THE ADVENTURES OF THE JAC ATTACK!

A Blog about a clever boy and a mom determined to out-smart him.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Halloween

I'm gulping down coffee while my guys sleep in but I'm already getting excited. Today is JAC's first Halloween. Jess and I love Halloween so we can't wait to introduce JAC to all the traditions we already have. We're going to carve pumpkins. My pumpkin is going to be the best because Jess does not have a lifetime of carving experience to draw from. We even bought JAC a tiny pumpkin but I don't think we'll let him carve it. He's too crazy for that. Next we're going to make smores in the front yard and eat some homemade chili. Finally we'll finish off with some trick or treating. I spent an hour yesterday making JAC a little cowboy hat out of paper. He's going to be a cowboy, Jess is going to be a construction working and I'm going to be a firefighter. Tomorrow we're finishing off the weekend with our annual drive to see the leaves. Every year we take a day long drive in the mountains to see the fall color. I doubt JAC will be enthusiastic about this because he hates his car seat but he'll live. It's going to be awesome.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Thanksgiving

I just got off the phone with my older brother and he casually asked, "Are you ready for Thanksgiving?" At that moment I wanted to knock him upside the head. A few minutes later he also openly admitted that he doesn't like Halloween. What kind of person doesn't like Halloween? I'm surprised he has any friends.

This year I am hosting Thanksgiving. Jess and I both really enjoy having people over and were excited when everyone agreed to come to our place. I'm planning on feeding 15 people on Thanksgiving. There's just one small catch. I've never hosted Thanksgiving before. I have actually never even cooked a whole turkey before. Things could get rough.

When my brother asked me that horrible question my chest instantly tightened a tiny bit. I've been so busy with the husband, kid, school and marathon that I had completely blocked out Thanksgiving. Now I am resisting the urge to go into a full fledged planning fury.

Luckily my mom and my sweet sister in law are coming to help. I have confidence that with them by my side we will be able to complete this mission. In the mean time I'm just going to try not to think about it.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Marathon Post # 3

I have a really great husband. I know I've written about this several times but it's still true. Training for the Marathon took a lot of time. Every Saturday for 7 months Jess was on baby duty for half the day while I went running with my girlfriends. He never complained. All the training paid off on marathon day. When I lined up at the start line I was nervous. It was a sea of people and I heard two other runners exclaim, "What a cute baby!" I looked over and it was my baby. Jess and JAC were standing there yelling "Go mommy!"

When the race started there were so many runners that it took us almost three minutes to reach the start line. The first mile was slow as I dodged people but I ran the first half of the marathon at about 8:30 pace. I didn't have a watch so I wasn't sure how fast I was running but I felt like I was having a really good day. While I ran Jess took JAC to get McDonald's breakfast and then he stopped by the family tracking booth to check my time. I found out that he was also excitedly calling my family and giving them updates on "Team Toni."

The second half of the marathon was a good bit tougher but I didn't stop because frankly I was scared I wouldn't start again. Plus, I'm not a math genius but I understand that the faster you run the faster it is over. One of the most heartening parts of the race were the hand cycle racers. They were mostly war veterans who had lost limbs. The course was crammed with people throughout but when they came by all the runners would start yelling, "Wheels, Move Right." I even saw one guy give another guy a good push because he wouldn't move for a hand cycle. I found those hand cycle racers so inspirational because they had suffered horrible ordeals and instead of quitting chose to stay in the race. I still choke up a bit thinking about it.

The final two miles of the race really hurt. Only the Marines would think to put the finish line up a hill. There were so many runners that once I crossed the finish line there was a traffic jam of runners getting their metals and food bags. Jess found me as I slowly left the finish area. I was so glad to see him because there were moments where I thought I might pass out. Those moments quickly passed and it was awesome to see Jess because he was so proud. He said that I was so inspirational that he was telling all of his work friends and next year he was going to run it. Its is awesome to be married to someone who is really proud of you. When we arrived home he ordered lunch, gave me ibuprofen and helped me put my feet up on the couch. Then he and JAC headed out on a nice long run of their own and let me have the house to myself to sleep. It was an awesome day.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Marathon Post #2

One of my favorite things about the running the marathon was the shear volume of people. I hadn't really anticipated that. There were 30,000 runners, over 4,000 Marine volunteers and thousands of people cheering us on along the route. Everyone was so gracious and encouraging. People strapped boom boxes to their bikes and rode along beside us so we would have music to run to. Little kids set up their own water stations outside their houses. A team of girls dressed in leotards, legwarmers and singing Bonjovi met us at several locations around the course. There were at least two stops offering free beer to runners and there were lots of hilarious homemade signs. Here are a few examples of things written on signs:

Keep Running the Beer is Near (There was a beer garden at the finish line)
Stop Running and Just Drink Beer
That's Not Sweat, Its Your Fat Cells Crying
Toenails are Overrated (I'm pretty sure I'm going to loose two)
Go Mommy! Go Daddy!
The End is Near - Complete with a guy dressed up as the grim reaper
More Cow Bells!
You Can Doooo It!

There were also more sobering signs. I saw lots of runners with signs on their backs. These included:

Moms running for sons lost in combat.
Warriors running in honor of lost battle buddies.
Spouses running for their deployed significant others.
Many people running for those who couldn't run due to injury.

So, on a final note, Thanks to everyone who donated to the Yellow Ribbon Fund. Our team raised almost 10,000$ and I know it will be put to good use.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Race Gear I Now Swear By...

I am happy to report that the marathon is over. I actually had a great time. I have so much to write that I anticipate breaking it up between several posts. Above is a picture of my race gear. I feel very loyal to it now that we have spent four grueling hours together. I was lucky enough to get some great advice from my friend who has run many marathons before making my purchases. Here's the rundown.

Race Shirt: My shirt was made by Nike and is part of their Dry Fit line. I road tested several shirts before the big day and this one was my favorite. It was soft and moisture wicking. Plus I love the bright color.

Race Sleeves: My friend turned me on to these. They are perfect for morning races because you can wear them while you're cold at the starting line and then when you get warmed up mid race you can take them off or roll them down. They are sold by a company called sub4usa.com

Running Pouch: Its nice to be able to carry your phone, ID and running beans while on a long run. This is the only pouch I have found that doesn't move or bounce while your run. iFitness makes this pouch and as an added bonus it is water proof.

Running Beans: I know the idea of eating anything while you're sweating is majorly disgusting but on a really long run you need something to give you a little energy. I've tried the goo but the texture of it made me feel a bit nauseous so I stick with the beans.

Body Glide: This stuff is really important. I know some readers are scratching their heads. This stuff prevents chafing. My girlfriends and I all refer to this as the "chub rub." Before I lost all of my baby weight I had a big problem with this. I'd come home from long runs really chafed up. Towards the end of the marathon when you're really exhausted your stride shortens and allows for more rubbing. I also know guys who use this stuff because their racing jersey rubs against their chests.

I hope this helps. More Marathon posts are coming soon but right now I have to study for my mid-term

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Finish Time

4 hours and 15 minutes....ouch.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Enough


Admittedly this has been a rough couple of years for Roxy. When she first came home with me she had a plum deal. It was just the two of us and she got lots of attention. Then a few months later Jess came home from Iraq and she had to share me with him. That was followed by a loud, demanding baby and she was relegated to the bottom of the pack.




Its been a tough adjustment for Roxy. There are moments when she really likes JAC but most of the time she is just annoyed. This week her annoyance apparently reached a pinnacle. Jess kicked her off the bed. Everyone has been too busy studying to play. She had to go to the groomer and she hates the groomer. To express her frustration Roxy had been barking her head off and it was driving us bonkers!




Jess insisted it was time for her bark collar to go back on. The bark collar is a training tool that sprays a tiny puff of a smell she doesn't like when she barks. When I put the collar on Roxy she immediately seemed deeply upset. She lay down and hung her head. When I tried to get her to go outside she simply sat on the porch and stared back in. I thought she would get used to the idea but apparently resentment just welled up inside her doggy heart and yesterday to let me know how mad she really was she pooed on the floor! I was furious. I deal with enough poo as it is. I threw her outside in the rain and started cleaning. At ten at night I mopped all my floors, vacuumed, dusted and scrubbed my bathroom. Roxy watched from outside.




Roxy did not calculate for how stubborn I really am. This morning I put the bark collar back on. I will not be beaten. I swear I am changing the name of this blog to the Chronicles of Poo.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Yall Ready For This?


Please imagine cool music in the background. Today JAC and I went to pick up my race packet. I thought since he has been my running partner for nine months that it was only right that he tag along. I have one day to go. This is feeling real. Pray. Pray hard and don't forget to follow me on the web on race day.


I am Cheap...Really Cheap

My refrigerator currently has five items in it -celery, milk, apple juice, butter, and half a tomato. I haven't gone grocery shopping in over three weeks. Every month I go to the grocery store twice. Each time I carefully plan the menu and only spend 150$ per trip. Occasionally I fall off the wagon but most of the time I hit the mark. I am cheap. I largely blame my mother who raised us to be very cheap. Jess always chuckles at me when I try to explain to him that cereal is REALLY expensive and we don't need it.

This week I took my cheap ways to a whole new level. At church one day I told a few guys that I only spend 300$ a month on groceries and they said it wasn't possible. They practically called me a liar and of course that sparked one of my other less desirable qualities. I am competitive - really competitive. I decided to see how long I could make 150$ last. I had to get creative. Last night we had hobo dinners and we're not even hobos. Luckily Jess is very good natured about what we eat.

Last night I realized that I had gone too far. About a week ago Roxy ran out of dog food. Unfortunately for her I was already nose to the grindstone on my thrifty mission. Instead of buying more dog food I just started feeding her leftovers. In passing I told Jess what I was doing. He got a stunned look on his face. Surprised, I asked what was wrong. "You just fed Roxy my lunch," he replied. I felt guilty. Later I went out and bought dog food.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Blindness







I know I've mentioned before that without my glasses I really can't see anything. This has distinct advantages. For instance I often don't realize my bathtub is dirty because I can't wear my glasses in the shower. It also has some disadvantages that you might not think about. For the first 9 years of my life I hated nature. I just couldn't figure out what the fuss was about. Why did my parents keep dragging us on camping trips? Why did we go on Sunday drives just to stare out the window? When I finally got my first pair of glasses I remember being absolutely astounded at how cool a tree looked. Before all I saw was a green blob but with my glasses I could actually see distinct leaves. From about that point on I became a big nature lover and luckily married a guy who loves it as much as I do. When we ask each other what we should do on the weekend the reply is typically the same. "Let's Do Something Outside." Here's a picture from your trip to Yellowstone. The leaves are changing here and they are gorgeous. I'll post pictures of that soon too.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Marine Corp Marathon

Thanks to the wonders of technology you can track my progress during the Marathon on Sunday. Go to this link. I'm registered as Toni Connelly and have low expectations realizing that my only real goal is to finish without embarrassing myself. http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=32

We're in the Double Digits


Earth

A couple of weeks ago we signed up for Netflix. There wasn't anything good on TV anyways and they offered a couple of months for free. Since I have more time I generally manage our que. Jess should have known better. First of all I am way too hyper to watch a whole movie. I typically read a book at the same time. Secondly, I have really dorky taste in movies.

When we first got Netflix things went pretty well. We watched the whole Madmen series and then started a series called Geeks and Freaks. Then everything took a wrong turn. I couldn't think of any movies I wanted to see so I started browsing the documentary section.

Jess came home on a Friday and asked what movie we were going to watch. I'm sure he was anticipating a comedy but we had just received the movie Earth and I was itching to see it. Jess loves nature too so he didn't mind too much. It turns out that Earth is the most depressing movie on Earth. Every cute thing in the movie gets eaten! In a post movie daze Jess asked what other movie we had. I think he was hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "Born in the Brothels," I replied. He rolled his eyes and went to bed. Born in the Brothels is a documentary about children born in the brothels of India. It might be the only movie more depressing than Earth.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Morning Person



I'm a morning person. I know we're a rare breed but I love the quiet of the morning. I'm not your typical morning person. I'm not filled with vigor and activity the moment I wake up. Instead I love to sit and watch the birds at my feeder. I like to cook breakfast before everyone wakes up. I like to drool over pictures in my cookbooks but what I love to do most is drink coffee. I love coffee with my whole heart. In fact I drink almost 6 cups a day.


Lately in our house I have established a new rule. JAC stays in bed until I get a cup of coffee down the hatch. He's mostly pretty obliging. JAC is a morning person too but we're entirely different in our approach to this time of day. JAC wakes up full of joy and zeal. Most mornings while I gulp down my coffee the background is a cacophony of noise as JAC jumps on his bed, throws everything out of the crib, knocks the pictures off the walls and makes a menagerie of happy, crazy baby sounds. I can't help but laugh and by the time I get him out of bed we're both ready to greet each other with a big smile.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Put Your Game Face On

This is a big week for the Connelly family. On Saturday Jess takes a big engineering test. It is an eight hour test and just the thought of such a test makes my brain hurt a lot. On Sunday I'm running the Marine Corps Marathon. The mounting anticipation is making me feel anxious already. JAC turns 10 months old this week and next Monday (the day after the marathon) I'm taking a mid term.

This week don't call the Connellys. Don't sit around and wonder what we are up to. I can tell you what we're up to. We will be studying like crazy. We will be eating salad, soup and other nutritious foods and we will be praying very hard. Please feel free to join us in prayer but don't stop by the house. The place will be a royal wreck and there will be no tasty food in the fridge because we will be busy.

Houston We Have a Problem

You may have noticed that my blog doesn't look quite right. I was recently alerted that my blog was not allowing comments. Of course getting comments is my favorite part of blogging so I spent most of the morning trying to remedy this problem. I have tried fixing the basics like making sure the "allow comments" button was on and then I tried the not so basic to include erasing my cookies and changing my format. All this has been to no avail so if you are a blogging black belt who has an idea how to fix this problem please email me at toni_01@email.com. Thanks!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Jihad

Yesterday I put JAC down for a nap, looked around and felt a deep sense of inspiration. This place was a disgusting mess and I was waging Jihad. By all accounts I have never been a deeply conscientious housekeeper. In fact for my 11th birthday my mom gave me a framed picture of the closet monster. Jess is pretty patient with my messy ways. He always says that he knows if he waits long enough the mess will drive me crazy and a cleaning frenzy will ensue.

Yesterday I waged a holy war on this unholy mess. I scrubbed, polished and vacuumed. I was finishing up in the kitchen and pulled a bottle of Windex from under the sink to sparkle things up a bit. I dashed around rubbing down all of the surfaces and wondering why this particular brand of Windex spelled so funny. I was just about to call it quits and I had an epiphany. Last year I had mixed heavy - duty weed killer in a Windex bottle. I had just sprayed my entire kitchen down with weed killer! Not only did my Jihad leave me house a bit cleaner it is now officially weed free too.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

An Elephant Never Forgets

I have decided that boys are just better at making funny sounds. (With the exception of my friend Jayna who can make all kinds of cool noises.) JAC already has a large repertoire of goofy noises. Almost every week someone stops and tells me, "I've never heard a baby sound like that!" I think JAC's weird noises are partially promoted by my goofball of a husband making weird noises in response.

Last night I was feeling left out, so after JAC went to bed Jess tried to teach me how to make an elephant sound. The conversation went something like this. "Make a motor boat noise," Jess instructed. "I can't I have thin lips," I replied. "Just try." I tried and a pathetic sound came out. Jess applauded. "Now, Hum while making the motor boat sound," Jess encouraged. I gave it a whirl and completed the task by putting my arm to my nose like a trunk. Jess laughed and laughed. I think my elephant needs a little work. I'll probably practice all day.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The New Cup

On our last visit the doctor encouraged us to start weening JAC off the bottle and instead have him drink his milk from a sippy cup. I drug my feet a bit because we only owned one sippy cup and I didn't want to buy another cup. Yesterday I finally bought two new, larger cups for milk. I added JAC's formula and gave him the cup. He took one big gulp, gave me an indignant look and spit it out. I was shocked. JAC loves his bottle and I assumed he would readily drink the same stuff when it came in a cup. I tried a couple more times and got the same reaction. Finally I gave up but I decided to do a little test.

I took the formula from the cup, poured it into the bottle and gave it to JAC. He drank it down with great enthusiasm. I have decided that in JAC's mind the only acceptable thing to come in his sippy cup is watered down apple juice. I think I'm going to have to come up with a creative solution. Perhaps they sale apple flavored formula.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Feeling Addicted

This weekend we went to pick pumpkins and of course I made us homemade cookies for the ride. Little did I know this would completely sabotage my diet and now I have a deep craving for sugar. Last night I even made homemade cocoa because the craving was so strong.

Cold weather is quickly coming to D.C. All week we are anticipating high temperatures in the low 50's and rainy weather. When it gets cool outside I feel the urge to cook. I cold salad doesn't sound appetizing. Instead I want warm baked goods and yummy stews.

Here's a recipe for a quick, spicy and delicious stew that I grew up on. Eat it with a warm tortilla and you'll be hooked.

Posole Stew

2 Cans Rotel Tomatoes
2 Cans Water
1 lbs Ground Pork
1 Can Posole (Hominy)
1/2 chopped onion
1 clove chopped garlic
1T Seasoning salt
2t Cumin
1t ground pepper
Handful of chopped cilantro

Brown pork with chopped onion and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Add posole, water, tomatoes and cilantro. Let simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Ladle into bowls. (I typically cook without measuring, so if the seasoning measurement doesn't seem quite right use your good judgement.)

P.S If you have a great fall recipe I would love to borrow it.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Yard Work






























I came home last night and Jess and JAC were doing yard work. Here's some pictures. I can't help but be impressed by these guys. Have a great weekend.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Hank the Cow Dog


My family didn't take many family vacations but the one I remember most was our ill-fated trip to Provo, Utah. It was supposed to be a trip to Yellowstone with a stop in Provo, Utah but our van broke down practically every day along the way. My mom tried to make the best of things for us and I actually remember the trip being really fun. We roller bladed all over the BYU campus and ate ice cream from the BYU creamery every day. I also remember mom reading us the Hank the Cow dog books. She read them while we waited at the mechanic and while we rode in a tiny rental car. She read them while we had to camp at the public park in Helper, Utah. She read while we rode in our van on top of a tow truck.


I have a deep fondness for these books about a cocky ranch dog, his sidekick Drover and their adventures. Last year when Jess and I took the trip to Yellowstone again we bought the books and took them along to commemorate the event. That trip must be doomed because I was pregnant and I think I puked in 13 states along the way. Nevertheless, we had a great time and Jess fell in love with the books too. He also got really good at pulling over on the side of the highway with little notice.


Jess has started reading the books to JAC. Jess typically puts JAC to bed and for the last few days I've had the pleasure of listening to him read the stories to JAC while I cook dinner. Of course Jess has a different voice for Hank and Drover and some of the other characters. JAC makes loud noises of delight and I can't help but smile while I cook.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Double the Fun

About a month ago our friend Anthony gave us a deluxe double jogging stroller. His kids had out grown it and he wanted a fellow runner to enjoy it next. Jess was out of town so he couldn't protest but when he got home he gave me "the look." I knew what the look meant. Without words I could tell he was thinking "Why do we need yet another gigantic stroller cluttering up our back porch?" "Especially since we only have one kid." I ignored the look because I love getting free stuff and this is a really nice stroller.

A few weeks ago my other mom friend fell down the stairs and broke her foot. Her husband is a lawyer and since I have special exposure to lawyers I am very sympathetic to their long suffering wives. I had an epiphany. JAC gets bored on long runs and my friend really needed a break. I whipped out that double jogger, strapped JAC in and stopped by to pick up his little friend Blake.

Blake's mom was extremely thankful for the break and JAC enjoyed having a buddy along for the ride. It made the whole run more entertaining because I got to watch the two babies try to figure things out. They would each take turns leaning forward so they could see each other and then squawking baby noises at each other. JAC spent the last half of the run holding Blake's foot. It all worked out so well that we now take Blake with us on the run twice a week. I'm pretty sure its the highlight of JAC's morning.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

One Tooth

I'm running short of blogging inspiration so I'm resorting to one of my usual topics - JAC's eating habits. JAC now has 1.5 teeth. What do you do when you only have one tooth? You grow an insatiable, demanding appetite. JAC loves to eat and lately he's become very insistent that whatever we eat he should have too. When we grab our dinner plates he jumps up and down, starts grunting and grabs at our food. He is beginning to rival Roxy in his sneaky attempts to nab our chow. JAC seems to be mostly indiscriminate about what food he likes. The only prerequisite is that it was once on our plate. He loves: pickles, olives, chicken, cheese, hamburger, grapes, tomatoes....and the list goes on.

A few nights ago I left Jess and JAC at home and went to study. I was confident in Jess' ability to hold down the house and I knew he had Roxy for backup. When I returned I asked him how it went. He said, "well we went on a walk, and then we went on a little drive." I thought this sounded funny so I did further inquiry. "Why did you go on a drive?" I asked. Jess replied, "JAC wouldn't let me eat." Hum.... "Every time I tried to take a bite he demanded one too - so finally I just went through the Wendy's drive-thru." This just sounds like a Dad solution to me. Dad's are awesome.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Job


I got a job. It's a very small job. I'm walking a friend's dog a few days a week. It's an easy gig and I'm looking forward to having a little extra cash on hand. I already have plans for my first paycheck. I think I'll sign JAC up for some kind of baby class like baby swimming or baby music classes. I'm beginning to get a bit worried about JAC's socialization skills. He seems to be a bully. This is a picture from a recent play date. That's JAC hitting his friend Blake. These tendencies don't stop here. The other day I was sitting in a chair typing. Jess was watching JAC crawl around. JAC crawled over to me, pulled himself up, took one look at my foot and bit it! He is such a goofball!