.

We're up to 32 states, including one of the two we never thought we'd see. When we were climbing out of the van at the Riverfront parking in Saint Louis the other morning, what should pull up in the opposite space but a suburban with Alaska plates. That was number 20, I think. We hit 25 states before crossing into Kansas, which meant it was time to stop at DQ for blizzards. Next milestone is 40 states, which we'll probably hit by the time we get into Denver.

I have no idea what's going on in the world, but I can discuss in detail the little details which make Artemis Fowl an amazingly fantastic and super cool evil kid genius, along with his progression to amazingly fantastic and super cool not-exactly-evil kid genius. We're listening our way through the first three books of the series, since they were bedtime reading a few years ago. Books four & five were more recent, so we'll be able to skip forward after this to the latest in the series, The Time Paradox.

There's a lot of photos stored on the cards of the two cameras the kids are using to document the trip. Shots from Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas - but I'm just not quite up to getting out all the cables and chargers tonight. These are a few of the shots from the iPhone. I'm on the Dell, so the photos are as-is...

Heading through Tennessee, somewhere north of Nashville. The kid who's a fan of big construction projects and anything to do with cars and motoring loved driving all the miles on roads cut through the rock.

Heading over to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The kids had seen photos, and had heard about it when I read The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson jumps out of the Arch during a fiery battle with a monster from Greek mythology), but the size of the actual thing outdid the image they'd built in their heads. It's been about 30 years since the last time I'd been up in the arch, so it was fun to go as an adult.

Gotta run!

2009-06-03T07:33:00.004-05:00

Today is National Running Day. I'd have known it sooner if I'd taken the time to read Runner's World when it came in the mail two weeks ago, instead of at the pool yesterday.

There's pages of tips on how to participate (get out and run), find running groups, and how to get started. There's probably not time to get to one of the official runs today, but I will be hitting the pavement for an Easy 3* later this morning, right after I get back from the dentist.

*Easy 3 describes my distance and pace in this case. It's actually one of my previously tough hill runs, which I never used on an easy day. The hill training I've been doing for the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile may not get me through the race course in the mountains all that quickly, but it sure has made running through my neighborhood easier.

Hi. My name is Joy, and I'm a Discovery Channel Addict.

2009-06-01T21:59:00.005-05:00

And History, Military, Science, National Geographic and Travel Channels. I blame the oh-so-convenient DVR with dual tuners, which allows us to record two shows at once. In high definition. And the oh-so-wonderful Comcast HD OnDemand service.

It started a few years before the DVR, with the occasional special on ancient battles, siege weapons or metallurgy, with seasonal binges of Shark Week, ancient Rome or Egypt, and engineering wonders.

Then, we saw frozen chickens being fired from an air canon at plane windshields. Mythbusters became a family viewing event. The one night each week where we'd break normal school year bedtimes and pile in front of the television... picture The Simpsons opening.

Knowing there wasn't possibly enough time to follow everything, shows like Dirty Jobs, Survivorman, and Anthony Bourdain had to be limited to the times when viewing marathons coincided with rainy weekends.

With the advent of the dual tuner DVR, we could get those previously limited shows, and more, to watch whenever we want. The good news was that the kids didn't have to stay up late on a school night to see Mythbusters. The "bad" news was the growing list of programs we wanted to - and could - watch. Bizzare Foods w/Andrew Zimmerman, Cities of the Underworld, Man vs. Wild. Alaska Week was added to Shark Week for those seasonal binges.

And now... Doing DaVinci, Pitchmen, Out of the Wild, The Detonators, and as of last night:

Expedition Africa. One episode, and I'm completely hooked. Heck, with spitting cobras, crocodiles and Masai warriors, we all are.

Nooooo!!!! It's summer, so it's time for SciFi/BBC America series. Torchwood, Doctor Who, Eureka, and the new Warehouse 13 in place of Stargate Atlantis. I don't have that much ironing to do, unless I can convince the children to start wearing linen.

Oh. Lest I forget, Spike TV has a show called Deadliest Warrior. You know that close to friendship ending bout of bickering you could start as a kid by asking who would win a fight between _______ & _______, usually filled in with superheroes? Well, Deadliest Warrior fills in the blanks with warriors throughout history from all over the world, and answers the question. Weapons experts, biomechanical experts, emergency/trauma doctor, and a guy to crunch the numbers and run the simulations. Ninjas vs. Spartans? Shaolin Monks vs. Maori Warriors? William Wallace vs. Shaka Zulu? The first season played back to back Sunday afternoon, finishing with terrorist vs. terrorist - IRA vs. Taliban. I haven't watched it yet, but all four episodes we haven't seen are waiting behind the glowing yellow lights on the HD DVR.

I'm looking forward to Ninjas vs. Spartans. The kids are pulling for Vikings vs. Pirates to be the next episode we watch. Is it wrong to be watching the forecast and contemplating adding "one full day of rain each week" to the prayer list?

Running as a family

2009-05-30T16:08:00.003-05:00

Ran the very laid back and close to home Save Our Skin 5k last week with most of the family. (DD was at a sleepover.) We broke into two groups - Run and Walk/Run. B2 and dad were the walk/run group. B1 ran with me. He made his usual smart alec remarks of encouragement - professing his love and appreciation for his short, old mom who runs like a girl... a really old one. Somebody proposed a wager of $5, which the old short lady accepted. (Wait - it wasn't a bet. I'd never contribute to the delinquency of a minor by agreeing on amateur sporting events. No matter how annoying the snarky little brat was being. The $5 in question was a performance bonus.)

The course wasn't quite as flat as I'd thought, but we were making pretty good time.
Mile 1 @ 9:25. Mile 2 @ 18:30, Mile 3 @... where'd he go?

B1 and his long legs had kicked into the next gear just before the Mile 3 marker, and he zoomed past me for the last tenth of a mile. His finish time was 27:01, close to a minute ahead of me. All those weeks of short runs to build mileage for the ING Challenge at school have turned my video gaming string bean into a runner! I finished at 27:45. Not as fast as I hoped, but about 4 to 4-1/2 minutes ahead of last year, if I'm remembering correctly.

We grabbed water and food and settled in to watch for the other two. Before B1 finished his blueberry muffin, Dad and B2 were coming along the last stretch. The completed the course at 46 minutes. That was a little slower than B2's 44:41 at the Big Peach 5k, but quite a bit faster than his first 5k of the year (53:00-Run the Reagan 5k) , back in February.

I'm so very proud of both boys. And, I've never been so pleased to lose $5.

Settling into Summer

2009-05-30T15:47:00.002-05:00

Who knew finding our happy place for the daily lazy summer vacation "schedule" would take so much work?

It's taken a week for the kids to get past thinking they have to try to stay up past midnight each night. The Exercise + Reading +Chores = Video Games is not something new, as it's in place each weekend throughout the school year, but it took few days of reminders that it still applies. The battles over helping with housework are coming to a middle.

The kids are getting adjusted, so now it's my turn. Been exercising, cooking, biking the grocery shopping and errands like normal, but computer time has been limited. There are a couple of maps to wrap up before my summer officially begins, so the available time has been for work, not reading and blogging.

Without the camp weeks which have helped keep mom sane in the past, I'm going to rely on a schedule. Nothing too strict, as long as general goals are met. These things, along with a good try at dinner, make evening movies, deserts, and video games possible.

Up, done with breakfast, dressed, and beds made before cartoons or video games. This is when I run/ride.
[Roughly] Two hours of reading and play - board/card games, legos, barbies, etc. This is computer time - work or otherwise - for mom.
Music practice & housework help
Exercise! Can be taking a packed lunch with us for an afternoon of swimming, hiking or general running about at the park. Yardwork, gardening and washing car and/or dog get to count for exercise, too. (If you've seen three children try to get an 85-lb dog into the outdoor tub when he'd rather be rolling in the veggie patch, and they're chasing each other with water guns, you'd see the exercise value.)

All bets are off in a couple of weeks, when the cross-country trek begins.

I'm a beyond-thrifty grocery shopper!

2009-05-24T07:22:00.004-05:00

I may think the grocery budget needs further trimming, but I'm beyond frugal by government standards. This isn't the beginnings of a rant on wasteful spending and federal bailouts, though that does seem like the obvious direction for this post to take. This is about official numbers on the food budget of the average American family, but - what the heck - let's make a brief side trip to the rant.

The federal government does entirely too much snooping and mucking about in the daily details of our shopping lives. In addition to being meddlesome, government agencies are constantly gathering data. Not that this is all bad. Data about population and crime statistics fall squarely into planning for the government to do it's main job - protecting life, liberty and property. But then there's all those other little details of our lives. Like that census question everyone likes to use to point out the ridiculous - about how many flush toilets are in a house.

In this case, the data has been collected by the US Dept. of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and is related to weekly grocery spending. It's broken down by sex and age, and has been conveniently categorized as Thrift, Low, Moderate, and Liberal. It's updated monthy. As unhappy as I am to find my tax dollars used to snoop in grocery baskets, the data is current, answers a question I had about how our food bills compare to others, and was easy to find. I'll swallow my grumbling and use it. After all, I paid for the @#!* stuff.

My question: How does our average weekly grocery spending of $142.89 compare to the national average?

According to the January 2009 data (link to PDF):

Family of four, with children in the 6-8 and 9-11 range:
Thrift.............$139.00
Low...............$179.90
Moderate.....$224.80
Liberal..........$272.90

Great, but I also have a teenaged boy. The recommendation is to reduce the weekly amount for the age/sex by 7% when adding to an existing family group. I used 10%, to avoid needing a calculator.

Male child, age 14-18 (less 10%):
Thrift.............$33.75
Low...............$47.07
Moderate.....$58.59
Liberal..........$67.32

Add the two sets together, and here are the USDA amounts for the weekly food spending of a family of five, with children aged eight, nine and fifteen:

Thrift.............$172.75
Low...............$226.97
Moderate.....$282.59
Liberal..........$340.00

The average weekly spending for my family is $30 less than the Thrift level of spending. Many weeks come in below the Thrift level for a family of four. Even my big stock-up weeks, with gourmet cheeses and fancy coffee, come in between the Low and Moderate levels.

I have lost just about all sympathy for anyone who says it's too tough and too expensive to buy healthy food. For people with access to only the inner city convenience markets that may be true. But for everyone else... Really?!

I do most of our shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, both considered to be at the high end of pricing. Buy organic when I can, especially if it's an item where we'll be eating the skin. Free range chicken. Grass fed beef. Eggs from birds with hormone free, vegetarian diets.

Sure, I could do more to lower the bill. Using only bulk dry beans, rather than purchasing canned, is a big one, given how many days they're mixed into our meals. If I were to make the drive out to the Super Walmart and Farmers Market each week, I could probably drop the bill even further. The only reason I don't is one of time and effort. I get far more enjoyment out of the ride to the store on the bike than I would from driving around the suburbs. It's worth an extra $10-15 each week to stay within a 3 mile radius of home. (Actually, if you figure in gas, it's probably more like $5-10 each week I'd save.)

I get that it's a convenience and personal preference thing. I bake oat muffins for breakfasts, and always make extra waffles during weekend breakfasts, to keep in the freezer for another day. Our granola is homemade. (Not cheap, once I add all the nuts & fruits, but still less than if I were to purchase the premium packaged stuff at the store.) Lunches are made with homemade sandwiches, not pre-packaged lunchmeat & cheese combos. Meat, poultry and fish are parts of our dinners, but rarely the main part.

I'm not saying everyone should do what I do. What works for us is far more difficult for someone who works full time. Heck, I read several Mom & Food bloggers who do far more from-scratch cooking than I do, plus gardening and food preserving. There are families out there who eat diets far healthier and greener than ours. In comparing the numbers here though, I have a pretty good idea that those families' grocery bills might not be much, if any, higher than mine.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 20

2009-05-24T06:45:00.003-05:00

Good week for the shopping by bike, with the exception of the frozen rear wheel and the call to my knight in shining armor for a rescue, right at the beginning of the week. Freewheel cleaned and oiled, so rest of the trips went smoothly. Again, loving the added cargo space having the panniers provides. And the stability of having all the weight on the rear rack.

Week 20 Shopping:
Whole Foods (Bike) - $62.14
Kroger - $6.17
Trader Joes (Bike) - $25.14
Euro. Bakery (Bike) - $4.75
Farmstand (Bike) - $9.25
Total - $107.40
Year to Date - $2,857.86
Average weekly spending - $142.89

There's around $80 not included with this week's shopping. Made the decision to pull all of the food for school parties and cooking for the international festival out of the regular shopping. I have a monthly item on the budget tagged "Misc-School" which covers things like yearbooks, field day t-shirts, teacher gifts. I felt the foods for the Swedish and Australian tables fell squarely in that category.

Week 21 is the final week of school, so there are a few more party items to purchase. Nothing like this week's shopping though. I'm looking forward to seeing what Week 22 does for the shopping budget, with lunches at home and juice by the half gallon, instead of 10pk drink packets.

Supper Wars -

Butter Chicken, Basmati Rice, Green Peas
First time with no complaints, even though it was the official tangy version. Used greek yogurt, rather than coconut milk. For the kids, chose breast meat, instead of thighs. Kept the biggest critic of the dish involved in the cooking process. B2 & I decided to use sweet vidalia onions, instead of the usual yellow or white, and that I should keep scoop some of the curry paste to the side. That way, I could make the servings as spicy as my evil tastebuds desired.

Cheese Flatbread Pizza, Salad

Baked Pasta (w/Bison), Salad
The kids who make faces about meat if they know it's not coming from the big three of farm animals are continuing their exploration of other protein sources, such as bison and lamb. And by exploration, I mean being kept in the dark by mom until after they've eaten a meal and pronounced it a winner. (Yes, the same strategy used for sneaking in veggies.) Had leftover pasta, salad and fruit a couple nights later.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Pears and Root Vegetables
Brussels sprouts, carrots, sweet potato, red and vidalia onion, pears and garlic; tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme, sea salt and red pepper. The kids tried the sweet potato and carrot, but weren't at all impressed. Was okay, as this was completely expected, and already planned as the night of the leftover pasta. One of my favorite dishes, but not one I'm going to force on the kids. My memory of childhood brussels sprout traumas are still too vivid.

Baked Ginger Sesame Tofu, Sticky Rice
Stir Fried Veggies
Kids ate green beans and carrots from the stir fry, but left all the squash, onions, peppers, etc., untouched. Sigh.

Cornmeal Waffles, Bacon, Fruit & Yogurt
Brinner!

Playing catchup... again

2009-05-20T21:37:00.005-05:00

Another crazy week here. I'm running behind on everything that's not school or work. I'm out running and pedaling, but it's more for keeping sane than fit this week. Have first map of a threesome ready for press, and am hoping to wrap up the other two before we head off for vacation in a couple weeks. Pretty excited about getting these done, as I'm taking the summer off.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars coming soon, along with nifty data from the USDA about family food budgets.

I'd also like to take a minute to mention one of the audiobooks I've been listening to while working. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. I downloaded it from Audible after hearing a friend mention it in a discussion where old odd medicinal cures brought up Mellified Man. Wasn't sure about it, but it turned out to be a fascinating - and fun - read. (To be more accurate, it was a listen, not a read.) From the forensic body farm in TN, to the early history of body collecting for anatomy classes, to crash tests, to how a body is embalmed, to organ and even the potential of whole body transplants, to the evolution in thought as to where the soul resides in the body... it was never dull. Though I'd not recommend listening while doing your grocery shopping, unless you're trying to work toward vegetarianism.

Summer is just around the corner

2009-05-16T07:34:00.003-05:00

Survived both elementary school field days, normal reading times, 8th grade dance, early dismissal, baking 18 dozen cookies (Pepparkakor & Anzac Biscuits), cooked 160 Swedish Meatballs and several pounds of Lemon Myrtle Shrimp Salad. Even managed to get hot item to school hot, and cold item still cold... without spilling anything on the way.

This morning's clean up at the middle school marks the end of the busiest four "mom" days of the year. With next week being the final week of school, next Wednesday thru Friday should be just as insane. Will be enjoying a frosty beverage when I get home to celebrate the next two days, where the demands on brain power and time will be limited to immediate family.

I don't want to run

2009-05-14T08:37:00.004-05:00

Patty and The Duchess are calling to me from across the front room, tucked into the official bicycle parking behind the piano. Pleading to be taken out for a spin in the spring morning. I have to ignore them.

It's now only one month until the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile up in Manitou Springs, Colorado. It was my idea to sign up for a vacation race in a beautiful destination for my birthday. It's a stop on our cross-country trek this June. It will be gorgeous, but if there's going to be a hope of surviving hill after hill at higher elevations (6,210' up to 6,530'), it's got to be all about the hills here in humid ol' Atlanta for the next few weeks.

Sigh.

Will be keeping photos like this in mind while lacing up the shoes, even though the course elevation map (see below) will be right there with it.