A quick review on February's challenge; to give up all snacking after 7:00pm each evening. I will come clean and admit that in 3 instances throughout the month of February I did not stick to my plan. Two involved being out for the evening and going to the movies. Hello!?!? You really can't expect me to sit in a movie theatre and not munch on popcorn, can you? And the 3rd time was, funny enough, as I am writing this blog entry. I am not sure what my thinking is right now on breaking the no snacking rule, but the irony of it all is right up my alley. :)
Overall, I do feel I accomplished the goal I wanted when coming up with this challenge. I consumed less calories by not getting carried away eating at night. I felt like I was back in control. And, I am happy to report that I've gone another month soda free! Ok, I did have one diet coke a few weeks ago at the movies. But the temptation to want to drink diet sodas has completely vanished. In fact, the one diet coke I did have 6 weeks later surprised me that I didn't enjoy the taste as much as I usually do.
As before, I will continue to give up soda and snacking after 7:00pm. Although, all bets are off on the no snacking thing if I am out for the evening!!
Now allow me to announce March's challenge: To stop double-booking, triple-booking me and the family. I've gotten into a seriously bad habit of saying "yes" to every invitation and then figuring out how to make it work. I am driving me and everyone around us crazy. For example, this past Saturday's schedule was as follows:
8:00am - gym for a training run (Robyn)
9:00am - grocery store to buy the necessary items for the company we were having over at lunch time (Robyn)
10:00am - shower, clean/straighten the house (Robyn and Jeff)
11:00am - begin cooking/preparing lunch
12:00pm - 4 adults, 3 kids, 1 baby enter the house for lunch/playdate
3:30pm - All company leaves
4:00pm - Attend 2 year old's birthday party in 2 cars (Jeff, Robyn, Kids)
5:30pm - Make my way to Tyson's to meet up with The Girls to celebrate Ivy's birthday; pick up Kristin along the way (Robyn)
6:15pm - Tyson's Corner for dinner and movie (Robyn)
6:30pm - Leave 2 year old's birthday party and go home to put kids to bed (Jeff, kids)
11:00pm - Come home (Robyn)
Granted, this was a particularly full day, but to some degree our timing on going to and from various activities is always this tight. Going forward, I am going to accept the first invitation that comes our way and say no to everything else that has us running around like a chicken with our heads cut-off.
Here's the problem - I am a very social person. I love getting together with friends and know that the kids do too. I want us to have full, active lives and be able to get out and do things.
No more! I pledge to stop and think before I automatically reply yes to everything. I promise to take a good look at the calendar and make sure that we have plenty of downtime and I don't feel stressed running from one thing to the next. Unfortunately a lot of the month of March is already booked. But I will take each week as it comes and if it looks like it will be too much for us to do everything, then I will politely cancel the most recent invitation.
Wanting to be everywhere, doing everything, seeing everyone is now going to get a makeover. Yikes! I hope I am up to this challenge.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Everyone says it is because she is a girl and this is what having a girl is like. Jeff says that we went through this same exact stage with Ian. Clearly I don't remember it and must've blocked it out of my mind.
Samantha, for lack of kinder words, is a handful. She is head-strong, stubborn, and extremely spirited. From the moment she wakes-up until the time she goes to bed, she gives me a run for my money. One moment she can be perfectly sweet and lovable and then, with the flip of a switch, she turns into this 2 1/2 foot monster you wouldn't recognize.
The tone for how the day will go is set when she wakes-up. She is not happy getting dressed. She doesn't want her pajamas off and she doesn't want a diaper change - no matter how wet or full her diaper is. It is a battle and I feel like I am wrestling a gator getting her clothes on. I tried something different the other day and decided when picking out her outfit to get her input. Maybe she wanted to have a say in what she was going to wear? So, I held up each top and bottom for her approval. Each one was a resounding "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO". I went through at least 20 different outfits and wondered if maybe this was the equivalent of 'I have a whole closet full of clothes and nothing to wear' most women experience at one time or another. But she isn't even 2 yet!! Does she feel the need for a wardrobe refresh already?!?!?!?
Once I manage to get her dressed, we go downstairs and the battle continues eating breakfast. She used to be an amazing eater and would devour cereal, oatmeal, bananas, milk, basically whatever you put in front of her. Now if she doesn't like what you've given her, it promptly gets thrown on the floor or in Bailey's direction. What a mess!! And, she still hasn't eaten, so you feel compelled to keep trying. Not fun at all. Sometimes she'll completely reject her bowl of oatmeal, but finish Ian's after he has had his fill.
After about 10 minutes of the breakfast disaster, we move on to her moping around the house like someone let the air out of her balloon. She keeps her head pointed low and shuffles from room to room to see what she can get into. Once she finds something that catches her eye, she goes to get the step stool out of the kitchen and creates whatever height is necessary to reach what she needs. Usually she puts the step stool in front of our pantry and examines package and after package of each item. Sometimes she'll decide on a box of cereal and eat it straight from the box. Hello?!?! This may have been the exact cereal I was offering 10 minutes earlier. Oy!
The rest of the day becomes a blur. We fight over EVERYTHING! It has to be her idea in order for it to occur smoothly. Nothing seems to make her happy. Sometimes she'll just stand in front of the tv and scream "ELMOOOOOO" until I put on Sesame Street. At least that is educational, right?
This behavior can't be because she is tired. She goes down easy for naps and at bed at night. She is getting enough sleep - 1.5 to 2 hours in the afternoon and easily 12 hours overnight. There is never a battle putting her down.
She is angry more than she is happy. She is quick to scream more than she is to laugh. Most of the day I feel like I am doing damage control. I feel like at the end of the day I have failed her.
Is it because she is a girl? Is it genetic and Ian was like this too (only I don't remember)? Is she hitting the TERRIBLE TWOs early? Who knows. I just hope like everything else, it is just a stage and my always-sweet-little girl comes back to me. Once the word gets out on how she is, no one is going to want to watch her and I need a break!!!
Samantha, for lack of kinder words, is a handful. She is head-strong, stubborn, and extremely spirited. From the moment she wakes-up until the time she goes to bed, she gives me a run for my money. One moment she can be perfectly sweet and lovable and then, with the flip of a switch, she turns into this 2 1/2 foot monster you wouldn't recognize.
The tone for how the day will go is set when she wakes-up. She is not happy getting dressed. She doesn't want her pajamas off and she doesn't want a diaper change - no matter how wet or full her diaper is. It is a battle and I feel like I am wrestling a gator getting her clothes on. I tried something different the other day and decided when picking out her outfit to get her input. Maybe she wanted to have a say in what she was going to wear? So, I held up each top and bottom for her approval. Each one was a resounding "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO". I went through at least 20 different outfits and wondered if maybe this was the equivalent of 'I have a whole closet full of clothes and nothing to wear' most women experience at one time or another. But she isn't even 2 yet!! Does she feel the need for a wardrobe refresh already?!?!?!?
Once I manage to get her dressed, we go downstairs and the battle continues eating breakfast. She used to be an amazing eater and would devour cereal, oatmeal, bananas, milk, basically whatever you put in front of her. Now if she doesn't like what you've given her, it promptly gets thrown on the floor or in Bailey's direction. What a mess!! And, she still hasn't eaten, so you feel compelled to keep trying. Not fun at all. Sometimes she'll completely reject her bowl of oatmeal, but finish Ian's after he has had his fill.
After about 10 minutes of the breakfast disaster, we move on to her moping around the house like someone let the air out of her balloon. She keeps her head pointed low and shuffles from room to room to see what she can get into. Once she finds something that catches her eye, she goes to get the step stool out of the kitchen and creates whatever height is necessary to reach what she needs. Usually she puts the step stool in front of our pantry and examines package and after package of each item. Sometimes she'll decide on a box of cereal and eat it straight from the box. Hello?!?! This may have been the exact cereal I was offering 10 minutes earlier. Oy!
The rest of the day becomes a blur. We fight over EVERYTHING! It has to be her idea in order for it to occur smoothly. Nothing seems to make her happy. Sometimes she'll just stand in front of the tv and scream "ELMOOOOOO" until I put on Sesame Street. At least that is educational, right?
This behavior can't be because she is tired. She goes down easy for naps and at bed at night. She is getting enough sleep - 1.5 to 2 hours in the afternoon and easily 12 hours overnight. There is never a battle putting her down.
She is angry more than she is happy. She is quick to scream more than she is to laugh. Most of the day I feel like I am doing damage control. I feel like at the end of the day I have failed her.
Is it because she is a girl? Is it genetic and Ian was like this too (only I don't remember)? Is she hitting the TERRIBLE TWOs early? Who knows. I just hope like everything else, it is just a stage and my always-sweet-little girl comes back to me. Once the word gets out on how she is, no one is going to want to watch her and I need a break!!!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The morning that time stood still
We are morning people. No doubt about it. All of us. In fact I think the reason Ian and Sam get up so early is because they inherited it from Jeff and me. I joke that by 6:00am, you can find us all wide awake, completely dressed and ready to start our day. However, there aren't many places opened at 6:00am, so you basically will find us at home.
I hear about other families whose kids sleep in until 9:00am regularly. Kids who sometimes need to be woken up to get to school on time. This is definitely not something I'll ever experience. In fact if 9:00am came and no one was awake, I'd be waking them up to make sure they were still breathing.
On Sunday morning, I got a small taste of what it must be like to have a family who sleeps in. My body naturally woke up at 6:00am and I realized it was still the golden sounds of silence all around me. I reached for my iTouch and caught up on emails and FB status' that were generated overnight. Then I rolled over and went back to sleep. 7:00am came and still quiet. Really? Could this be happening? So I checked the iTouch again for the last hour's latest developments and then went back to sleep. It wasn't until 8:00am that Ian and Sam both started waking up.
Wow! What a wonderful feeling to wake-up and know that we were all starting the day completely rested. In 4.5 years of having kids, I can't remember this phenomenon ever happening. A nice way to start the Sunday; which appropriately is known as the day of rest.
I hear about other families whose kids sleep in until 9:00am regularly. Kids who sometimes need to be woken up to get to school on time. This is definitely not something I'll ever experience. In fact if 9:00am came and no one was awake, I'd be waking them up to make sure they were still breathing.
On Sunday morning, I got a small taste of what it must be like to have a family who sleeps in. My body naturally woke up at 6:00am and I realized it was still the golden sounds of silence all around me. I reached for my iTouch and caught up on emails and FB status' that were generated overnight. Then I rolled over and went back to sleep. 7:00am came and still quiet. Really? Could this be happening? So I checked the iTouch again for the last hour's latest developments and then went back to sleep. It wasn't until 8:00am that Ian and Sam both started waking up.
Wow! What a wonderful feeling to wake-up and know that we were all starting the day completely rested. In 4.5 years of having kids, I can't remember this phenomenon ever happening. A nice way to start the Sunday; which appropriately is known as the day of rest.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Catch me if you can
There is this high that runners get after having a great run. It's appropriately called "Runner's High". It's like a major adrenaline rush that hits you and lasts for hours afterwards. You feel like you can conquer the world and nothing can stop you. Scientifically the feeling comes from a release of endorphins. Whatever the chemistry is behind it, it is an amazing feeling and one that I get each time I go running.
I am now entering week 5 of the 10 week training schedule preparing for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. The mileage is steadily increasing big-time. I had forgotten how good it feels to be working towards a goal and pushing my body beyond its comfort zone.
Unfortunately, due to the snow and ice on the sidewalks & trails, I've only been able to do one run outside. My original plans were to do at least one or two a week with my faithful running partner, Bailey. However, I was able to stick to the training schedule and complete the runs at the gym. The one good thing with running on a treadmill is the ability to control the speed. I recently had an easy training week and only had to do (3) 2 mile runs. Each one I did, I pushed the speed and started adding an incline on the treadmill. Being able to do 2 miles in 18 minutes with a 1% incline had me smiling the whole day. I didn't come close to being able to do this the first time around when I ran the race 3 years ago. Back then, I could barely break a 10 minute mile. And on Saturday, I did one of the miles in 8 minutes, 34 seconds. I am still in awe that I was able to keep up with how fast the treadmill was moving.
I have a few women that I am friends with who I see regularly at the gym. It has become somewhat of a social hour for me when I go. One day, one of these women stopped and asked me if I was feeling ok. Apparently my face was all shades of red and she was a little concerned that I may have pushed myself too much. I told her that if I ever pass out and fall off the treadmill, to please make my body look like I was in the middle of stretching.
In addition to the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, I've also registered for a quarter marathon on Mother's day (May 9th). This translates to 6.55 miles. I think it will be a wonderful way to keep up my motivation for running and celebrate being a mommy who has managed to be in better shape having had 2 kids than any other time my life.
Watch out world, here comes Robyn! Catch me if you can.
I am now entering week 5 of the 10 week training schedule preparing for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. The mileage is steadily increasing big-time. I had forgotten how good it feels to be working towards a goal and pushing my body beyond its comfort zone.
Unfortunately, due to the snow and ice on the sidewalks & trails, I've only been able to do one run outside. My original plans were to do at least one or two a week with my faithful running partner, Bailey. However, I was able to stick to the training schedule and complete the runs at the gym. The one good thing with running on a treadmill is the ability to control the speed. I recently had an easy training week and only had to do (3) 2 mile runs. Each one I did, I pushed the speed and started adding an incline on the treadmill. Being able to do 2 miles in 18 minutes with a 1% incline had me smiling the whole day. I didn't come close to being able to do this the first time around when I ran the race 3 years ago. Back then, I could barely break a 10 minute mile. And on Saturday, I did one of the miles in 8 minutes, 34 seconds. I am still in awe that I was able to keep up with how fast the treadmill was moving.
I have a few women that I am friends with who I see regularly at the gym. It has become somewhat of a social hour for me when I go. One day, one of these women stopped and asked me if I was feeling ok. Apparently my face was all shades of red and she was a little concerned that I may have pushed myself too much. I told her that if I ever pass out and fall off the treadmill, to please make my body look like I was in the middle of stretching.
In addition to the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, I've also registered for a quarter marathon on Mother's day (May 9th). This translates to 6.55 miles. I think it will be a wonderful way to keep up my motivation for running and celebrate being a mommy who has managed to be in better shape having had 2 kids than any other time my life.
Watch out world, here comes Robyn! Catch me if you can.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Heard and Observed VII
Ian: When can we have a playdate with Audrey again? It's been too long. The last one we had was in my dream.
*******************************************************************
When Jeff's parents came recently for a visit, Ian helped create a mii for each of them on the wii. When you play any wii games, it will populate with people either playing with you, against you or watching in the crowd using some of the miis you have created. One morning I was walking by Ian getting ready to do some wash and I overheard him say during his game of basketball:
"Way to block the shot Grandma." Definitely not something you hear everyday!
*******************************************************************
Ian had a playdate over the other day and they were plotting out all the sports they will play and in what order.
Ian: Momma, Ethan and I are going to do soccer this year, then T-ball, and then play college football.
I wonder if he realizes he actually needs to be in college to play college football?
*******************************************************************
Ian has been having trouble going to the bathroom. Jeff and I discovered his favorite flavored oatmeal (Maple and Brown Sugar) also comes with a version of 'extra fiber' included. Without telling him, we gave him the new oatmeal and he instantly could taste a difference. Immediately we switched back to his regular formula so that he would at least continue to eat oatmeal.
Me: Ian, time for oatmeal.
Ian: I don't want extra fabric in it.
**********************************************************************
Driving around in the snow (before the plows arrived) three days after our big blizzard in February 2010:
Sam: WHOA!
**********************************************************************
Finally making it to the mall after being snowed in for days.
Ian: I just need to leave all this energy behind.
*********************************************************************
*******************************************************************
When Jeff's parents came recently for a visit, Ian helped create a mii for each of them on the wii. When you play any wii games, it will populate with people either playing with you, against you or watching in the crowd using some of the miis you have created. One morning I was walking by Ian getting ready to do some wash and I overheard him say during his game of basketball:
"Way to block the shot Grandma." Definitely not something you hear everyday!
*******************************************************************
Ian had a playdate over the other day and they were plotting out all the sports they will play and in what order.
Ian: Momma, Ethan and I are going to do soccer this year, then T-ball, and then play college football.
I wonder if he realizes he actually needs to be in college to play college football?
*******************************************************************
Ian has been having trouble going to the bathroom. Jeff and I discovered his favorite flavored oatmeal (Maple and Brown Sugar) also comes with a version of 'extra fiber' included. Without telling him, we gave him the new oatmeal and he instantly could taste a difference. Immediately we switched back to his regular formula so that he would at least continue to eat oatmeal.
Me: Ian, time for oatmeal.
Ian: I don't want extra fabric in it.
**********************************************************************
Driving around in the snow (before the plows arrived) three days after our big blizzard in February 2010:
Sam: WHOA!
**********************************************************************
Finally making it to the mall after being snowed in for days.
Ian: I just need to leave all this energy behind.
*********************************************************************
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Valentine's Day
The movie was good. Very good. And we all enjoyed it, probably a little more than we should have. I am sure we didn't make any friends in the theatre that night and even more sure that there were a few moviegoers who wished they picked a different time to see it.
But you have to understand, we had all been cooped up in our houses for way too long. The blizzards gave us more quality time together with our kids than anyone could willingly want. There was no school, no playdates scheduled, no getting out. We had a date on the calendar to gather a few mommy friends and make a beeline for the movies. "Valentine's Day" was our target. It has a fabulous cast, chick-flick written all over it, and who doesn't enjoy a good love story? The idea to go see the movie was long decided before any forecast of the first blizzard and of course, the 2nd blizzard had been spoken. The words 'movie with Kelly' was written in pink marker for the night of Monday, February 15th on my calendar and stood increasingly lonely as various plans preceding it days prior kept getting cancelled.
There was a small amount of excitement as the weatherman kept forecasting more snow for Monday afternoon/evening. We could expect 1 to 3 inches to fall in the NoVa area. Oh no!! Nothing was going to ruin my plans to get out and enjoy one of my favorite pastimes. Going to the movies is truly the only thing I miss getting to do now that I have kids. I quickly emailed a few of us and made them promise that no matter how much snow we were to get, we could still go. In all seriousness, I would've understood if it wasn't deemed safe to drive. No matter how much I love the movies, I wouldn't want anyone to risk getting hurt.
I believe we were all on the same page and started getting disappointed when we saw heavy snow begin to fall around 4:00pm. And it was sticking!! Oh no!! Make it stop!! Fortunately, Mother Nature heard my cries of desperation and ended the snowfall.
There was 7 of us total. 7 mommy friends who hadn't experienced the joys of school being opened for the past week and a half. Yes, we laughed a little too loud. Yes, we cried at a scene in the film that only the 7 of us could truly appreciate. Yes, we made comments without even trying to whisper. And, yes, we all gasped (pretty loudly) when we thought a particular on-screen kiss was about to happen.
But so what? We were 7 women who really needed a night out. Are you going to mess with that?
Oh, and for those who thought this blog entry was going to be about Jeff and the actual holiday, I will tell you what he got me. He tracked down and surprised me with gluten-free cupcakes from CakeLove. Yum-O! The bigger surprise came when he managed to keep his plans a secret and not tell me in advance.
But you have to understand, we had all been cooped up in our houses for way too long. The blizzards gave us more quality time together with our kids than anyone could willingly want. There was no school, no playdates scheduled, no getting out. We had a date on the calendar to gather a few mommy friends and make a beeline for the movies. "Valentine's Day" was our target. It has a fabulous cast, chick-flick written all over it, and who doesn't enjoy a good love story? The idea to go see the movie was long decided before any forecast of the first blizzard and of course, the 2nd blizzard had been spoken. The words 'movie with Kelly' was written in pink marker for the night of Monday, February 15th on my calendar and stood increasingly lonely as various plans preceding it days prior kept getting cancelled.
There was a small amount of excitement as the weatherman kept forecasting more snow for Monday afternoon/evening. We could expect 1 to 3 inches to fall in the NoVa area. Oh no!! Nothing was going to ruin my plans to get out and enjoy one of my favorite pastimes. Going to the movies is truly the only thing I miss getting to do now that I have kids. I quickly emailed a few of us and made them promise that no matter how much snow we were to get, we could still go. In all seriousness, I would've understood if it wasn't deemed safe to drive. No matter how much I love the movies, I wouldn't want anyone to risk getting hurt.
I believe we were all on the same page and started getting disappointed when we saw heavy snow begin to fall around 4:00pm. And it was sticking!! Oh no!! Make it stop!! Fortunately, Mother Nature heard my cries of desperation and ended the snowfall.
There was 7 of us total. 7 mommy friends who hadn't experienced the joys of school being opened for the past week and a half. Yes, we laughed a little too loud. Yes, we cried at a scene in the film that only the 7 of us could truly appreciate. Yes, we made comments without even trying to whisper. And, yes, we all gasped (pretty loudly) when we thought a particular on-screen kiss was about to happen.
But so what? We were 7 women who really needed a night out. Are you going to mess with that?
Oh, and for those who thought this blog entry was going to be about Jeff and the actual holiday, I will tell you what he got me. He tracked down and surprised me with gluten-free cupcakes from CakeLove. Yum-O! The bigger surprise came when he managed to keep his plans a secret and not tell me in advance.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Plenty of the white stuff - 6 (last one, I promise)
I really didn't think I would have this much material to write about regarding our two back-to-back blizzards in February. And, I really thought my last entry (Plenty of the white stuff - 5 a.k.a as stick a fork in me, I'm done) was going to be my last on the topic. BUT, I have one more left in me and as each day gets further and further from our last snowfall, I find myself getting more and more worked up about it. I am talking about the snow removal and plowing done by the county -- specifically Fairfax County.
We haven't had any significant snowfall since the afternoon on Wednesday, February 10th. And, if you were to look at our roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, you'd think the snow just stopped coming down. I get that we received roughly 4 feet or more in some areas within a week. I get that our area is not used to this amount of snow. I get that there is only so many places you can move the snow to. Yes, I get all that. And I am sure that everyone is doing the best job they can do. I do want to give appropriate kudos to the plowers who take care of the main roads. Fairfax County Parkway, Ox Road, the Beltway, Route 66, 395 are in great shape and got that way almost immediately post snowfall. Even Burke Centre Parkway was almost perfect during and after the snowstorms. But first you would have to navigate the side roads to find this out.
It's these side roads, the neighborhood roads, the secondary roads that I am ranting about. Enough is enough!! It makes absolutely no sense to me why some roads are in pristine condition, with 2 lanes and visible concrete on the road and other roads are like a rollercoaster ride, complete with divots, huge chunks of ice, many, many unleveled areas and a measly one narrow lane to drive in. Heaven forbid you encounter another vehicle coming in the opposite direction and need to figure out how to get by them. Currently there is much goodwill and considerate drivers who are patient and will do what they can to help you get by, but for how much longer? And some roads are still one big sheet of ice. And when you come to a stop sign, you hold your breath, the car will stop and not slide straight through it.
I am at a loss why 5 full days after the last snowfall we still have roads in these conditions. What other job do these plowers possibly have that keep them from working on this to make it better? The county should be especially ashamed of the conditions of Spring Lake Drive, Split Oak Lane, and Oak Green Drive. Having had to use these roads to get where I needed to go, I was appalled at the condition of them. Obviously no one important or anyone who works for VDOT lives on these roads.
I fear for the kids who need to get to bus stops and don't have sidewalks to use. I feel for the bus drivers who have to use these roads to get to the kids. It is embarrassing that the county feels these roads are considered plowed and someone has a check mark on their to-do list for it being completed.
I have one thing left to add before ending my rant and never speaking of this again. If women (specifically MOTHERS) were in charge of getting the roads clear, it would've been done and done right within 24 hours of the snow stopping. I know for a fact we have special multi-tasking powers that wouldn't allow us to stop until the job was done and up to our standards. And believe me, these mothers wouldn't allow 7 school days to be missed before our kids were able to return.
We haven't had any significant snowfall since the afternoon on Wednesday, February 10th. And, if you were to look at our roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, you'd think the snow just stopped coming down. I get that we received roughly 4 feet or more in some areas within a week. I get that our area is not used to this amount of snow. I get that there is only so many places you can move the snow to. Yes, I get all that. And I am sure that everyone is doing the best job they can do. I do want to give appropriate kudos to the plowers who take care of the main roads. Fairfax County Parkway, Ox Road, the Beltway, Route 66, 395 are in great shape and got that way almost immediately post snowfall. Even Burke Centre Parkway was almost perfect during and after the snowstorms. But first you would have to navigate the side roads to find this out.
It's these side roads, the neighborhood roads, the secondary roads that I am ranting about. Enough is enough!! It makes absolutely no sense to me why some roads are in pristine condition, with 2 lanes and visible concrete on the road and other roads are like a rollercoaster ride, complete with divots, huge chunks of ice, many, many unleveled areas and a measly one narrow lane to drive in. Heaven forbid you encounter another vehicle coming in the opposite direction and need to figure out how to get by them. Currently there is much goodwill and considerate drivers who are patient and will do what they can to help you get by, but for how much longer? And some roads are still one big sheet of ice. And when you come to a stop sign, you hold your breath, the car will stop and not slide straight through it.
I am at a loss why 5 full days after the last snowfall we still have roads in these conditions. What other job do these plowers possibly have that keep them from working on this to make it better? The county should be especially ashamed of the conditions of Spring Lake Drive, Split Oak Lane, and Oak Green Drive. Having had to use these roads to get where I needed to go, I was appalled at the condition of them. Obviously no one important or anyone who works for VDOT lives on these roads.
I fear for the kids who need to get to bus stops and don't have sidewalks to use. I feel for the bus drivers who have to use these roads to get to the kids. It is embarrassing that the county feels these roads are considered plowed and someone has a check mark on their to-do list for it being completed.
I have one thing left to add before ending my rant and never speaking of this again. If women (specifically MOTHERS) were in charge of getting the roads clear, it would've been done and done right within 24 hours of the snow stopping. I know for a fact we have special multi-tasking powers that wouldn't allow us to stop until the job was done and up to our standards. And believe me, these mothers wouldn't allow 7 school days to be missed before our kids were able to return.
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