The Hubby's new passion

A few months ago, C got a road bike. His cousin, his brothers, and his mom all ride road bikes and have been after C to join in the action. So a few months ago, C's cousin announced he was going to find a good used road bike for C. Which he did. And C bought it and started riding.

C is very fit and athletic, so I knew he would pick it up quickly, even though he hadn't been on a bike in years. He did. He rode with his mom, his cousin, by himself, and on Saturday he rode in his first official ride/race: The MS City to Shore Ride.

This is a ride members of our family have been doing for 4 years now, ever since our cousin's father (Papo) was diagnosed with MS. Sadly, we lost Papo, not to MS, but to cancer, about a little over a year ago. We went to cheer family on in the race before, but this year we also went to cheer on C!

The kiddos and I drove down to Ocean City in the morning and met up with some family at a beach house that we had all rented for the weekend to use as a home base. It was a block off the ocean, and it was a beautiful September beach day. R and his sisters enjoyed running around the beach with 3 other cousins around R's age. At lunchtime, more people had arrived at the house and we were getting ready to head over to the finish line to cheer on Team Papo. 

The kids had fun decorating laminated Team Papo flags to wave at the finish. At around 1:20 our team rode by waving and giving low-fives to the kids as they rode past. It was really sweet.

Everyone headed back to the beach house for a BBQ and to unwind. H and A took the little kids back while I walked with C and he pushed his bike. He was almost giddy.

"I really had a good time. I like going FAST. I really like passing people and weaving in and out of people. And I HATE it when people pass me."

Competitive? um, yeah.

So I see more races in C's future. Which is fine, cause my hubby looks pretty fine in his bike shorts...

2 Cousins on the left, hubby on the right

- the good stepwitch

Reality can bite

I read an article the other day about GenXers. I am a member of generation X (Reality Bites!!), so I was interested to read an article entitled: 10 Ways Generation X is Hosed (Jason Notte, MSN Money).

I was curious, am I really hosed?

True, the Great Recession hit us at a hard time, C and I had just purchased our home in 2006, and saw it's value plummet within weeks. We had decided the year before to try and get pregnant - and were successful rather quickly. After R's birth, I lost my job. Then I got sick.

So, yeah I felt a little hosed in 2009.

But, I also feel that things played out the way they did for a reason.

I got pregnant very quickly. Had a few months passed and the economic stability of our country continued to spiral downwards, I would have put a stop to the idea of adding to our family. We already had 3 kids whose college years (and tuitions) were sneaking up on us. We couldn't afford a fourth child. But, God had other plans.

So we welcomed R, and fell in love with him at once. I enjoyed my 3-month maternity leave. Our house didn't feel too small, it felt full of love and new futures and family. No hoses in sight!

Then I was told I would not be going back to my job. My employer couldn't afford to bring me back.

Completely hosed.

One week later, I found out I was sick.

Completely and utterly hosed.

But here's what was really happening. The only reason I found out I was sick, was because of swelling caused by the water weight I was still carrying around from the birth of my son. The swelling caused symptoms to present that otherwise might have gone unnoticed for weeks, or even months! Had I not gotten pregnant when I did, I may not have found out about my cancer until things were much worse.

And as for my job, well, I got to collect unemployment for 6 months, which allowed me to get surgery, get treatment and start healing, all while staying home with my little R. I got to be a stay-home mommy for 9 months rather than 3. I got to focus on healing without worrying about working.

And 6 months after losing my job due the bad economy, I was hired at a new firm, while the economy was still bad.  No hosing there!

It's hard for me to blog now without somehow connecting things back to 2009 and everything that happened during that year. It was truly the best and worst of times. And there were plenty of times then, and since, when I have felt hosed. But now when I read articles about how GenXers are supposed to be unhappy because of losing their wealth, never being able to retire, being stuck in jobs they hate, and being buried in debt. I say:

I am healthy.
I have a job I like.
I have a home.
I have a family I love living in that home.
We live within our means.
I don't feel hosed, I feel blessed.


-the good stepwitch

It's the most hectic time of the year...

The start of the school year is crazy. I can only imagine how much more crazy it will be next year when R starts kindergarten. Thankfully, we have two families to help get everyone where they need to go, and C and my parents are close by. We are very blessed in that regard. It also helps that A now has her driver's license, so she can drive herself to some activities. Let's see, there's: school choir and bands, after-school pep band and glee club, evening church choir and youth group activities for the girls, not to mention babysitting jobs and the fact that C, A and I are all teaching Sunday school this year. That's just the girls....

R started his own activity roster this year as well. He has soccer 2 days a week, and swimming lessons. It's been a frantic start to things, but as we settle into the routine it will run smoother, I know.

As for me, I have choir once a week, and while it doesn't seem like an "activity", I really want to keep this blog going. I am trying to commit to it more seriously because I believe it is good for me to have an outlet.

C actually has the busiest schedule of all of us, he sees homecare patients after work 3 days a week, picks the kids up from everything, drives H to school in the mornings because she doesn't like the bus from our house (don't get me started on that one...), helps run the youth group at church, makes dinners,  rides his bike on the weekends, helps with homework... OK, now I feel like a totally lazy, helpless mom/wife. I am married to Superman.

And I know I am lucky.

I love this time of year, even if it feels overloaded at times. There still always seems to be time at the end of the day after the kids are in bed (or at least in their rooms) for the hubby and I to have a glass of wine and catch up on the day. And maybe even split a candy bar from our secret stash we have hidden in the kitchen... We have to get our energy from somewhere!



-the good stepwitch

It's Mushroom Fest Time!

I have blogged about the Annual Kennett Square Mushroom Fest in the past, so you know the deal. We are the mushroom capital of the world and we celebrate it big time every September. This year is the 28th annual festival! There are rides, vendors, music, contests, tastings and most importantly, good food!

Friday night we kicked off the weekend with a visit to the little carnival the town sets up literally a block away from our house. As I am writing this, I can hear the screams of kids on the rides tonight. It has been PERFECT weather this year for the festival, which is a nice change from the past few years.

Both A & H were excited to meet up with friends at the carnival, and R is always excited to see his sisters' friends. He is one big flirt. Thankfully, his sisters' friends think R is cute, and don't mind him hanging all over them and dragging them everywhere. So a good time was had by all at the carnival!

R and his friends...

His favorite ride was the spinning monkey! 

He looks happy a bike...as long as he doesn't have to pedal...

The girls were so sweet, they even went on rides with him.

Up, up and away!

Today was all about finding a good lunch. We headed up to the festival around noon. We walked through the antique car festival and up to the street fair. It was jammed packed with people, food tents, craft tents, so fun! After looking at what there was to eat, I decided on a portabella cheesesteak with a side of breaded buttons, which were heavenly, and pumpkin-mushroom ice cream for dessert. That's how you DO Mushroom Fest!!! (and yes, the ice cream has mushroom slices in it)

C decided on a burrito. A had a Cheeseburger. R had a hot dog. My family has never grasped the MUSHROOM aspect of the festival. When P was in high school and would go to the festival with us, he was my mushroom buddy, but now I have be the responsible one and enjoy mushrooms during the fest.

The girls stayed at the festival almost all day, hanging out with friends. It was really nice and I think everyone had a great day. 

R got to crank the alarm on an antique fire engine.

Enjoying lunch, sans mushrooms.

Ice cream while watching a really bad magic show, but R enjoyed it...

-the good stepwitch

The start of soccer season!

R started his first team sport tonight! He's in an under-5 soccer league and had his first team practice tonight! C and I were a little nervous about how it would go, practice is 6:15 - 7:00, but it went very well. He was excited and listened to his coach well. He's not the oldest or youngest on the team, and not the fastest or slowest, it seems like a nice mix of kids - 4 boys and 4 girls. And thankfully the coach seems really nice and was good with kids and is trying to make it FUN! That's what I found myself wishing for the whole day: just let the coach be nice and good with kids and kind....

Here are some pictures. First game is Sunday!!

Ready for practice to start!

Going for the goal!

He likes his green shirt. And apparently hands in the air is how you pose for soccer pictures...

-the good stepwitch

Front Porch Finished - almost!

We own a 100-year-old 3 story twin. When we bought the house almost 8 years ago. It had been completely redone and flipped by a builder. Everything in it was new, solid countertops, tile floors in the bathrooms, new windows and new carpet. It was move in ready, which we wanted, and it had 4 bedrooms which we needed with HAP. A lot of headaches also came a long the house, associated with things we could not see... The house has basically no insulation, a basement that floods (until recently!!!! - Thank you dad!!!!) and a number of other things that come with owning a old house. We have tried to make improvements each year to the house, since we realized we were not going to be leaving this house anytime soon thanks to the timing of the housing crash. Our latest project has been the front porch.

When we moved in, porch had a unpainted, hack-job railing that the builder installed last minute to make the porch up to code. It was ugly, but it was temporary, I told myself. We painted it, put some flowers on the porch and said "We will fix that soon".

Almost 8 years later and "soon" has arrived!!! I couldn't be happier!

Here is the old porch:

This is after we painted. I do love the old architectural arches at the posts. They were original to the house and I really wanted to keep them. And I love having a white porch to fly our flag on. Just looking at this picture I am struck by how much has changed since it was taken in 2008. We have had the house re-sided, a more buttery yellow, we got a full view storm door and painted the front door red. Our plants are much nicer in the front now too.

So here are some new porch pictures!

I seriously love it. I love the new solid posts, I love how we now have a flat, level rail to put drinks, I love our new house numbers that match our nickel door fixtures. And I love love love that we painted the ceiling light blue. And the contractor who did the work found a way to alter our arch detail pieces slightly and re-attach them to the the new posts. Love him!!!

But most of all, I love my hubby. who did the majority of the painting this labor day weekend. LOVE LOVE LOVE him big time.

So the porch is finished, almost. We have do have to re-roll the floor unfortunately, because we dripped some blue paint on one uncovered area. But that's fine and will go fast.

One more improvement checked off the list! Happy labor day!


-the good stepwitch