Nov 6: 9 mile run

Nov 8: 5 mile run

Nov 9: My fastest 5k time ever – 29:11 !!!

Nov 12 – today: 6.5 mile race in Palmer Park! And it’s cold. And slightly snowy. Forgot iPod transmitter. Again.

Today is the first day of my Nike+ Challenge: Most miles in 30 days Age 35+, 15-20 mi/week

There are currently 7 challengers, including myself. And the race will be my first run of the challenge.

I’m nervous about running in the cold. I’ve got my sports bra, long sleeve nylon shirt and nylon jacket on top, then my running shorts, and running pants on the bottom. On my feet, running socks inside cotton socks (for cushion). I plan on wearing gloves and a hat.

I have run in a blizzard before, but it wasn’t a race, on trails, in Palmer Park.

Wish me swiftness and surefootedness!

Don’t watch this video if you are pregnant or, like me, would rather not know about yet another tragic death of a child.

My heart aches for the loss of her son. He was just a few months older than Zander.

I have to say though, it is pretty alarmist.

The fact that he was in a booster seat instead of a 5 point harness didn’t kill him. Booster seats do work, if the seat belts work. The sister is a testament to that.

If the seat belt fails then a five point harness could still be thrown from the car.

And statistically, how often do seat belts actually completely fail?

If it is more than a fraction of a percent, then we need to push on the car manufacturers to make sure they take measures and develop technologies so that seat belts don’t EVER fail.

LATCH is great, but none of our cars have it.

And the clip of the 6 year old with a lap belt. Why didn’t they show her with a shoulder and lap belt? Because it wouldn’t have the emotional impact. Who just uses a lap belt these days?

In the cars the boys travel in most – my van and Grandpa’s van – they are both in 5 pt harness seats. We use a booster chair for Zander in our station wagon and in my mom’s Cherokee. With a shoulder and lap belt.

But absolutely, every time you put your kid in the car, you need to buckle them up. In a car seat or booster seat appropriate for their height & weight.

Thanks to Little Einsteins, my boys always do a buckle up check before we drive off.

“Seat belts buckled!”

If I get careless or in a hurry, Zevan ALWAYS says, ” Don’t forget to buckle up.” It’s super cute.

I don’t want to take away from this mother’s loss. I think we need to think a little less emotionally sometimes and look at the real issue.

I just don’t want some mom coming up to me in a parking lot judging me with child endangerment just because I have my 4 year old in an appropriate booster seat.

The House!

The Senate!

Rumsfeldt – na na na na, na na na na, hey, hey, good bye!

For the first time since the early 1990s, El Paso County has two elected Democrats in its 13-member delegation. Not in my district, but close enough.

Things are looking up! I’m feeling hopeful again. Now if we could just get a decent presidential candidate for 2008… NOT Hillary please.

Sadly, Referendum I

Upon voter approval, Referendum I establishes legal domestic partnerships in the state of Colorado. Additionally, it specifies eligibility requirements, definitions, procedures, rights, responsibilities, and means for terminating domestic partnerships

did not pass

I can’t believe it’s been almost 3 week since I blogged! A lot has happened in that time. Here’s the recap

Oct 13: Geoff, Sarah, Gavin & Gia move to Colorado Springs, Gary visits

Oct 14: Fall Fest (by Hauber Realty) and dinner at Buca di Beppo with the Scott clan

Oct 15: 5 mile race at Bear Creek Park – forgot my transmitter

Oct 17: Long run

Oct 19-22: Moms Trip to Vegas with May, Tiffany, Megan, Candy & Jennifer!

Oct 19: 4 mile run

Oct 20: 5 mile run in Vegas

Oct 24: 10 mile run (iPod Nano only registered 8 miles! – needs repair)

Oct 25: Zander’s 4th birthday

Oct 26: Big snowstorm that postponed Zander & Ian’s birthday playdate to…

Oct 27: Zander & Ian’s birthday playdate

Oct 27-29: Bargain Comics Treats Table at Boo at the Zoo

Oct 28: Zander’s Family Birthday Party

Oct 29: 6 mile race in the very muddy/melted snowy Ute Valley Park (iPod inoperable)

Oct 30: Sent Ipod Nano to Apple for repair

Oct 31: Halloween! Trick or Treating in Old Colorado City

Nov 1: Received replacement Ipod Nano! Climbing night / Village Inn

Nov 2: 5 mile run (& May’s 40th birthday)

Nov 4: 5 mile run, Anna’s 2nd Birthday Party and Allison’s Bachelorette Party

Nov 5: Clean up day! Put away all Halloween related items, catch up on laundry, make chili & pepper steak…

Whew! I’m tired. I am going to watch The Daily Show and come back to the blog at some point soon. I’ve got to update the website with pictures of the various activities mentioned above.

I don’t know why folks in the religious right can never remember one simple thing:  What you reap is what you sow.

I overhear all these Buena Vista neighborhood parents to complain about the choice in students “screwing up their Title I funding.”   I happen to be the parent of one of those students.  Let me offer you some facts before you condemn us. 

From the Buena Vista website

Currently, Buena Vista Elementary School is again changing with the times.  As enrollment declined and fears of the communities treasured neighborhood school being closed were emerging, the Buena Vista parents, staff, and community have rallied to create a new tradition at Buena Vista Elementary School.  A five-year plan has been proposed and accepted by the Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education to make Buena Vista Elementary School Colorado Springs’ first public Montessori school.  This Westside neighborhood saw the need to embrace an academically proven curriculum that could attract parents outside of the neighborhood to the school in order to keep the neighborhood school open and it truly shows an overwhelming love for this school and its’ traditions. 

Here’s another article detailing information about the original grant for Title I.  Buena Vista was granted Title I status in 2005. 

According to figures previously supplied by the school, about 30 percent of Buena Vista’s Montessori students in 2004-05 were from the attendance area, while 70 percent came from other District 11 schools or other districts.

BV chose to implement a Montessori program with the purpose of attracting students from other neighborhoods in order to keep the school open.  When the program began, they were actually worried that not enough students would enroll in the Montessori program and did a district wide effort to bring in both neighborhood AND out of neighborhood students to bolster enrollment. 

It’s not just the out of neighborhood kids (like mine  ) who don’t qualify for the free/reduced lunch program.  Neighborhood kids who don’t qualify and may have choiced out of Buena Vista before the Montessori program are now enrolled as well.   

If you have three members in the household, for the 2006-2007 school year, you needed to make less than $21,580 last year to qualify for free lunches.  And less than $30,710 to qualify for reduced lunch. Add about $3400 for each addtional household member.  Those who already receive food stamps and/or TANF automatically qualify.  So do foster children.  See http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/FRP/frp.process.htm for detailed information about the program and eligibility guidelines.

Families that live in the neighborhood that don’t qualify for free/reduced lunches affect the Title I status of the school as much as those outside the neighborhood.  And housing costs are going up in the area.

We can all blame the government for not funding preschool for the masses.  They won’t even support full day kindergarten.   

Sorry for the rant.  I just get tired of being blamed.