Toys in the Attic (Well...)

Well...more like squirrels in the gutter. Even though we have leaf covers on our gutters, it's not enough to deter the incredibly aggressive squirrels we have around our home. One has actually chewed through the plastic cover at one end of the gutter and repeatedly removes and throws down a small piece at the other. Irritating.

How to get rid of them? (Besides buying the kids a bb gun? You'll shoot your eye out!) Turns out you can put wire mesh in place of the plastic leaf covers or you can hang moth balls inside. We're going to try moth balls. Little Worker and I will take a walk to the local hardware store today and buy some mothballs, along with some sort of mesh bags to contain them, I'll clean out the nest I'm sure they've built, and...problem solved! (We hope.)

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The Mañana Kid (Training Will Commence Tomorrow)

When I was younger, one of the few nicknames I ever had was The Mañana Kid, bestowed to me by a teacher who always laughed at my procrastination. (Why do something today that you can put off until tomorrow?) I feel that way these days in regards to training - I'm sure I'll get started tomorrow!

It's been totally helter-skelter, with no rhyme or reason, just getting out for a run one day, maybe some crosstraining the next, but nothing like a firm plan. Many of my runs have been with the kids completing their Running Club "homework" and with Laima supporting her training for the ZOOMA half in the fall.

Maybe it's simply that I don't have something specific to train for, no race yet in mind. That looks like it's changing soon though, as social media opportunities have come up for both the Spartan Race and the Men's Health Urbanathlon. Both are fun races and the Urbanathlon opportunity actually comes with a training plan -- bonus!

We'll see what happens, but I do know this: training will commence tomorrow.

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Choices, Choices, Choices

Some might say we're overscheduled, but it's just a function of being an active, large family.

June 15th has lined up as a day when choices need to be made and family obligations need to be met pretty much from the get-go all the way through the rest of the day.

Here's what our possible day right now looks like:

9:00 AM Munchkin's Soccer Game (his last of the season)

9:00 AM The kids' Lithuanian Heritage Saturday School

9:00 AM Run for Boston 5K

1:00 PM Check in for family camping, Blackwell Forest Preserve

1:00 PM "Toast the Coast at the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival"

4:00 PM Tazer's Soccer Game (his last of the season)

Evening: Family Camping

Obviously we're not going to be able to fit it all in. First to go, probably, will be the kids' Saturday School -- it's the least day of the year for them, so no education will take place anyway. Then, since it's in Michigan and not for the whole family, we won't be heading for the "Toast the Coast at the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival." Bummer, but not altogether a big deal.

The rest is actually doable. I'll take Munchkin to his last soccer game, while Laima heads over to the Run For Boston 5K with Tazer. We'll reconvene for lunch, then go and get set up for camping. After Tazer's last soccer game, we'll go back to the campground and most likely pass out after too many S'mores. It will probably end up being a great day, even though we won't get all of it in as planned.

Do you have days when everything seems to happen at once?

How do you prioritize?

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StrongerRX: Power, Intensity, Strength

I was lucky enough to hook up with StrongerRX recently and get some of their gear for a review. With CrossFit becoming more popular, apparel companies are recognizing the need for clothing that can support the dynamic movements, as well as the strains put on both body and gear. StrongerRX started as a vision which was to provide the athletic community with a new breed of performance apparel that provides the latest styles, comfort and reliability; its goal is to deliver superior performance wear.

The Wod Shorts (designed for CrossFit by CrossFitters) combine a cool board short design with a lightweight combination of materials, flex panels, and a secure closure system that has both Velcro and drawstrings for perfect fit. These are great shorts for Crossfit, as they move with you and not against you, seem well-made, and make you feel like a badass at the same time.

The RTG Glove (Black) are designed to follow the contours to your hand, resulting in comfort while also protecting. These CrossFit cloves prevent blisters, calluses, and bloody hands that are the plague of so many. In addition these RTG Gloves for CrossFit reduce hand fatigue, which allows you to focus on the movement at hand, be it Olympic Weightlifting or pull-ups. I certainly appreciated the gloves, especially in my garage gym, where my pull-up bar is cast iron, pretty rough on the hands, but much more comfortable with the RTG Gloves.

Check out the StrongerRX website, like on Facebook, and follow on Twitter.

Disclaimer: I was sent these items for review. All opinions are my own.

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