Liza Howard

Liza Howard

Liza Howard is a long-time is a longtime ultrarunner who lives in San Antonio, Texas. She teaches for NOLS Wilderness Medicine, coaches, directs the non-profit Band of Runners, and drives her kids around in a minivan.

September 2011
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Not much

LizaLiza

There’s not much going on in the Howard household today.  Some good playing.  Some running.  Some moving of dirty laundry closer to the washer.  It’s not really a blogging kind of day, but I wanted to say hi.  I’ll write with coffee on board in the morning.

Running: 50 minutes with five 1 and 2 minute hill repeats  (On ye olde treadmill because it got late.)

PS. I almost forgot!  My friend O. is in charge of all the room moms at her son’s school.  (God bless her.)  Anyway, she was leading a welcome/indoctrination meeting when it came to her attention that four of the moms were not actually moms, but nannies.  That’s right, nannies.  These childrens’ mothers had tasked their nannies with being room moms.  Is that legal?  Moral?  And what’s the motivation?  This particular school is parent run, so it expects some heavy lifting from its room moms.  I just don’t get it.

PPS.  Day 1 of my September air conditioning protest went well.  No body weight loss to sweat.  Tomorrow’s going back up to 97 degrees.  Send popsicles.

 

Comments 11
  • Gene Taylor
    Posted on

    Gene Taylor Gene Taylor

    Reply Author

    I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now and it is rare that you have very little going on (you are usually really, really busy). Hope you enjoyed the relative down time.
    Nannies—–no comment.
    High today here in Wisconsin; 59 degrees. It was only a two popsicle package summer here. Hang in there, it will cool off, think of the great JJ training. You will rock the mere 90 degree days in Ariz.
    GT


    • Anonymous
      Posted on

      Anonymous Anonymous

      Reply Author

      I think about JJ every time a drop of sweat trickles down my face.
      59 degrees! That’s temperature porn. 😉


  • clea
    Posted on

    clea clea

    Reply Author

    Your posts are always so funny. The nanny thing is funny and sad. There was a nanny with a kid at my son’s swimming lesson because the mom “was on vacation” Seriously?!? I hope that nanny got paid extra to have to put on her swimsuit and spend Sunday morning in the water.


    • Anonymous
      Posted on

      Anonymous Anonymous

      Reply Author

      Thanks Clea. And wow about the swim lessons. It makes me frown thinking about the kid with the vacationing mom.


  • Emily
    Posted on

    Emily Emily

    Reply Author

    If I were at playgroup today with you and Kat I would be going on and on about the nanny thing…wth???


    • Anonymous
      Posted on

      Anonymous Anonymous

      Reply Author

      Right?!? I would just love to hear the interview process. “So obviously I’ll also need you to sign up to be the room mom for Arabella’s class too. And I’d like you to be in charge of the class Christmas party and the teacher gift as well. You can contribute to that personally since you’ll be spending so much time there.”
      I wish we had a play date today!


  • Olga
    Posted on

    Olga Olga

    Reply Author

    Re: nannies. Some moms are full-time on work force. I was one, with 12-14 hrs a day. I wish I could have afforded a nanny to go to school and listen to a bunch of stuff at PTA with may be 2 minutes worth of important things (I have no clue what exactly going on in your friend’s school’s room). I had to either risk loss of a job (as a foreigner who used to depend on visa status and job, not a good outcome, and in my field foreign scientists being a cheap labor who get threatened of being fired way too often) or miss the school function (about a third of time). Sad? Yes, but it’s a real life. And when I put on a swimsuit to attend my kids’ swim lessons, and set at ungodly count of karate lessons (for both of them), and all the team sports they played and practiced, and music classes, and Russian lessons…it’s wonderful, but I will never blame a mom who sends a nanny (again, depending on importance of the meeting). Just saying…we don’t know.
    BTW, Inside Trails have an interview with Liza, go read.


    • Anonymous
      Posted on

      Anonymous Anonymous

      Reply Author

      I got the sense that this mom was off shopping for jewelry. But, you’re right, one never knows. I’d certainly never look a gift-nanny in the mouth myself.


  • Stefan Gräter
    Posted on

    Stefan Gräter Stefan Gräter

    Reply Author

    Ok I feel absolutley horribly guilty


  • Stefan Gräter
    Posted on

    Stefan Gräter Stefan Gräter

    Reply Author

    Uhhh, sorry technology incompetent …

    I feel guilty because I do employ a nanny. For us it was the best solution for two working parents as compared to group care after school. We both attend a lot of our children’s events, but a lot of times going to the 4:00 pm gymnastics class is just not an option.


  • Anonymous
    Posted on

    Anonymous Anonymous

    Reply Author

    Oh, Stefan, I didn’t mean to sound like I was judging folks who employ nannies to take good care of their children. It just seemed whacky that these particular nannies were going to be room moms. Kind of random extra work — particularly at this school where they’d be in charge of shuttling kids on field trips and making sure everyone contributed to the Christmas gift and the Easter Party and various other themed parties. I was being snarky about the work heaped on their nanny shoulders, not their good caregiving. Maybe I should keep my snarkiness to myself. 🙂


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