Month: June 2016

BMX LumberJack Nationals: Day #1

2016-LUMBERJACK__1__mxw460_mxha.pdfWe made it! Although it’s only a 1.5hr drive from home, it seems as if it took DAYS to get here.

Once we arrived, we pulled into our weekend camping spot, and immediately blew out a tire. Ugh! Motorhome tires are NOT cheap, nor is it easy to get it replaced. We have a service call into the local Les Schwab and are hoping they will make it out first thing in the morning (before this place becomes a mad-house).

Less than 10 minutes following that episode, I stepped on a large piece of glass (hiding in the gravel) that went right through my shoe and sliced the bottom of my foot open. Double damn (as great-grandma would say)!

Getting the bad stuff out of the way first thing…the rest of the day hanging with our team mates has been a pleasure. The girls spent most of the afternoon running around, playing, and causing mischief whenever possible.

To celebrate Mayhem’s ACTUAL birthday (and Dan & I’s anniversary), we headed into town for dinner at Hop Jack’s. It was good, but nothing worth bragging about.

Now, we are bundled up in the motorhome watching ‘Parent Trap’ – hoping the kids will wind down and get well rested. Practice starts about 10 tomorrow, with racing immediately following. Can’t wait…!

Stay tuned for more updates from the BMX LumberJack Nationals…

#WHORIDES #TEAM77RACING #TEAMDIABLOSBMX

#MotoMom

 

 

Off to LumberJack Nationals: List after list…

As we set off for the BMX LumberJack Nationals at River Valley tomorrow, I double, then triple, and sometimes quadruple check my lists.

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Why all the lists? It’s all just too much to sort out in a short amount of time…without the lists. My husband has been working double time to make up for the last vacation (to Silverwood) and this upcoming race/holiday weekend (consisting of 5 days); so getting him on the ‘same page’ is important. The lists give both of us a clear picture of what needs to be packed, prepared, and done by the time we sail out of our driveway. I primarily do all the grocery shopping, food prep, and packing for all four of us (plus Ollie, the family cat who travels with us). Dan takes care of making sure the motorhome (or cars) are ready, the bikes are all prepped & packed, and anything I need loaded makes it on-board. It’s just what works for us.

This trip has been especially challenging, as we just got done with Maybelline’s 8th birthday party; and we leave on her actual birthday and our anniversary. Putting all the stuff away, cleaning party trays and bowls, and all the other non-sense from her party was a 2 day task itself. The dust had finally settled.

Today was my ‘PREP DAY’.

One thing that is SUPER important to me and my family is FOOD! (The kids’ annoyingly mock me constantly for saying this…) but, FOOD = FUEL. In the life of ‘extreme sports’, it is even more considerably important that that the foods we are consuming are best for the body. It’s easy to ‘fly by the minute’ and get fast food/pre-prepped food on the go, but it’s obviously not the fuel your body needs/wants to participate in this level of activity. Especially when racing/riding, I find it necessary to prepare a full menu ahead of time and do my best to make sure we all have the proper fuel we need throughout the trip so we don’t find ourselves resorting to unhealthy options. This trip in particular, I’ve prepped everything including: steak chili, buffalo chicken wraps, garlic&herb turkey wraps, beef gyros, beef short ribs, mashed potatoes, 4 salads, sliced veggies & homemade ranch, chunked watermelon, trail mix, sandwich/salad fixings, and other goodies on the side. We shall eat well for the next 5 days…

Then, my other chore: packing the gear, clothes, shoes, and whatever else essentials are needed for this family 4 of plus our cat. Between the motorhome, 4+ bedrooms, a ‘clothes room/closet’, and the giant laundry pile – I must figure out how to accumulate 5 days’ worth of ‘racing clothes’, plus casual clothes (and you know Washington, plan for BOTH sun and rain), sleepwear, and undergarments for both the girls’. The husband and I always seem to figure out our packing pretty quickly, thankfully. Overall, ‘the packing’ amounts to being a half day chore. And, it’s done – YAY!

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Tomorrow, leaving… only 12 hours from now? Ugh! I am much need of some rest. LUMBERJACK NATIONALS…HERE WE COME…

 

#MotoMom

#SingleMotoGrandpa seeking #SingleMotoGrandma

As many of you may already know, Poppa Wheelie is the center of Team #77 Racing. Without him, we sure as heck wouldn’t be able to make racing a possibility – and likely wouldn’t even be riding. He’s a SUPER GREAT dad, and an even better grandpa. But, he is missing something – and that is a #SingleMotoGrandma to enjoy life by his side.

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And that, my friends, is why I have created a ‘Rider Bio’ just for Poppa Wheelie… #SingleMotoGrandpa seeking #SingleMotoGrandma! Check it out here: http://team77racing.com/rider-bios/poppa-wheelie/.

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Although most of the content was created in a joking matter; he REALLY is looking for his future Mrs. #{NoLonger}SingleMotoGrandma. Interested? Please submit blood test, urine sample, breathalyzer results, and current vaccination report to [email protected] for consideration. Actual results may vary…

#MotoMom

Maybelline’s 8th Birthday SURPRISE!

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Today was Maybelline’s 8th birthday party! And as usual, she chose to have it at Poppa Wheelie’s house. About 40 or so WONDERFUL people showed up to ride (quads, dirt bikes, 3-wheelers, ORV’s, and horses too), BBQ, have root beer floats, and wish the growing sprout a HAPPY BIRFFFDAY…

And – the icing on the cake: she got a KTM Pro Senior 50 dirt bike! She has long wished for and awaited this bike (especially since taking the championship at NW Flat Track and outgrowing her current CRF 50). She has been working with her dad painting, pulling wagons at the Monroe Swap Meet, and taking on many other tasks in order to save for it (and just breached $200). Prior to our Silverwood trip, we found this KTM bike in Bend, Oregon – and Poppa Wheelie set off early on a 16 hour road trip to buy it. We had to keep it hid for the 4 days of vacation, as well as at Poppa’s house so it would be a surprise. And boy, was it a SURPRISE!

We are beyond blessed for all of our family and friends! Her new bike was funded by her biggest sponsors: Mom&Dad, Poppa Wheelie, Auntie Rockie, and Gma Susie. Her awesome aunt/uncle got her a matching KTM helmet, and her best buddy EZ&family got her a super sweet KTM zip up hoddie. Wild Bill&Ty knocked it out of the park with red Vans BMX shoes, and many lovely people stocked up her scrapbooking supplies. Gosh, (I know we are all saying this about now)… I wish I was her when I was younger! She truly deserves it.

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Now as we prepare to wrap up the birthday shenanigans; we shall turn about-face, and start preparing/packing for the LumberJack BMX Nationals this next weekend. Both girls will be racing this 3 day event, as we camp out in our motorhome at the track. Stay tuned for updates!

#WHORIDES #TEAMDIABLOSBMX

#MotoMom

Kids Kickstart to Summer @ Cycle Barn

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Up bright and early…and off to CYCLE BARN! Every year, Cycle Barn’s hosts a ‘Kids Day’ event (which, might I mention, gets COOLER and COOLER every year). For the 3rd year in a row, they have hired Poppa Wheelie and Maybelline to run the kids quad/dirt bike safety course.

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But it gets even better! This year, Cycle Barn built a Strider track (and brought in a whole ton of Striders and gear to lend out) – and let the kids loose on the course! Maybelline, having quite a bit of BMX experience, was elated to help the lil’ guys out on the Strider track.

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If that wasn’t enough – Cycle Barn brought out face painting, scavenger hunt, Marysville SWAT team, goldfish races, and MUCH MORE!

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We are SO THANKFUL for our many years of sponsorship from Cycle Barn! And, we are SO LUCKY to have such a great dealership in our community. THANK YOU CYCLE BARN – you once again outdid yourselves… ♥Team77Racing

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#Moto Mom

It’s FINALLY SUMMER!

Ahhhh, the long awaited ‘SUMMER TIME’! Why do I love summer so much? Beause I am off work + kids are out of school = MOTO TIME! Oh yea, and MOST importantly, CHORE CHARTS are back (insert happy dance)…

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During the school year, I find myself rather ‘lax’ when it comes to chores. But when summer approaches, I find it the most useful tool to keep the organized chaos under control. We are often shuffling between home, race tracks, the motorhome, and wherever adventures take us; so having each of the girls assigned to a certain amount of responsibility and keeping up on studying/school-work takes some of the stress of of me. Maybelline is usually in charge of packing riding gear, or putting it away. Penelope loves to help with laundry: doing the dirty, or putting away the clean. Both of them are required to read for 30 minutes a day, and complete at least 2 worksheets. And, of course, they don’t mind exchanging their labor for some extra change here and there – so why not?!

If they complete their chores, all week, in their entirety – they can earn $12 for the week (which has only happened ONCE). We require that at the end of each week, 40% of their earnings go into savings, and the other 60% is theirs to spend. This has not only helped them to further understand the costs of racing, but also allows them to control where and what they want to do next.

When Maybelline decided to start racing BMX, she took $120 from her savings (approved by dad) and purchased her very own Redline bicycle! Now that she is looking to upgrade her dirt bike, she has been working and saving for a down payment on it (and she has $180 towards it so far). Penelope is more of a ‘saver’. Since she gets most of the hand-me-down bikes and such, she just likes to save her money. I am sure here soon she will want/need something new – and when she does, she will have a nice nest egg to make it happen.

Yay girls – and YAY for SUMMER TIME CHORES!

We’ve got a big 8TH BIRTHDAY {party} coming up this weekend…stayed tuned for updates and SURPRISES…

#MotoMom

 

 

 

Well, here we go!

Aweee, hello! It’s so great to finally get to this point. I suppose introducing myself may be a good start. I’m Emily! Mom to 2 girls – Maybelline (turning 8 this next week), and Penelope (age 5). I’ve long considered doing this (writing a blog); as we are a family of 4 who LOVES to ride and race (quads, 3 wheelers, dirt bikes, ORV’s, bicycles, etc). In midst of getting married and starting our own family, we discovered that this tradition was quickly becoming a life long family passion. Almost 10 years in, we are knees deep. Both girls are currently racing an indoor flat track series on both quads and dirt bikes; and race BMX the other 9 months of the year. Yes, this keeps our schedules full – but WE LOVE IT!

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Rather than re-capping history (most info can be found in the ‘rider bio’s section); let’s jump off from here. We just arrived home from our annual Father’s Day vacation to Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, ID. What a blast we had! We took our RV over (and Poppa Wheelie met us there – as he had to leave  day early to scope out a potential birthday present for Mayhem in Oregon…more to come) and ‘glamped’ in the RV lot at Silverwood. We spent 1 day at the amusement park, 1 day at the water park, and 1 day visiting with family (always so great to see family)! The other 2 days were spent DRIVING, ughhh.

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We are now back home, settled…well, kinda. Although I am off work for the summer, I find myself plenty busy trying to keep up with the two little ladies! Getting the motorhome unpacked, cleaned – and all the clothes/dishes/food unpacked, cleaned – and the kids…unpacked, cleaned – and so on. In midst of it all, comes Maybelline’s 2nd grade graduation (today) – and Maybelline’s 8th birthday (party this weekend, and birthday next week)! This is a BUSY week for us. BUT, as soon as it ends…

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I will be re-packing, re-cleaning, re-organizing…and we are headed off to the Lumberjack Nationals for BMX at River Valley in Sumner for the 4th of July weekend! This will be the first national BMX event for either of the girls to race. They just recently joined the Diablo’s BMX Team which has opened many doors for them. We look forward to a great weekend full of friends, family, and great memories!

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…stay tuned! This is just the beginning for Team #77 Racing!

#Moto Mom