The End of an Experiment

I am sad to say that our days of no cable are over.

A while ago, Tim and I realized that we no longer needed cable television. We could access virtually every show we wanted either through Hulu, Netflix on demand, or via a network website. I especially hated the way that parts of our "special bundle package" would expire without my realizing, and our bill would go up $30 or so every couple of months. Of course, I could catch the increase and call afterwards, but we kept getting whammied with these increases every couple of months.Dropping cable seemed like a great way to save some money.

However, once we started to research the options, we realized that it was nearly impossible to drop cable and save money. Because of the way all major internet service providers bundle their packages, it was almost the same amount of money to have cable with internet and phone, or internet and phone alone.

We dropped our cable, and kept our internet and phone through Verizon. Let me say that we never use our home phone, but need it hooked up for our house alarm. Even dropping the phone and just keeping internet would only save us another $20 or $30/month. To my pleasant surprise, the first bill we received was $30 less than we were quoted, or only $60, due to a customer loyalty discount. Score! I was elated. Our experiment was a financial success.

Meanwhile, it was a success in terms of lifestyle, as well. Although I missed being able to watch TV in our bedroom while folding laundry, we didn't miss having cable otherwise, AT ALL. We just don't need it. We don't watch any TV in real time; we DVR all of our shows, anyway. Now that football season is coming up, we would have had some difficulty without live TV, but we would have made due.

However, I received our second bill today, and it was $113. I just don't understand. Verizon makes their bills so difficult to understand that I can't figure out why it was more, but since it is closer to what I was quoted, I know that it was "right." So I made Tim get on the phone today (since I don't have anywhere near the patience to do it), and he confirmed what we already knew -- adding cable to our services as part of a "bundle" would bring us in at exactly the same price. So why not get our money's worth and get live TV, too. Of course, this is a "special offer" that will go up in 12 months. That is exactly what I was trying to avoid.

I feel defeated, like "the man" won. We were totally fine without the cable, but why not get the most for our money? It makes me mad to think about it. However, I am glad to know that we can live without cable, and that our side of our experiment was a success.

EDEN 5K and Training for the Hershey Half Marathon

So, I might be turning into an athlete.

At the urging of my sister Beth, I have been running more and participating in 5Ks since the Turkey Trot last Thanksgiving. I now run 3-4 days of week, usually no less than 3 miles at a time. I also broke down and joined a gym other than the community rec center. Unfortunately, the rec center didn't really offer convenient hours/class times. So, after much debate and looking around, I joined the WOW gym. Although Tim had a bad experience there before we met, my sister Krys goes there, and one of our friends from Karate works there. What I liked best was a)the price, and b) the fact that I can work out at every location. Since I live almost directly between Robbinsville and East Brunswick, I have a pretty wide schedule of classes to choose from. So I have been doing a yoga/pilates mix and weight training class at the gym 2-3 times a week, plus running at home.

Then, Beth decided to up our game by getting us involved in a half marathon. Although I wasn't sure at first, she found a training plan (if you follow the link, note that it cautions you should get medical clearance if you are over 35. ouch.) that was doable, and a half marathon in a theme park. I think they even give out chocolate at the end. It doesn't get any better than that. We can't really back out now, since Mac is super excited to go to Hershey Park.

Game on.

We are in week 2 of training now. The farthest I have ever run is 4.5 miles, so I will soon be breaking new ground in distance. I am nervous about going up a mile every week, but Beth and I will be doing those runs together, so it should be okay. We are very good about rewarding ourselves with food, coffee, etc., whenever we feel overtaxed.

To kick off our training, we ran in the EDEN 5K this weekend at the Princeton Forrestal Village. It was HOT and HUMID, but we made it through in a respectable time of 30:30. However, we took our time as a challenge to do better next time, and are running two more 5Ks in the next few months.

This is all shocking to me, because until a year or so ago, the words exercise and Lisa didn't consistently go together. But now that I have started, I really want to make it through the half marathon and beyond. Not only is it good for me, but I think that it sets a great example for the kids, too. And as long as we are running, it is extra time that Beth and I get to spend together. All things considered, it is a winning situation.

Oli's COOL New Shoes

This weekend was very exciting and fun for many reasons, not the least of which was that Oli got new shoes. And not just any new shoes, but cool new shoes. Because of his braces, especially his big ones, Oli has been forced to get whatever shoes fit. We have done our best to keep him outfitted in cool shoes, including two pairs of Tony Hawk sneakers and a pair of Adidas. However, his footwear selection has been limited to extra wide sneakers.

This weekend at Journey's Kids, we hit the jackpot! Not only did we find Superhero Squad sneakers that fit, but we also found Superhero Squad Crocs that fit. We can use the Crocs for the water park or for variety, and the sneakers for everyday use. The sneakers light up, and Oli has been kicking everything to make them light. He has even been more willing to go in his walker, which, coincidentally, lost an important screw yesterday. It figures that as soon as he was willing to walk in it, he couldn't.

Luckily, we found a temporary replacement screw today, so Oli is back in business. Here are some pictures of Oli with his crocs and sneakers.

Mackensie's First Communion

When you are raised Catholic, receiving your first holy communion is both a big deal and a big event. You have to go to CCD for months, receive first penance, practice, get dressed in a white gown, and receive communion for the first time with the rest of your CCD class. That is how I did it. However, about 7 years ago, when I was pregnant with Mackensie, I was looking for a new church to go to. The one that clicked with me was Aldersgate Methodist Church, so we started going there. It didn't really matter to me that it wasn't Catholic. I figured as long as it was Christian, the point was the same. All Christian churches pray to the same God, and praising Jesus. That is good enough for me.

However, there are some differences. Methodist church is definitely more low key than Catholic church. Communion is only once a month, there is no confession, and anyone can take Communion as long as they believe. Sunday school takes place during church (during the school year, anyway), and there is no first communion ceremony. I've been thinking for a while that Mac is probably ready to receive communion. We pray every night and read the Bible almost every night. She recognizes the stories in Sunday school, and loves to go to church. It seems like a big step, but she is 6, which is the same age she would receive communion in Catholic church.

Today was the first communion Sunday since Sunday school ended a few weeks ago. Halfway through the service, when I realized this, I started to prep Mac for communion. "Remember the story of the last supper, when Jesus breaks bread with his disciples?" I asked.

"No."

As quietly as I could, I explained the story, and how communion was symbolic of  Jesus' sacrifice for us. Mac zeroed in on the fact that it was bread and juice, and therefore a chance to eat during service. She started making munching sounds and asking when we could get the bread. Reading into the way she was acting, I think that she ultimately understood, but was excited by the whole prospect.

When the time came, we went up , and Mac did a great job. She said "thank you" instead of "amen," but overall, it was a successful first communion. Although it came without the ceremony that usually accompanies a first communion, it was a big deal to me. And I hope that in her heart, it was a big deal to her, too.

Mac at church during the Easter play.

I Love the Summer!

We are a summer family, for sure.

The first part of the summer was a bit hectic with traveling and the kids still being in school. But in the last week, things have calmed down a bit, and we have been able to enjoy ourselves summer-style!

Mac started Rec Camp, and so far, she loves it. While she is out of the house for half of the day, we still have the second half for fun stuff. While Oli starts summer school (aka camp) next week, he has had time to relax and join me in some activities this week.

Nothing says the summer like the shore. Last Friday, we joined my aunt, uncle, grandma, and one of my cousins at their beach house in point pleasant. We walked the boards and rode the rides, but got caught in a giant rainstorm. The great part about them having a beach house (ok, there are lots of great parts) is that we just moved the party inside. We wound up staying way past the kids bedtime, but it was a lot of fun.

We had two days worth of picnics over the weekend. One was a birthday celebration for my stepmom, Pat, and the other was a celebration for MumMum. No pictures from those, but lots of fun, sun, and food.

This week, while Mac was at camp, Oli and I had two outings. The first was our weekly outing to pick up the veggies from our CSA at Honeybrook Organic Farm. We go every week after physical therapy. As with most things I do, it is sort of counterproductive and not so well thought out, but I am enjoying it anyway. We split a share with Beth, and drive an extra 25 minutes each way after PT to pick up a relatively small portion of organic veggies. Pros: we are supporting organic agriculture, we are supporting local agriculture, the veggies are super fresh and seasonal, and buying them this way is cheaper than the supermarket. Cons: I am wasting a lot of gas driving to and from (even in the prius) and what i am using/emitting probably counteracts the fact that I am saving shipping fossil fuels by going local. It is also a huge time suck, and I have no idea what to do with some of the vegetables (am trying a beet and mint slaw to use up the beets I have. Yeah -- we'll see -- I'm not holding my breath on that one).

But this week was so cool b/c we did pick your own berries and herbs. They had just opened the raspberry patches, and we actually got to go pick the raspberries off of the bushes. So cool. Even though Oli was less than enthused, I am hoping that the whole process will sink into his brain and that he will make the connection between farm and food, as opposed to factory and food. Not so overtly, of course, but I am hoping that the connection will become innate to both kids as they grow older.

Oli in the raspberry field. He is holding our "half pint" container, as well as a cabbage that he fell in love with. I think he thought it was a ball, since he asked for his ball back later.

A long view of the fields.

How we pick our veggies. They are all in bins, and we are on the honor code to take only what is alotted in our share (see sign above the veggies).

Finally, we spent some fun time at the spray park! It was so reminiscent of what we used to do before the kids were in school. Oli had a great time running around and getting wet. We even ran into Ms. Ruth, his old PT. It was a great trip, and I loved seeing him on the go.

He's so cool he doesn't even feel the sun!

I almost forgot -- we finally made it back to the library. Between my pregnancy and Oli in casts (both of which made it hard for me to carry/transport him on my own) we fell way out of our usual library habit over the winter/spring. But we returned this week, and signed up for the summer reading program. After 5 hours of reading, each kid will receive a ticket for a free ice cream at Mendoker's ice cream shop.

And aside from the shore, nothing is more "summer" than ice-cream. I can taste it already!