roller derby

June

June 24th, 2010 • Monthly Recap, advice, baby, food, home+garden, rant, roller derby • No comments

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There comes a time in a marriage, or a family, when you realize there is disconnect. Each of you is going in different directions and no one really wants to stop and listen to what the other has to say. Busy and stressed and distracted seem the norm. With cell phones, computers and t.v.s the opportunity to disconnect is so great, I wonder how much connection I have lost along the way.

from Hannah’s Harvest

This is the quote that has been driving me today.

This month…

Rats won the first home bout. Alex, Phil and I had the most awesome Haven Brothers Burgers. Upon leaving, we chased the big Nazo puppets through the city to the afterparty, where a marching band played. Knife did a fancy dance, and skidd caveman-style left with stylz!

The next morning, Beth’s Bridal Brunch, where I proceeded to get more drunk and talk about shooting guns and other things Cate has never done.

We went hiking in NH (Franconia Notch), and had a picnic near the river. Aly wanted to climb the rocks, and promptly fell in. We spent the next 30 minutes drying her clothes on a sunny rock while she ran around naked.

Aly’s friend Cayleigh had a carnival themed birthday party complete with dunk tank and water slide. Guess who got to be dunked!

I ran 10th Annual Foxboro Against Diabetes 5K to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I didn’t train, but did better than expected. I came in 653rd out of over 800 people, finishing with a time of 45 minutes. I met a couple of cool locals, like Donna Burns, who doesn’t have a connection to Diabetes, but whose family decided to come from all over the country to run the race. How cool is that?

Aly had a mysterious 24 hour stomach virus, but quickly recovered. I have to say, it was a little nice to have her that calm for a day, but it broke my heart to see her so sick.

Both John Speck and Jason Hogue got married, and not to each other. Both weddings were special and unique…not to mention I made the bride’s dress for one of them! I wish I had pictures, but my laptop died, and I can’t find the cord to connect my camera to this computer. bah. So, here’s a picture from the photo booth silliness.

And after the weddings, we stopped by the PRD afterparty at Luxe Burger. Lots of dancing in the rain!

An ex-boyfriend’s father had some health problems and went into the hospital. I really struggled to find a level of worry and support that was appropriate to the situation. I decided that a hospital visit might not be welcomed, and wrote some encouraging words via text message instead. I hope his significant other isn’t offended by me reaching out.

To celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary, Alex went bowling with Phil. I see a trend emerging in our relationship.

A few of my cousins graduated high school, and there was a huge party at my aunts house to celebrate. All the babies are getting so big! I want more…

PRIDE fun bout was rained out, which is just as well, because I couldn’t find a babysitter.

I went to Audrey McClelland’s Soul at Work cafe last night, and it’s inspired me to be more consistent and diligent in my writing.

Tonight is the Mob Squad craft night, which basically means a bunch of smelly women eating all my food, drinking all my wine, and making a mess…but you know I’ll love it!

Soon, a surprise!!!

I am hoping: That my “Spin it to win it” idea is approved by the board. I really think it’s a great way to bring in some profit, and people love those games.

I am teaching: Pumpkin, the nickname I’ve given my 4 year old, Letter Recognition, Consonants, Vowels, Rhyming, Phonics, Spelling, Counting, Addition, Patterns, Sizes, and Weather. Wow – those topics are meaningless unless I explain the activities, huh?

So, I have 3 different workbooks that I pull 2-5 pages from per day and have Pumpkin work on anything english/math related. The workbooks I have are pretty nondescript, but are all from School Zone publishing company. I found them gently used at Savers.

I also downloaded a whole curriculum, which I haven’t even looked throughly at yet. It was free (well, arrgh!), so no biggie if it’s terrible.

Last, but not least, Pumpkin has the Jumpstart suite of computer games and plays anything from baby to 1st grade, depending on what type of day she’s having.

Last week, we really focused on weather, though I can’t wait until she’s older and I can delve deeper into the water cycle and what effects certain disasters have. I bought this chart for her to weekly track the Weekday, Date, and Weather. She watched the Sid the Science Kid episode on Wind, and a few episodes of Captain Plant. Yeah, my kid is that cool.

We briefly talked about habitats, mostly water, as that’s what she’s interested in. We live near the beach, so there’s always water around…plus, there was that run in with the river.

I am creating: Nothing at the moment. I mean, I’m always creating, but there isn’t one large project I’m working on at the moment. I’ve got 2 pillows to finish recovering, then I’ll probably redo the kitchen chairs in a wipe-able fabric.

I just made my boutfit for Providence Roller Derby’s Mob Squad, which is military inspired, but I went a little overboard with faux buttons and I need to find something to make them less shiny.

In the kitchen: I’ve continued Mexican Monday, Breakfast Tuesday, Chicken Wednesday, Pizza Thursday, Fish Friday, Mooch Saturday, and Pasta Sunday. Of course, if something comes up, I’m flexible.

Some of the highlights this month were Salmon Burgers from Trader Joe’s, Beefy Nachos (which is the same as my chili recipe – served on top of chips), and Pancakes with cherries and caramelized bananas.

Actually, that last one wasn’t planned as much as inspired by cherries from the farmer’s market and overripe bananas in my fridge. Those happen to be the last selection of bananas for a while. I’m planning on keeping things local, and bananas don’t grow in Rhode Island.

The more you type bananas, the crazier your hands feel. Bananas, Banana, Bandanas. what?

Around the garden: My garden is a major failure so far. None of the 2 pack of corn came up. The peas and beans all died before producing anything. The carrots are wee, after waiting for 3 months to harvest them. I got 2 salads out of my spinach before it went to bolt. There are no buds on my tomatoes and peppers. Fortunately, there’s some plants that sprouted out of our compost that look promising and my potatoes (in a garbage barrel) are doing friggin’ awesome.

I think the problem is crappy soil, so I’m going to fertilize the crap out of the rest of my beds and then plant more beans, beets, carrots, cukes, lettuce, tomatoes and squash.

Around the house: After seeing John over at Young House Love put in his water filter, I installed this under-sink filter from Filtrete. Next up, I’m going to convert our toilet into a dual-flush tank using a simple $20 converter kit.

I also faux painted wide plank wood flooring onto the plywood kitchen floor, which didn’t come out as good as the hall, so I might go back with a small brush and work some more dark paint into the crevices. Next up in painting, is more floors and them faux granite painted counters.

Next month…

My first roller derby home bout jamming for the mob squad on July 10th. Buy ticket here. I’m super excited cause I know our strategy is sick.

Actually, next month isn’t filled up with tons of things yet. I might actually be able to focus on getting some workflows and auto-response emails nailed down. Of course, once July is actually here, I’m sure it’ll be a different story.

A few things to share:

• How to refill your Swiffer wetjet from Curbly
• Fourth of July Crafts from No Time For Flash Cards
• Repopping unpopped popcorn from The Kitchen
• Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party from Suburban Snapshots
• Stranger Danger from New Life on a Homestead
• Theme of the Week {Veggies}
• Innovation through art and education… a local group called RiverzEdge
• How to stick your hand into molten lead
• This is almost as good as the doily wedding dress: Doily Table Runner
• Paint Bag
• If you want more of the things I share, subscribe to this feed.

You can check out what I’ve recently watched, listened to, photographed, and tweeted over on my sidebar. You should also Subscribe to RSS feed and email newsletter to get my latest posts.

Roller Derby Workout Challenge Week #2

January 25th, 2010 • Looking Fine by 2009, roller derby • No comments

I finally got the Roller Derby Workout video, and it’s intense. The exercises have helped me with my form and targeting muscle groups that I wasn’t aware I even had. The outfits are cheesy, but I expected no less. I’d recommend this to everyone looking for a strength workout. If you’re looking for cardio, go to practice.

As you know by now I’m doing the Roller Derby Workout Challenge on Facebook along with the video. My least favorite part of the Roller Derby Challenge is how much food I have to eat in the morning. I’m not used to large breakfasts (which these aren’t by any means – just larger than my norm). Also, there are SO MANY EGGS in the diet. It’s an excellent source of protein. I’ve never been much of an egg person, but I’m trying to change that.

You want to know more about me? Well, the first time I skated on quads was at newbie orientation (Nov 2008). I had been a stunt skater on blades before that. Let me tell you, quads are very very different. The center of gravity is shifted; the way you push is different. Overall, I felt like a fish out of water when I started. I’m slowly getting better.

Music really helps me keep a good rhythm on the track. Lately, I’ve been jamming out to Beyonce – Single Ladies, James Brown, Jamiroqaui, Jim Croce, Zac Brown Band, and The white Stripes. My musical tastes are varied, and border on schizophrenic. Whatever keeps me moving is what I listen too.

If you came looking for my pretty diet and exercise pdf, here it is.

About the Writer:

Amanda “funkEpunkEmonkE” Suzzi is a homemaker, roller derby vixen, freelance web architect, whole life consultant, indie crafter, writer, wife, mother of two girls and one of the few cognitive elite.

Roller Derby Workout Challenge Week #1

January 15th, 2010 • Looking Fine by 2009, roller derby • No comments

Estro Jen and Go-Go Gidget of the Roller Derby Workout video (which I just ordered and will review upon arrival) have created a killer 8-week program designed specifically for roller derby athletes. It isn’t about being skinny; it is about being strong. Actually, it’s about winning a trip to LA for a lot of people. For me, it’s about losing this Buddha belly.

I’m  supposed to be posting my progress in a Facebook note, but I can’t figure out how to do it, and this is so much more informative for you if I write about my adventures here!

To kick it off, I’m going to tell you about myself. My name is Amanda “funkEpunkEmonkE” Suzzi. I’ve had the nickname since high school.  I play inside blocker for Providence Roller Derby’s Killah Bees.

Providence Roller Derby, the first Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby League in New England,  was created by Sarah Doom in 2004. Lots of the women are great role models. Some are doctors or lawyers, some them own businesses, and some are mothers, like me. Actually, I’m a mother that owns businesses and like to sit around and eat all day.

The hardest nutrition guideline for me to follow has always been less sugar. I have a major sweet tooth. Luckily, I just went shopping and stocked up on a whole lot of yummy healthy food. The last thing I ate was half a banana, fed to me by my one year old. I’ll round out breakfast with a cup of tea and some scrambled eggs.

Roller Derby Workout Challenge has a week #1 meal plan posted on the facebook group, and I plan to follow that (as long as the stuff is already in the house). There is no way I’m going to eat cottage cheese. Each day is one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner and two snacks. That’s the same as my current diet, so it’ll be easy to stay on schedule.

I was a little worried that the meals would be a far cry from what I normally eat, but they’re pretty dead on. I’ve been eating a lot of protein and veggies lately, which concurs with the plan. I made an easy reference pdf.

As for the fitness plan, it’s going to kick my butt. I’ll let you know how hard it is at the end of the week.

xoxo
180 lb clunker (did I seriously gain 20# over the past 2 weeks?)