Santa is Always Right

Christmas is a pretty cool time around my house the past few years.  With two little kids and a little stability, we are providing the context for them to have a great holiday.  Santa is also a big motivating factor at our house for about a month each year and it will be sad when that behavioral tool goes away.  You all know what I mean.  It provides a great series of "if, then" situations you can leverage to your advantage. Mostly leading to not getting any toys if you don't do something.

"If you don't go get in bed, then Santa won't bring you any toys."

"If you don't eat your green beans, then Santa won't bring you any toys."

"If you don't stop pinching your sister, then..."

What amazes me is the power of Santa.  If you replace Santa with me, for instance, the threat goes largely on deaf ears.  I attempt to strike the fear of me into them every once in awhile but as my wife would say, I'm typically a softy and bend to their wishes. (so sue me, they are my girls)

The power of Santa to be all knowing is dumbfounding to me as well.  Ruby, is a shoe afficianado, much like her mother and father, and in an effort to keep her in some seriously fast kicks, her and I had been shoe shopping for the past few weeks.  WEEKS!  I had taken her to countless stores to find the exact shoes she wanted that were:

1. Faster than any other kids in her class shoes.

2. Looked black and had both three stripes and a swoosh.  (somehow she thought their was a magical hybrid brand of Adidas and Nike somewhere in existence. In actuality she knew that Daddy wears both to run and so does Mom and she wants to please us both I guess.)

3. Have laces and no Velcro.  She recently learned how to tie her shoes and according to her infinite wisdom, is way too old for Velcro.

You see my dilemma.  I was unaware of this mythical shoe but on Christmas Eve Day I made a run to Dillards in Zona Rosa in Kansas City.  My prayers were answered.  This place has tons of kids shoes.  They are a bit pricier than other department stores but at this point it didn't matter.  I found what I thought was the perfect pair, sort of white and purple with laces, and a swoosh.  As I bantered with the sales associate at check out I turned around to just admire this store, it really is a nice place, brand new and very shiny, and was struck by a vision of the perfect shoe. "Don't ring me up yet.  Do you have those in a nine?" I questioned.

"I take it she is a bit of a Tom Boy?" asked the assistant.

"Sort of." I replied.

While she loves throwing people (Judo), soccer, climbing trees, she also loves dress up, makeup, and other "girl" things.  I would say she is like most other little girls or boys for that matter and her ideal shoe does not necessarily label her. 


On a side note, her last pair of running shoes, were "boys" shoes as well, which we didn't actually know until we went to soccer practice and a boy on the other team was wearing the same shoes.  In regards to these shoes, they are yellow and black , so they can be Tigers or Hawkeyes, so that's a bonus, they tie, and they have the name Flash in the title.  Pretty much a slam dunk by Dad here.

I rush home and wrap them up (using the Santa wrapping paper) and put them in the hiding spot until they wenr to bed.  In the morning as the carnage of boxes and paper littered the floor she opened her shoes from Santa.  Her first comment, "See Dad, Santa knew exactly the shoes I wanted."

Of course he did. 

Learning Something New

It amazes me how we can learn new things about ourselves when we least expect it.  This has been happening to me every Tuesday for the past month and a half.  In an agreement stuck between my beautiful wife Emily and myself, Ruby is now learning the basics of Judo.  Long story short, I have been pushing for Ruby to wrestle ever since she was born.  My justification was always that it is an Olympic sport for women, some Universities give scholarships for it, and the pool of female athletes in this sport is thin, thus improving her chances for both of these things.  Also, I was a wrestler for years and coached and it is an addiction that gets in your blood and becomes something you want to share. 

My wife on the other hand sees it just as weird for girls to do.  She thinks I'm dumb, the idea is dumb, and Ruby will only wrestle when hell freezes over.  That is pretty hard for me to argue with but believe me I have been.  I also catch flax from my mother-in-law (imagine that) who likes to tell me that Ruby is not a boy.  As you can tell, the influencers on this debate are certainly lined up against me.  What I'm trying to do is find something that focuses on paying attention to details, slowing down and doing things right, respect, and all the while emphasizing personal discipline. Attractive qualities to instill in a child and the earlier the better I might add.

After surveying my options, and consulting my wife (this is a good idea) we decided to give Judo a try.  Luckily for me, the instructor is Kenny Brink and his club is called Brink's Welcome Mat Judo.  Welcome Mat Judo is an organization familiar to most in the Judo family, especially in Kansas City. Kenny has three boys and one of them I was lucky enough to help coach in wrestling so we have some ties.  He was also a National Champion in Judo and has the credentials that any newcomer should look for in finding a good club.

It took me two practices to be comfortable not wanting to be in charge.  That is a personality trait I have had forever, wanting to run the show, and I realized I have no business doing such a thing.  I still harp on her to pay attention and get up off the mat, but I don't have to say much anymore.  She bows to center when she gets on the mat, bows to center before she gets off the mat.  She bows to her partner before each drill and shakes hands after every drill.  She thanks her instructors after every practice and is working hard to get better, not because I tell her to but because she wants to.

When I stopped pushing so hard she has started to thrive.  It's pretty neat, she is learning Japanese, because all the moves are in Japanese, her flexibility is improving, and she is learning a little self defense which, you never know, could come in handy some day. 

I must confess, there is a secret plan to all of this.  Judo is also an Olympic sport so my dream of Ruby being an Olympic Champion is alive and well.  Also, one of the top Greco-Roman female wrestlers for the United States practiced Judo her whole life before she took up wrestling in her twenties.  To quote dumb and dumber, "so you are telling me there's a chance." I can hope.

FAQ for my next Trail Run.

I am a member of a group called the Kansas City Trail Nerds.  Basically, a bunch of nature loving, granola eaters who do trail maintenance and run races in the woods. Some of my favorite things.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share the questions people ask before we do on a PRACTICE run, this isn't even a race.

Alt Chili Run FAQ:
How much is the run? $5, which the Trail Nerds will donate to ERTA, a trail-building organization.

Why aren't there bib numbers? Because it's a fun run not a race.

Where does this start? In parking lot.

Is it timed? No

How will I know where I'm going?  There will be some markings at any intersection where you have to make a choice. We have pace leaders - Scott, Travis, Matty and Brian ,John King and Beth Hilt will course sweep to keep you headed in the correct direction. Michael Ruder also knows the course . If you get lost  you can
always dip out of the woods and get on the road which will have markings for the Chili Run which starts at 9am.

Where are the bathrooms? Down the steps in the James P. Davis Center

The bathrooms aren't open-- what should I do? Here is a baby wipe-- check out the woods.

Will there be water stations? No

Will non trail shoes work on this course. Sure, but you should join the Trail nerds and get a 20% discount  on trail shoes at GGRS.

Will I slip? The weather isn't set to get nasty until Sunday, but after that we "screw" our shoes. But there will not be a screwing station for this run, this year.

What is the course like? It is the same loop as the Winter Psycho/Toto race and consists of quite a
bit of bridle trails. You'll have to head down some pretty steep treacherous stuff, but that's part of the fun. The Trail Nerds support ERTA, an organization that builds sustainable single track and hope that in the future we'll have better trails!

Is there an Aid station?  No we've never had one and no one dehydrated. Make sure you bring water or run with a friend who has a hydration device.

Where is the Chili?  In the James P Davis center. Pay $5 and enjoy. Sophia ate 4 bowls one year.

One for each mile (she had a tough year, but met Bad Ben and fell in love
with him !)

 Proud to be a Trail Nerd.