Positive weekend, settling into new routine

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Kim had a good birthday party, it was a definite success.  We got some good things done around the house as far as setting up the new routine.  Emily got to go to her first friends birthday party solo, and had a good time.  And I only barely watched any football, a real change for me.  And I had a great start to the weeks training today.

Family

Kim had a good birthday all around.  We had a nice quiet night on Friday, pizza and a movie at home.  Saturday I got lots of things done with pictures, as part of Kim's present, but also got a little caught up in that, so maybe didn't get the house as ready, but it was fine. 

Kim's party was nice, thanks to all who helped out, and a special thanks to Phyllis & Alan for bringing the fine salad and spaghetti sauce.  There was lots of nice visiting time, followed by some fun playing Wii, and then several rounds of Stinkpot. 

So Emily was scheduled to go to the party on Saturday, but the party was postponed until Sunday.  So I took the time to get her hair cut and got some tips for dealing with her tangles (a daily fight due to morning grooming before school).  But on Sunday she was able to go, and after overcoming her initial clinging she relaxed and let us leave.  And when we picked her up it appeared that she had a great time.  So that was a nice new experience for her. 

Training

The weekend eating continues to be a fight, but that's not a surprise, until we get past all of the events that will be par for the course.  Had some good runs Friday, and especially today, today I topped my longest distance, as I cracked 4.5 miles, running at a running pace instead of just a slow jog.  So I think that if I had to I could do a 10K at a slow jog, provided the course wasn't too hilly.  Which is real progress, and has me feeling confident of reaching my eventual goal of running a 10K in a reasonable time by next spring.

Routine

So now that we are past all of the holidays and leave time we sat down to implement a regular schedule of homework, and chores for the kids.  And get back into the habit of regular weekly menu planning.  And part of this is a commitment on our part to return to bedtime reading to the kids.  As a creature of habit I am of course looking forward to this.