Thursday, August 21, 2008

Tae Kwon Do





Yesterday Jarom passed another Tae Kwon Do test! He is now a Black & White belt. If all goes well he should earn his Black belt in May! Here is a picture of the belt ranks:













He was happy I finally stopped taking pictures.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Bronx Zoo solved hearing problem!





"Lean over your plate."
"leave your shoes at the door."
"It's time for bed"
"Shut the door behind you."

I really thought my kids had selective hearing. It boggled my mind why I had to repeat things over and over during the day. A trip to the Bronx Zoo, yesterday, shed light on this apparent hearing problem. THEIR EARS ARE TOO SMALL!
I found a pair of ears that seemed to do the trick for all of them. Once these ears were placed on their heads they responded to whispers, and yells alike! Their concentration levels increased as well.
I came upon these ears just in time...School starts in a few weeks!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

New York Love


I admit I have done my fare share of parking illegally while in NY and paid a HEFTY fee for it, but this sign ought to do the trick. I think NYC is loosing money by being so direct here. What do you think? AHHH...New York Love!!
(Thanks for the picture Heather.)

Lifes securities

A certain someonee in the Hobi family has a few items that he carries with him more times than not.
It's similar to the baby blanket syndrome. Most mothers have at least one child that becomes attached to an item. And we fret and wonder if it's OCD or healthy for them to be connected with a "thing."
A mother with a child that sucks his thumb can fall back on: "He won't be sucking his thumb when he goes to College." We simply have to wait patiently to see when they grow out of it.
This can be cute when all is well but not when we have to call in a "Family Search" when an item is misplaced.
And it's a definite No, No to play with these items even if they were found in "Free Space!"
Having a doll, Binky, or a single toy on the radar can be exhausting for a mother! One afternoon I found someone unloaded the "buddies" onto the kitchen table,
and as I looked at them I felt a fondness toward them. I was seeing a personality in a little pile. They are bits and pieces of their owner.
I thought I'd take a picture of them to remember, in case he ever out grows them....








Sam is to his phone as a dog is to his collar.
Sam is to his watch as a woman is to her lipstick
Sam is to his wallet as a yo-yo is to a string

Jarom' s Triathlon



Jarom took it to the swim, bike, and run! He was awesome. It was so fun to see him try this new sport. He took 2nd over all! Go Jarom!!
He swam 50 meters, biked 1 mile, and ran .5 miles

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Cottage Vacation


Once upon a time a family took a weeks vacation in a little cottage along a big beautiful Lake of New York.
Each day they woke up to the birds singing and a full day ahead of them to do as they pleased. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was served on the porch overlooking the water. They played at the beach until late afternoon then visited the playground, fished, or rode bikes. Evenings were quiet, bed time came when the sun went down. Kids fell asleep to bedtime stories that sometimes lasted over an hour. On the last day of this vacation they went to an Amusement Park where roller coasters, flying swings, and water slides sent them home in a complete exhausted state of bliss. And they lived Happily Ever After.....
Until the youngest awoke the next morning to find he was back home in his OWN bed and climbed down from his top bunk and marched into mommies bed demanding they return to camp! "I don't want to be in my own bed! I want to be at camp!"



Monday, July 21, 2008

24 hours of FUN!!!




Friday afternoon I loaded the truck with sleeping bags, whining kids, a tent, and a bike rack. We picked up Sam from work and drove to Winding Trails in Farmington, Ct. We arrived around 2pm had a picnic and hit the beach! For the following 24 hours the fun didn't stop. Sam, Jarom and Jennica played in the water diving for rocks while Jace and I ventured in the pedal boat. At 6:30pm we pitched our tent, enjoyed a BBQ, then spent the evening boating, playing tag, hide -and -seek, and telling stories on the playground. We rolled into our tent around 10:30pm and enjoyed a warm night in the woods. The next morning breakfast was served, we took down our tent, went on a bike ride, then hit the beach again. By 2pm we filled the truck with sleeping bags, HAPPY kids, a tent and a bike rack and returned home a better family than we were the day before.
This was a great program I stumbled upon at the last minuet, surprisingly enough they still had openings. All we had to do was pay $50, provide the tent and they provided all the fun and food!
We'll defiantly do this again!





Monday, July 14, 2008

I Tried!



This is where it all happened. This is where the race began. A race I showed up late to, cheated in, and felt good in the end!

A friend and I drove an hour and a half to participate in the 'Winding Trails Triathlon' but due to TRAFFIC we arrived just as the race began. We didn't let that stop us though. We ran INTO the water just as the others were runinng OUT. I jumped in, fully clothed, with groups of kids, lifegaurds, and families witnessing my desperate attempt to swim 1/4 of a mile. I laughed within at the pity applause that greeted me as I emerged from the water 10 min. after the others!! I had to shake my indignity along with my water loaded clothes and move on to the next challenge. To the spectators we were the two that swam 10 min. SLOWER than the rest of the pack. I was thrilled that I swam 1/4 of a mile in 10min. given the last time I swam was in the St. Geroge Triathlon in Utah last year! It was still a little on the embarassing side to start out 10mins behind everyone else! But hey, I didn't have to deal with the kicks in the face and splashes that come with jumping in the water at gunshot.
As a matter of fact showing up late offered more than I expected. Because the race had already started we weren't able to register, therefore, we didn't get a timing chip or have to pay the fee! We also missed out on the directions reguarding the trail paths. This "little" detail worked to our advantage! Once we managed to get our soggy feet into our shoes we climbed on our bikes and took off. All went well until the blue arrows and the red arrows that had consistantly pointed in the same direction now split up! We paused for a moment and realized we were missing some critical information and pushed ahead following red. After a few minuets we noticed through the trees, on a different path, some bikers. I called out: "Which path is for the biking, red or blue?" The reply was: "red for run, blue for bike." We were obviously on the wrong path. We sloved that problem easily by cutting across the grass and joining them! Now, the question is- How much time did we cheat by doing this??? I still have no clue. But this is where things got intense.
This trail riding was serious adventure stuff! I had a firm grip on my handlebars in fear of being shaken off my bike! The trail was all over the place! Up, down, up, DOWN, over logs, between trees, over bridges, bumps, bumps and many more bumps. I was nervous about my bike falling apart. After 8 miles of this constant pulsation the transation station was a happy site. I hopped off the bike and again started the run down the path with the blue and red arrows together. This time fully aware of their meaning. At this point of the race I could see some (perhaps a lot) of time was made up due to the bike mishap. hehehe
The final event was the 3 mile run. I was happy to see I wasn't alone at this point. Running on trails was very entertaining. I really pushed myself in hopes to make up some more time. In the beginning I could see people ahead of me but once I passed them I seemed to be the only one out there. For about a mile I didn't see anyone. A sudden fear struck me! I totally cheated on the bike and now I'm running at the head of the pack! I am such a CHEATER!!! That's about as long as I dwelt on that and I kept running with a sly smile on my face. I was feeling rather energetic. I soaked up the glory thoughts and pushed my strides. This may be my best run yet! Then it happened... the wall that most out- of -shape -runners hit was just around the corner. That wall didn't effect me at all but appearently it was bruital to a lot of others. I came upon groups of people walking. My vision of kicking butt (thanks to cheating) was kicked to the dirt. I just about choked on my HUGE slice of humble pie as it was made obvious that I am still catching up! I kicked it into gear again and refused to let up on the hills that were coming like waves. I had to resort to "positive" thoughts and even chants at times like the Little Engine That Could. I was puffing away up those hills, passing those big engines that "looked" very capable but didn't have the Little Engine heart. This "positive" self-talk must have been a bit overboard because just around a bend I emerged from the trees into a soft meadow of sand. As I entered into the clearing I took my mind off the trail and SPLAT, just like on Bambie. I went down. I was doing the log roll in the mound of sand. I jumped right up and sheepishly looked about and ran on, hoping the people I just passed on that hill weren't within sight. I was a little uncertain where I should allow my thoughts to wander. I had enough humble pie for the evening so my brain switched to default and my normal thoughts while running alone through the woods began....I was worried about seeing a snake! Now, this was the proper motivation I needed. My feet were quick! I crossed the finish line (well, not really. I had to walk around it because I didn't have a timing chip) with my mind obsessed with snakes, my stomach full of humble pie, and my body covered in sand. It was clear at the finish line that I was definatly in my "own world" during the race. People were already pulling away from the parking lot, or deeply relaxed in a messauge. When I returned to my once over filled bike rack. My own bike stood out as if it were mocking me. I admit, I too, laughed at myself for getting such a kick out of a little white CHEAT and over indulged imagination. But, I did put forth an Honest effort while I was cheating!

First Pick of Cucumbers!!


I know it's a little weird to write about cucumbers but I am thrilled that they actually turned out!
My "little" garden is too much fun!

4th of July


Our 4th of July tradition is experiencing fireworks at Waveny Park.

Piles of Hobi's


Girls having fun!


Jennica and her girlfriends, Clair and Camille, had a great time at the fireworks.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Hit the road running!



Beginning today I am a Triathlete in training....yesterday, not quite so. I have 3 months to train for the Darien Ct. Triathlon. Over the past two months I have been a slave to my mattress and to treats. I have enjoyed ice cream, brownies, pecan pies, ice cream, cookies, and did I mention ice cream? As a result I have, of course, added a few "fluffy" pounds over the summer.
So this morning at 5:30am I greeted my encouraging alarm with a sigh of relief. Time to get my butt in shape! (literally) As I was running I felt "myself" once again. I love exercising. I love what it does for me emotionally. (the physical aspect is a great perk too) I find I am a happy, motivated, proactive Mama if I am exercising. I get things done by 9am that would otherwise take me all day to get motivated to do. I eat better, I sleep better, and I love my kids and man better.
So, I am happy to say good-bye to my sweet tooth and hello to my bike, shoes, pool, and my life again. Any takers??