Friday, June 17, 2016
Judgment Night
Posted by Sarah at 9:49 PM 0 comments
Labels: Maya Papaya
Monday, October 05, 2015
MMM - January 2015
When I look back at all the playlists I created for Maya over the past year, my January mix was kind of a dud. There were a few songs she already liked that I included, but otherwise it was kind of boring and not much to her liking.
But alas, here goes (and listen along on Spotify):
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
This was about the time Maya starting requesting specific songs for her monthly CD. "Celebration" was one of those. She performed this song for her winter program at her preschool and wanted to hear it over and over, much to my dismay. It's like being trapped in a wedding reception.
Winter Winds - Mumford & Sons
I thought I'd play off the winter theme with this song. Plus, it's got a banjo, and I hold out hope that the girls will eventually learn to love the instrument and play Nashville as an act someday. But alas, she's just not that into it.
One and One Makes Two - Johnny Cash
Fortunately, she does like this style of Americana. And anything that involves simple math is a win in Maya's book.
Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
I loved this song when I was a kid. I have a vivid memory of listening to this song while running around and around my parents' oval coffee table. This, and Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time." I've since lost my liking for the piano man, but I still dig The Boss from time to time. Maya did end up liking this song, but it's not one of her favorites.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke & The Pearly Chorus (Mary Poppins soundtrack)
After receiving Mary Poppins for Christmas, the girls quickly took a liking to this song. Easy win for me.
My Kind of Town - Frank Sinatra
Always attempting to ensure the girls appreciate their Chicago upbringing, I blend Chicago propaganda into their entertainment diets. Not sure if this one stuck though. Maya liked the concept of a song about her hometown, but it was a little too slow for her tastes.
Rarotonga - Cafe Tacuba
Because we went to Mexico in January, I continued prepping the girls for the trip with some local music. They pretty much said no bueno.
William's Doll - Marlo Thomas & Alan Alda (Free To Be...You And Me soundtrack)
Another easy win. Maya already knew and liked this song, so it was a simple way to extend my anti-gender-bias education to the car.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland (The Wizard of Oz soundtrack)
After the atrocity of Maya's love for "Legends of Oz," I needed to balance out this crappy sequel with some mandated viewings of the original. Thankfully, the girls enjoyed it and this song.
Married Life - Michael Giacchino (Up soundtrack)
Pixar can do no wrong. The girls love this track, and sometimes in the car, the song even had a surprising calming effect. But as an adult, just try to listen to it without tearing up a bit.
Posted by Sarah at 7:08 PM 0 comments
Labels: Maya Papaya, My kind of town
Tuesday, September 08, 2015
Tough Mudder: Race No. 11
Of all the races I’ve done in 2015, this is the only one I fully, hard core, trained for. And for good reason: Tough Mudder is a 10-mile mud and obstacle course run. Most of the obstacles require some serious upper body and core strength, which I seriously lack.
My training began in March when I joined a local Cross Fit gym to prepare. In addition, I started eating paleo almost exclusively, and Chris and I both gave up drinking about 6 weeks before the race.
At the height of my training, I was sometimes working out twice a day, and I definitely started to notice a difference in my overall fitness and endurance. I have no doubt this is why I ran my fastest 5K a few weeks before Mudder. That said, for all the work I was putting in and all the food I wasn’t, I didn’t lose much weight. My already fairly toned shoulders gone even more toned, but my jiggly middle didn’t change at all, which was really discouraging. But that’s another post for another day.
As for the race itself, all that prep definitely helped, but a lot of Mudder is mental. Sliding into a bath of ice water doesn't require upper body strength. But that obstacle (Arctic Enema) was the one I feared the most, and it was one of the "toughest" for me. Going under, your lungs contract from the shocking cold, and you have no air. It's terrifying, I'm not gonna lie.
I'd go through each obstacle one-by-one, but that would be pretty boring. A lot of the race this year was in a river, so what I remember most about the race was wading through waist-deep water for miles. There were a a few I couldn't complete, but those were the ones most other people couldn't do either (Balls Out, Funky Monkey). But I did conquer Everest, which still amazes me.
Shawshanked was another one that was pretty tough and I'm amazed I did it. You climb up a tunnel and drop out the end into water. It sounds easy, but the tunnel is slippery and already caked in mud from other people. There's a rope inside to help you, but that's also slippery and caked in mud. There was a minute inside I didn't think I could make it, but someone else was already behind me so I had to keep pushing forward.
Overall, the best part of Tough Mudder was doing with it Chris. It was just the two of us, and although the race requires teamwork, strategy and support, we never argued or got upset. Considering we've been together for 13 years and we still argue about whether or not he's driving erratically (he always is), it's amazing we got through it drama-free.
Before |
After |
Posted by Sarah at 10:45 AM 0 comments
Labels: 35 for my 35th
Wednesday, September 02, 2015
MMM - December 2014
Like some many grand plans I have, and then never follow through on, I was soooo going to blog about my monthly Maya mix CDs. And now it’s September and I’m planning Maya’s 6th birthday CD, and I’ve written how many posts? One.
M'kay, well, let’s make this two.
The good news is, I did manage to make a new 10-song CD for the girls every month since November (save for the month of June, when Maya spent most of the month at her grandparents). And slowly, I’ve converted her into a fan of some non-Disney-related songs.
Here’s the December 2014 mix:
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Maya had previously shown some interest in this song after watching Mom and Dad's full Wayne’s World reenactment. And despite the nearly 6-minute length, this song continued to hold her attention after multiple listens. Her favorite line? “So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?” Parents of the year, over here.
Happy (from Despicable Me 2) – Pharrell Williams
She already loved this song before I put it on the CD, so that was an easy win. Plus, I must admit I love it, too. So catchy!
Blackbird – The Beatles
My continual attempts to get the kiddos to like The Beatles. Once again, not all that interested. Maya mentioned that her teachers play this song during naptime at school, so I’m probably not winning any brownie points with any song associated with sleep.
Twelve Days of Christmas – John Denver & The Muppets
I immediately regretted putting this song on this CD. It got annoying and repetitive after about two plays. Fortunately, Maya agreed and didn’t really want to listen to this one much.
New – Paul McCartney
As previously mentioned, I have Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 to thank for the girls interest in this song. Whatever it takes.
(I’m Your) Hoochie Coohie Man – Muddy Waters
For my two little born-and-bred Chicagoans, I thought it was only appropriate to begin indoctrinating them into the blues culture. Maya, bless her, pretended to like this to humor Chris and me, but I know she’s not really a fan. But I hold out hope she’ll come around someday.
Daughter – Louden Wainwright III
Children under the age of, say 30, are in full ego, center-of-the-universe mode. It's not their fault; that's just part of growing up. And I'm not above using that to my advantage to get my kids to like different kinds of music. So this song was a hit simply because Maya feels like it's about her.
When I See An Elephant Fly - Jim Carmichael, Cliff Edwards & Hall Johnson Choir (Dumbo soundtrack)
Disney movie. Easy win. I like this song because of the grammatical puns in it ("I've heard a diamond ring, I've seen a front porch swing"). I think it's long overdue for a modern, and perhaps less offensive, makeover, don't you? I could totally see Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros covering this, right?! Or Billy Corgan.
Christmas Time Is Here - Vince Guaraldi (A Charlie Brown Christmas)
This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Hearing it immediately makes me think of watching snow fall on a quiet, dark night, sitting at my parent's fireplace. All of which is a very strange thing to think about when it's 90 degrees out in early September. but back in December, it made sense of course. Maya liked it, although she really hasn't seen much Charlie Brown. We'll have to fix that this year.
Posted by Sarah at 5:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: Maya Papaya, Sweet Jane
Monday, August 31, 2015
Ravenswood Run 5K: Race No. 10
Amazing what a difference a day makes. The Race to Wrigley and Ravenswood Run was my first set of back-to-back races. Saturday’s Race to Wrigley was cold, rainy and, for me, slow. Sunday’s Ravenswood Run was crisp, sunny, and my fastest 5K to date.
This was also the first race of the year both girls participated in – not the full 5K, but shorter kids dashes.
And they were all about it.
This is always one of my favorite races of the year because it’s in my neighborhood, the weather is generally great for running, and it’s relatively small — small enough that I spotted my neighbor Rahm on the sidelines cheering on the runners with his family this year. Yes, that Rahm.
Race Summary
Race name: Ravenswood Run 5K
2015 Challenge Race No.: 10
Location: Ravenswood, Chicago, IL
Organizers/Sponsor: Fleet Feet Chicago
Beneficiary: Ravenswood Community Services Food Pantry and the Student Health Centers at Lake View and Amundsen high schools.
Cost: $29
Distance: 3.1 miles
Best parts of the race:
- Location
- Size
- Organization
- Easy packet pick-up
Worst part:
- No complaints! Love this race.
Following events:
May:
Tough Mudder, May 9 @ Richmond Hunting Club, Richmond, IL
JPMorgan Corporate Challenge, May 21 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL
Soldier Field 10 Mile, May 23 @ Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
North Shore Classic Half Marathon & 5K, May 31, Highland Park, IL
Posted by Sarah at 5:09 PM 0 comments
Labels: 35 for my 35th, Maya Papaya, My kind of town, Sweet Jane
Monday, July 13, 2015
Race to Wrigley 5K: Race No. 9
The Race to Wrigley provided my second opportunity to run with someone else this year. For this one, my sister, a fellow die-hard Cubs fan, joined me. My sis and I also got to hang out a bit before the race with a childhood friend who was also running.
Like my last non-solo race (Shamrock), I paid little attention to my speed and instead chose to chat the majority of the run. Also like the Shamrock, the weather for the Race to Wrigley was not the best. It was rainy and so cold I needed to wear gloves: Understandable in mid-March for Shamrock; not so understandable in late April for a baseball-themed race. But alas, chilly temps and rain are becoming the norm this year in Chicago.
Posted by Sarah at 2:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: 35 for my 35th
Wednesday, July 08, 2015
Be The Match 5K: Race No. 8
After the massive Shamrock Shuffle, it was nice to go back to a smaller, lakefront race. The Be The Match 5K in early April also provided the first opportunity this race season for the kids to watch in an outdoor environment. We got lucky with some gorgeous Spring weather, and the kids had a blast running around and not standing still for a photo.
Maya also managed to sweet talk an organizer into giving her a dozen helium balloons.
This was also a charity that really struck a chord with me. So much so that I signed up to join the bone marrow donor registry on the spot. You can too! Check out bethematch,org and learn how.
Race Summary:
Race name: Be The Match 5K
2015 Challenge Race No.: 8
Location: Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL
Organizers/Sponsor: Be The Match Foundation
Beneficiary: Be The Match Foundation
Cost: $30
Distance: 3.1 miles
Best part of the race:
- The charity
- Size of the race. Nice & small!
Worst parts:
No complaints! This was a great race.
Next races:
April:
Race to Wrigley 5K, April 25 @ Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Ravenswood Run 5K, April 26 @ Ravenswood, Chicago, IL
May:
Tough Mudder, May 9 @ Richmond Hunting Club, Richmond, IL
JPMorgan Corporate Challenge, May 21 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL
Soldier Field 10 Mile, May 23 @ Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
North Shore Classic Half Marathon & 5K, May 31, Highland Park, IL
Posted by Sarah at 2:38 PM 0 comments
Labels: 35 for my 35th
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Shamrock Shuffle: Race No. 7:
Distance: 5 miles
- Race route and distance
- Green headband/neck warmer thing included with race packet
- See entire rant above.
Posted by Sarah at 7:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: 35 for my 35th
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Get Lucky 7K & Half Marathon: Race No. 6
Distance: 4.34 miles
- Early packet pick-up, distance, location and swag.
- Non-corraled start
Posted by Sarah at 10:50 AM 0 comments
Labels: 35 for my 35th
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Fight For Air Climb: Race No. 5 of 35
Race Summary
Race name: Fight for Air Climb
2015 Challenge Race No.: 5
Location: Presidential Towers, Chicago, IL
Organizers/Sponsor: American Lung Association
Beneficiary: American Lung Association
Cost: $25 + $100 required fundraising
Distance: 180 floors (4 towers @ 45 stories each)
Best parts of the race:
- Organization - Unlike my first climb, this race was surprisingly well organized. And they had pre- and post-race snacks!
- Seeing fireman in full gear complete the climb. You can actually smell the smoke on their suits before you even see them. I can't imagine climbing in all that gear. Amazing.
- Seeing this guy, who plays a fireman on TV, but will always be Steve Brady to me.
Worst parts:
- Waiting for the elevators down in each tower.
Following events:
March:
Get Lucky 7K, March 14 @ Jackson Park, Chicago, IL
Shamrock Shuffle 8K, March 29 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL
April:
Be the Match 5K, April 11 @ Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL
Race to Wrigley 5K, April 25 @ Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Ravenswood Run 5K, April 26 @ Ravenswood, Chicago, IL
Posted by Sarah at 11:08 PM 0 comments
Labels: 35 for my 35th