Overwhelmed

The face Landon makes when I tell him to look serious. It really has 

nothing to do with this post, but it makes me laugh, so here ya go!

I've been missing in action lately. Between preparing for homeschooling to start up again and getting ready to start working again, things have been busy.

I'm excited to start teaching Landon this year! I've been having fun on Pinterest, looking at all the wonderful ideas for classrooms and activities. Of course, Pinterest does have the ability to make me yearn for things I have absolutely no need for. Like do I really need to make a milk crate into a cute little seat/storage area for my one child who already has an area to work at? No. But do I still have a strong desire to make 10 of them and arrange them around a little table? Definitely!

He has five weeks left of Kindergarten before we move onto first grade. I started homeschooling while he was still four. Unfortunately, that seemed to be too early for him. It's a challenge to get a four-year-old boy to sit still for structured school time, and it backfired a little, leaving us with a very long summer vacation. But now he's really eager to start and has been asking for a few weeks now when school begins. Hopefully this attempt will go more smoothly than the last one.

I'm starting work again soon. I take part-time to a whole new level. I started working again over a year ago for one day a week. The chef at the steakhouse I worked at before having Landon is a wonderful, understanding person to work for. He welcomed me back, knowing I would only work that one day, just to give me time back in the kitchen. I loved being back, but Landon hated it. After a few months, I ended up quitting. Landon's been a lot better now about being separated from me, so I'm giving work another shot. I'll be working Thursdays and Fridays during the day.

I happen to be starting during Restaurant Week. Every time I say those words, I start hearing the theme from "Jaws." It's basically a three-course, $35 meal that benefits The North Texas Food Bank. It's for a good cause, but that doesn't change the fact that it's insanely busy and crazy. But better to jump in, right?

As for the title of my post, I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. I'm not sure how I'm going to balance homeschool, work, and everything else that needs to be done, without sacrificing my performance in any of those areas. I have a feeling I'll be having school with Landon on Saturdays just to make everything fit in. The thing I worry about most is messing up. I don't want to be a bad teacher who's not prepared because I'm tired from work. I don't want to be at work, making mistakes because my mind is on lesson plans for the next day of school. So for now, I'm just praying that everything will end up working out and not being as crazy as I fear it's going to be!

Wish me luck next week. I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

LGRAB Summer Games 2011 - Test Ride a Different Bike

It's time for my last entry of the LGRAB Summer Games! Actually, it's only my last official entry. I still plan on trying other events on the list, they just won't be included in my entries. I can't wait to start using my bike for trips to stores - I'm just waiting until the thermometer no longer reaches 110º!

Event #4: Test Ride a Different Type of Bike

I should start by saying I have no clue what kind of bike I own. I can narrow it down based on what I know it's not though. It's not a cruiser, road bike, or mountain bike. So what does that leave? Comfort maybe? Or hybrid? I really don't know. 

All I know is that Miss Dorothy showed up top of a hill. And no, I didn't take her and run. After seeing the obviously abandoned bike for about a week, we finally took it home. I tried in vain to locate the owner for about two months, working with police stations, local bike stores, craigslist, and every lost/stolen bike list I could find online. So for now, I've adopted her. And she's great. She feels safe, comfortable, and is really easy to ride. But I have to admit, I suffer from bike envy. I have a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to bikes I would love to own someday. Sadly, none of those bikes can fit into my budget. Actually, a bike from Walmart can't even fit into my budget for now!

And yet, when the time came for me to actually ride a different kind of bike, I ended up choosing a tandem. I don't know if it was the fear of losing control and crashing one of the store's beautiful cruisers or the fear of falling in love with a bike that I can't have that held me back, but the tandem seemed like a safer choice for this new rider!

It was definitely a different experience. It's slightly unnerving to give complete control to the rider in front, even if he knows what he's doing! I didn't enjoy the feeling of not being able to control the pedals. I had to speed up, slow down, and coast when he did, all while hoping my feet flying didn't off the pedals.

It was a lot less comfortable than Miss Dorothy. She has shocks and springs under the seat, and is so comfortable, even over bigger bumps. On the tandem, every tiny bump in the road felt like I was riding over a giant rock.

I felt like being on the back of a tandem took away the most enjoyable parts of riding for me. I couldn't feel the wind rushing past me nearly as much and I couldn't see! I could glance to the sides, but had no idea what was in front of me. And leaning around to peek certainly wasn't a safe option! I really missed the breeze and the view.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy it and don't think I'll be riding again anytime soon. At least in the back. Maybe when I become a more experienced cyclist, I might try riding in the front, but for now I'll stick to Miss Dorothy. 

This was by no means, my last test ride though! Someday I hope to take a spin on all the beautiful bikes at the bike store. And maybe someday, I'll even own one! (Like this red beauty!!)

Source

Melting

If you've ever worked in a professional kitchen, or have a professional oven at home, you know what it's like to open the oven. The minute you pull open the doors, you're immediately hit in the face with an intense blast of extremely hot air. Your eyes burn, your face starts to glisten with sweat, and it's suddenly more difficult to breathe.

That's how it felt when I opened my front door to go check the mail this afternoon. 110º. Can someone please tell me when Dallas decided to steal Phoenix's climate? They can have it back now.

Does anyone know how to do a rain dance?

LGRAB Summer Games 2011 - Read a Book About Cycling

Event #3 - Read a Book About Cycling

Source

I love reading, so I'm not sure why the thought to read about cycling never occurred to me. When I saw that reading a cycling book was one of the events for the Summer Games, I hurried to the library to pick one out. Who knew there were so many?

I ended up choosing The Practical Cyclist by Chip Haynes. It is a self-described primer for cycling novices. Perfect for me!

I'll start with the pros...

Haynes' writing is easy and fun to read. He's actually quite the comedian. There were numerous quips that had me literally laughing out loud. It's not often a book makes me laugh; I don't think it's ever happened with a how-to book before!

I ended up learning a little more about different styles of bikes. I'm completely embarrassed to admit that I used to think a flip-flop hub was something you put on your bike to wear those rubber sandals. Not so, apparently. I've learned!

Now, onto the cons.

This book was actually a little too basic, and I'm very new to riding a bike. There was a lot of information that seemed better suited for someone who has never seen a bike, much less ridden one. And while Haynes' writing is fun and enjoyable, occasionally he seemed to sacrifice information for jokes.

The other downside was the lack of pictures. Reading instructions on how to replace or patch a tube isn't too helpful without any pictures or diagrams attached. It really left me clueless. Unless I happen to have his book tucked into my bike basket every trip, I don't think I would be able to repair a flat after reading that chapter. Actually, I don't think I'd be able to repair it even with the book. Pictures are great. Hint hint, Mr. Haynes.

Overall, I think it's a book to check out at the library. Read it once, have a laugh, then return it and buy something more useful.

Now, on to find a better bike book! Any recommendations?