SPIDERBYTE

Slice of Life

2 days ago
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Everyone else may be talking about H1N1, but in our house it's known as SLIME flu. A mispronunciation really....these kinds of things tend to happen in a household in which the number of people with speech impediments outweigh those without.

So yesterday Will received his Slime Flu vaccine at school. He was fine through the entire process....well, that is until he saw his classmates waiting in line for their turn. Punk.

Laying it on thick

There goes the neighborhood

Nov 1, 2009
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Team Spiderbyte before the lights go down

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Heard about "keeping up with the Joneses"...? Well, let's just say the neighbors didn't have a chance at keeping up with Spiderbyte this Halloween...well, not that they really wanted to....as a matter of fact they just looked kind of annoyed, but I digress.

I'm not sure when Halloween became our holiday, but it did. And we own it, thanks to Spiderdad's specialized training in Halloween staging (otherwise known as art school) and my underlying need to fly my freak flag whenever possible.

Just imagine a full rockin' graveyard complete with stage lights, strobes, graves, body parts, "Stairway to Heaven" in heavy rotation over outdoor sound system, and a pack of youngins' freebasing sugar and breakdancing on the front yard.

The pics don't really do the scene justice...but just ask our neighbors, I'm sure they'll be talking about it....

This is your brain on candy

Who wouldn't love us as neighbors?

Cutest Ninja on the block

dearly departed

un hombre y su taco

High Octane

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Oct 30, 2009
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A boy and his pumpkin

I know, I know. You're sick of reading our posts about Halloween. But the anticipation is almost unbearable...we have checked and rechecked our outfits, carved the pumpkins, decorated/overdecorated, started gorging ourselves with sugar...bear with us for just a few more days....

Bling.

Sassy

Live From the Pumpkin Patch

Oct 27, 2009
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LuLu goes country

Nothing like a trip to the pumpkin patch to get us even more in the mood for Halloween...complete with tractor ride, corn maze, and the perfect selection of misformed and stemless pumpkins left behind by the families who plan ahead.

Stairway to Heaven

Oct 25, 2009
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All good cretins go to Heaven

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'Tis the season!

You may remember that we in the house of Spiderbyte take our Halloweening very seriously. So this year, we've decided to turn our front yard into our own personal homage to all the musical greats....dead musical greats that is.

Six days & counting....

Signs that it may be time to get a pet

Oct 23, 2009
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Parting is such sweet sorrow

I had to drop our vacuum off to be serviced yesterday. It was very difficult for LuLu to say goodbye to "vacuum-ee." The Sears repairman and I both found this very odd, as did the rest of the folks in line and everyone we passed in the parking lot as LuLu sobbed her way back to the car.

What happens in Napa, stays in Napa

Oct 21, 2009
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Vera, marathoner and hostess extraordanaire

I promised I would write more about my weekend in San Francisco, following some serious shuteye and emotional readjustment. I am more rested, but still working on the readjustment.

My amazing host and super jock, Vera, showed me one hell of a good time. As a matter of fact, I think I have found my most perfect travel partner, as there are few of us whose equation for fun includes two parts craziness (Napa!) and one part pain (trail run anyone?).

So, in addition to the Nike Women's Marathon, I had plenty of time to partake in some local pleasures like vineyard hopping, leisurely lunching in Chinatown, my own personal walking tour of SF, and trail running practically in Vera's backyard. I'll even share some pics are our 15+ mins of fame...as a matter of fact if any of you folks are in the SF area and feel inspired to visit Niketown in Union Square, you can see our names (and the names of 20,000 of our closest running pals) listed on the side of their building. Being a professional amateur, I take whatever fame I can wrangle.

And a huge thanks to Vera and her awesome family for putting me up and treating me like part of the family. I even had chocolates on my pillow...seriously!

15 mins of fame

Wall of runners, Niketown, Union Square

Vera finds her name!

Cruising the neighborhood

Norah and Caleb making me feel right at home

Chinatown

Mumm Napa Vineyard

Skates on Haight

I Left My Hamstrings in San Francisco

Oct 19, 2009
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Approaching the Start of the Nike Women's Marathon

There is so much to share about my weekend in San Francisco....good friends, lots of laughs, wine tasting in Napa....it will all come in good time. But considering I left only hours after running a race yesterday on that slice a' hell in the sky they call the "red eye" and arrived first thing this morning to jump right back into solo parenting duties working on only three hours of neck-cramping sleep, I will refrain from sharing details until after I have rested the brain/body/soul.

Since the main reason for me going out to SF in the first place was to run the Nike Women's Race, I thought I should at least share some race pics. And I have plenty...I spent so much time stopping to take photos of the amazing scenery, that I actually had one of my worst race times ever but still rank this the BEST race I've ever done for sheer running pleasure....except maybe the hills (my hamstrings are not amused).

And a big Spiderbyte thank you to Jason for leading the troops while I was away. I arrived home to a clean house, a full fridge, and the same number of kids I left behind.

So enjoy my photo journal of the race from Union Square, to Fisherman's Wharf, to the Golden Gate, to the Finish Line...oh, the finish line....complete with Tiffany medals and hot firefighters in tuxes (although a man who keeps my house clean & children safe for four days in my absence is way hotter than any firefighter).

And I am off to sleep.

Hey You

Mile 3, Fisherman's Wharf

Running Through The Presidio

Me & my Tiffany Medal, true love

Mom is my co-pilot

Oct 16, 2009
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Hello from SpiderDAD! You may be wondering how I have the time to write a blog post with all of my new responsibilities as a substitute stay-at-home parent. Allow me to offer a glimpse into the world of SpiderMOM, the over-achiever and mild control freak.

Everything in its place

This is all of the work I would have had to do if Mom hadn't already done it for me.

love notes

Have I mentioned how much the kids miss their Mom?!

idiots guide to Friday

Thursday's dinner

She pre-cooked dinner for Thursday before she left! "So easy, even a cave man could do it!" (ok, i realize i'm kinda hairy)

the arteest

I can honestly say that even with all the extra help I got from SpiderMom, this is one tough job. But I feel like I've gotten to know a different side of the kids. Puck has proven that nutella constitutes the foundation of any every healthy meal. Will whines literally a l l - d a y - l o n g. Lulu can, on the average, create 20 greeting cards from scratch in one sitting. And I learned that with some spare time and a little ingenuity, Bobby can create a fascinating miniaturized world of desk accessories. …genius!

notice the pencil for scale

But enough about the Spiderbrats. We need to send a shout out to a special someone taking her vacation Spiderbyte style! No slot machines, no strippers (there better not be!), no idle time by the pool. Just wide open terrain to run mixed with booze. We salute you SpiderMom, now run fast you crazy Canuck! Here are her latest pics from the road.