Did we just have an Indian Summer? It sounds good, so I was telling everyone this past weekend what a glorious Indian Summer we were having in October. We were on the beach. The boys went skim boarding. I packed up the Roll-eeze (best beach invention evah!) – with food, drinks, and even the umbrella. My sister and her family joined us on the beach. The adults even had the chance to SUP on the bay. It had all the “hotness” of an Indian Summer. So I thought.

Well, I just got schooled… I decided while writing this post in my head last night in those last stages of consciousness that I would research the phrase. Good ole Farmer’s Almanac just proved my beautiful 85°F+ weather weekend wrong.

According to the The Old Farmer’s Almanac, an true Indian Summer must meet the following requirements:

• “As well as being warm, the atmosphere during Indian summer is hazy or smoky, there is no wind, the barometer is standing high, and the nights are clear and chilly.
• A moving, cool, shallow polar air mass is converting into a deep, warm, stagnant anticyclone (high pressure) system, which has the effect of causing the haze and large swing in temperature between day and night.
• The time of occurrence is important: The warm days must follow a spell of cold weather or a good hard frost.
• The conditions described above must occur between St. Martin’s Day (November 11) and November 20. For over 200 years, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has adhered to the saying, “If All Saints’ (November 1) brings out winter, St. Martin’s brings out Indian summer.””

I thought we had a few weeks of cold weather, but honestly, it was in the 70’s. It certainly felt cold. Now that I know what an Indian Summer is, I think I’m good with what I had this past weekend. Sun, small breezes, low tide loveliness, SUP boarding with my sister, and the boys got sandy.

A PERFECT BEACH DAY IN OCTOBER!

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Day 4: Barbells for Boobs

This is a shameless post to shine awareness on this awesome event!

OUR MISSION

TO SAVE LIVES THROUGH THE EARLY DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER, REGARDLESS OF ONE’S AGE, GENDER OR ABILITY TO PAY.

Barbells for Boobs is a non-profit organization that provides funding to pay for breast cancer detection services as a last resort
for thousands of people who don’t qualify for assistance elsewhere.

Our aim is to help anyone that needs it, anywhere, whether they are male or female, no matter what their age or situation in life.

I am participating in the Reebok Barbells for Boobs event this upcoming Saturday. I was lucky to participate in 2012 with my CrossFit Chronic Box Family. Last year’s WOD was Grace. Grace is a benchmark girl WOD from the CrossFit Main Site. It includes 30 Clean & Jerks 95#/135#.

So, check out my fundraising page and help women get screened and receive mammograms! 

This year we will be completing the following WODs with a partner:

Helen: 4 Rounds FT <400 m run + 21 Kettlebell Swings 35#/53# + 12 Pull-Ups>

then,

Grace: 30 Clean & Jerks 95#/135#

My partner is head coach and owner of CrossFit Chronic, Penny. Wish us Luck!

 

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I write this post as a #momof3boys. Football and I have a shaky past. I have faked football fanaticsim in past relationships. Nothing like pretending to like a team for some random boyfriend. Girls out there— don’t pretend that I am speaking Greek. We have all done it for that one cute guy. I didn’t even understand the rules. I was even one of those girls who believed that “yellow line” on the TV screen was actually on the field for the players. Yes, it took a dear friend’s fiancé to inform me that it was added by the TV companies. What?!?

As a #momof3boys, I have tried to ignore football and the natural testosterone driven need of all little boys to play football. That fantasy has come to a very dead end. It all began when a few certain ladies from my CrossFit Chronic family insisted that I could join an indoor flag football team. It of course did not end well for me. I didn’t even make it to the first game of the season. Broken knuckle and finger stopped my budding football career. Fast forward to the present. How do you say “No” to your son who wants to play football for the first time? My argument that the Green family doesn’t play football flew out the window. I might not have been good at it, but I did play briefly. Dang, broke my own rule! Now we are 2 1/2 months in to a 125lbs tackle football league with the oldest Green boy.

This #momof3boys has spent 4-5 days a week watching said oldest Green boy practicing, drilling, conditioning and playing football. And yes, I am that #momof3boys that yells and screams, jumps and cheers, and takes numerous pictures of her boy playing said sport(s). Most of the time <according to oldest Green boy> I don’t yell the right things, but I am getting better. I know what specialty teams are now. I know what that “yellow line” meant. It is the first down marker. I know what a fumble is now. I know what conversion points are and why they do them in this league. I know the rules. Ugh!

But, my biggest confession is… I kinda like football. No faking here. You may even witness me sitting on the couch watching football with all the Green boys on Sundays. 

But, every now and then, I wish they would just surf, so at least I could get some sun and sit on the beach.

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Looking for beach glass on the sandy shores of the Chesapeake Bay has never been about looking for beach glass. For me, the ocean/beach/salt water/sun/salty air is one of the most healing places. It is where I have made some of the most important life-changing decisions of my life. Searching for beach glass on this very beach is where I came to the realization that I wanted to marry a certain dashing chiropractor, have my first home birth with my first child, & take on the challenge of becoming a midwife. Walking the beach and feeling the sand between my toes allows me to release stress and anxiety. Feeling the sun warm on my limbs and face encourages me to trust myself. Breathing in the salty warm air reminds me to take in a fresh breath and breathe out stale air. Absorbing the beauty of the water and nature and shoreline requires me to redirect my thoughts.

Today’s search for beach glass was all about taking time for myself. I realized that I don’t do that enough. With 3 boys in school and full schedules, midwifery, WOD’ing, coaching, wife-ing, and just being myself, it is hard to take an hour for me.

I keep all my beach glass in jars. I spread it on platters. I use it to fill up a glass lamp base. I make jewelry with it. Each and every piece is a reminder to take in the beauty of life.

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The end of summer is always mournful in our house of 3 boys, 1 pug, 2 cats, and a mom and dad that love the Chesapeake Bay. The mornings, days, and evenings are chilly and dew regularly forms on the grass and plants. The busy-ness of school and organized sports has begun. And, the ever popular Starbucks PSL is available for the season. Our trips to the beach become more distant. We still make it down for occasional sunset walks but not our daily “have to get into the salt water” excursions. Hurricane season will soon come to an end bringing with it Nor’easter season.

Good-bye Summer! Until we meet again…