Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Cleaning the Garage
I am definitely not a pack rat. I have no problem throwing things away that I feel are just in the way. I'm sure I've tossed stuff that my wife and Mom wish were packed up in nice boxes so I could show my kids. And although Kerry and I try hard not to get the kids much stuff, we are collecting quite an assortment of stuff.
With 7 bikes in the garage (I have three, everyone else has one) and the typical assortment of tools, lawn equipment, and storage the garage was getting very crowded. And I am committed to keeping both cars in the garage for their protection.
So I got myself a fathers day present and purchased some slatwall organizers from Lowe's called Gladiator Garageworks. Hang this stuff on the walls of your garage and you can get a lot of the clutter up off the floor. Not only does it look better, but it is easier to keep the garage floor clean, which helps keep the house clean.
Here are some after pictures. I have more to install, but this cleaned up a majority of the stuff that was just lying around.
What Really Happened
I've been told that my previous post was not quite correct, so I wanted to make sure to make the corrections in a way that would be noticed.
Although Caden jumped into the pool, he did not sink to the bottom. I have it on good authority that he was trying to swim and made an effort of it, arms and legs kicking. That really makes for a sad image in my head. (Don't cry Erin - remember that he is just fine). That, and the quick reaction by my wife (who is still limping from her bruised heel) kept him from hitting the bottom.
Although Caden jumped into the pool, he did not sink to the bottom. I have it on good authority that he was trying to swim and made an effort of it, arms and legs kicking. That really makes for a sad image in my head. (Don't cry Erin - remember that he is just fine). That, and the quick reaction by my wife (who is still limping from her bruised heel) kept him from hitting the bottom.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Dangerous Summer
This summer is turning out to be quite dangerous.
It started last week with a near drowning (ok - maybe a little overdramatic) at the pool. Caden, who is only 2 and cannot swim, has become very comfortable in the water with his arm floaties. He spends most of his time jumping in the pool, then getting out, then jumping in the pool, then getting out, then jumping in the pool, then getting out...you get the picture.
So Kerry took the kids to the pool last week and Caden immediately started to wander off while she was getting his floaties out of the bag. Before she knew it, he was at the other end of the pool and jumped in, and of course sank to the bottom. Kerry raced to the other end, jumped in after him, and brought him out. He was a little shaken but did a good job of holding his breath. We wonder if he was just waiting to float back up like he usually does. He was a bit shaken, but still managed to swim later.
In the process, Kerry bruised her heel pretty good. A trip to the doctor a few days later confirmed that nothing was broken, but she is still hobbling around on crutches.
Tonight, we went to Mike and Holleigh's for dinner and to let the kids play. Their house backs up to the neighborhood pond which has a sidewalk all around. The kids went for a ride after dinner with the parents chasing after them. Collin was slowed down when his chain came off, so he had to wait for me while the rest of the kids rode down around the corner and into a wooded area. After I fixed Collin's bike, he took off to catch up. What he didn't realize is that the kids were stopped and playing beside the path. Collin was going to fast and crashed hard. Mike was with all the kids and immediately scooped him up and carried him to me. I could tell right away that he needed stitches. His chin had a nasty gash about 1" long. It was split wide open and of course he was screaming pretty good.
After we got him to the house and cleaned up, I took him to AcuteKids, a great little emergency center for kids. This played out just like the first time he got stitches in his chin. They wrapped him in a sheet so he couldn't move, the a nurse and I held him down while they gave him some numbing shots in his wound. That resulted in huge screams and lots of tears. Once they were finished with the shots, however, he managed to calm down and didn't cry when they put the actual stitches in. All in all I was very proud of him.
It started last week with a near drowning (ok - maybe a little overdramatic) at the pool. Caden, who is only 2 and cannot swim, has become very comfortable in the water with his arm floaties. He spends most of his time jumping in the pool, then getting out, then jumping in the pool, then getting out, then jumping in the pool, then getting out...you get the picture.
So Kerry took the kids to the pool last week and Caden immediately started to wander off while she was getting his floaties out of the bag. Before she knew it, he was at the other end of the pool and jumped in, and of course sank to the bottom. Kerry raced to the other end, jumped in after him, and brought him out. He was a little shaken but did a good job of holding his breath. We wonder if he was just waiting to float back up like he usually does. He was a bit shaken, but still managed to swim later.
In the process, Kerry bruised her heel pretty good. A trip to the doctor a few days later confirmed that nothing was broken, but she is still hobbling around on crutches.
Tonight, we went to Mike and Holleigh's for dinner and to let the kids play. Their house backs up to the neighborhood pond which has a sidewalk all around. The kids went for a ride after dinner with the parents chasing after them. Collin was slowed down when his chain came off, so he had to wait for me while the rest of the kids rode down around the corner and into a wooded area. After I fixed Collin's bike, he took off to catch up. What he didn't realize is that the kids were stopped and playing beside the path. Collin was going to fast and crashed hard. Mike was with all the kids and immediately scooped him up and carried him to me. I could tell right away that he needed stitches. His chin had a nasty gash about 1" long. It was split wide open and of course he was screaming pretty good.
After we got him to the house and cleaned up, I took him to AcuteKids, a great little emergency center for kids. This played out just like the first time he got stitches in his chin. They wrapped him in a sheet so he couldn't move, the a nurse and I held him down while they gave him some numbing shots in his wound. That resulted in huge screams and lots of tears. Once they were finished with the shots, however, he managed to calm down and didn't cry when they put the actual stitches in. All in all I was very proud of him.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Summer Fun
We live in a great neighborhood. Just on our street there are a half dozen families or so families with kids of very similar ages. Everyone gets along and the kids play well together.
A few nights ago our immediate neighbors broke out their big inflatable waterslide, everyone pitched in for dinner, and we had a mini block party to celebrate the end of school and beginning of summer. Of course the kids had a ball, and when the kids are occupied, parents have more fun to.
You can see Madison and Caden going up one side. And yes, that is a bikini on Madison. She can wear it around the house, but we won't let here wear it to the pool.
Project Manitou Update
I've been able to ride the past 3-4 weekends now. It never ceases to amaze me how much fun mountain biking can be. Every time I get on the bike for the first time in over a few months, I wonder why I don't ride more. I have yet to crash, although there are a few sections on each ride that I don't clear.
The first time I went out I had to change one of my tubes. It was so old that the stem fell off when I started pumping it up. Luckily that has been the only mechanical I have had.
The bike geometry changed significantly with the updated components, but the bike handles very well. I'm still working on finding the right air-pressure for both the front and rear shocks. It takes some time to dial them in. But right out of the shoot they are both performing well. On some short climbs, the rear wheel stays glued down and traction is impressive. The front fork soaks up anything I throw at it.
The biggest problem with mountain biking is finding time to ride, especially since your ride doesn't start until you have driven to the trails. Luckily there are some good trails about 15-20min north of here. Tight and twisty, so my lack of conditioning doesn't hurt me too much.
Later this year we (Kerry, myself, and some neighbors) are riding in a charity ride. Time to dust off the old road bike.
The first time I went out I had to change one of my tubes. It was so old that the stem fell off when I started pumping it up. Luckily that has been the only mechanical I have had.
The bike geometry changed significantly with the updated components, but the bike handles very well. I'm still working on finding the right air-pressure for both the front and rear shocks. It takes some time to dial them in. But right out of the shoot they are both performing well. On some short climbs, the rear wheel stays glued down and traction is impressive. The front fork soaks up anything I throw at it.
The biggest problem with mountain biking is finding time to ride, especially since your ride doesn't start until you have driven to the trails. Luckily there are some good trails about 15-20min north of here. Tight and twisty, so my lack of conditioning doesn't hurt me too much.
Later this year we (Kerry, myself, and some neighbors) are riding in a charity ride. Time to dust off the old road bike.
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