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Showing posts from April, 2011

Studio C Gecko

I don't know why it's so hard to get along with my 12yo son, sometimes. Right now he's on a Leopard Gecko trip and it's driving me nuts. I'm not being callous - it's just that in the last 3 months he has been obsessively doing research on things that he wants to buy. How does he earn money? Babysitting for us. So who actually funds all of this? Us. First it was the Chameleon. He found out that he needed nearly $400 dollars for a suitable living space, nutrients and the animal itself. He even bought a custom made cage from Craigslist .com for $100! Well, he moved on from that when he discovered (or maybe started listening to his Dad & Mom) that the animal might be to fragile to keep in a basement in Nebraska. On to the guitar... This he saved for (I re-sold the cage on Craigslist .com) and a friend of ours took interest in his learning to play and chipped in a generous amount. To his credit, the kid IS practicing every day and interest seems to rema

The Pay Off

I love to cook and eat. These last 18 months have been a huge challenge for me. When our 4th child was born, I was way overweight, and having been on partial bed rest for most of the pregnancy, I was out of shape! In the fall of 2009, I stared walking on the treadmill and counting calories. I could only manage 15 - 20 minutes of walking at a time. I put my laptop on the shelf above the treadmill to watch DVD's on, but I just hated it. Couldn't stand it. Did it anyway. By a year later, fall of 2010, I had lost 40lbs, worked my way up slowly, and had been running quite regularly. So, I signed up for a 5k road race. The summer had been hot, I had worked my way up to an IT Band (overuse) injury, and was hoping to just finish in less than 40 minutes. I worked so hard all summer on my running and just wanted to make a 12:59 pace! September 2010, 5k, 39:49 (13:15 pace) In the next 6 months, I would loose 20 pounds and continue to run and lift weights. I did a round of P90X,

Eleven

I ran eleven miles today. It took over 2 hours - but I did it. I can't tell you that I loved it - maybe at mile 7 or 8 I would have - but it's done. My knees are a mess, the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue are sore, swollen, and tired. My back is a bit sore as well - but all in all - nothing a little Ibuprofen and a good nights sleep won't help. I'm officially ready for the Half Marathon on May 1st. I am done with my training and can now enjoy what is referred to as a "taper" until then. Since I missed 3 weeks out of the 12 weeks of training, my taper is a little short. Not perfect, but I will run, nonetheless. Yay! To bad we didn't get that solid night's sleep we were hoping for last night. I'm not sure what was up with our 23mo old, but once he's awake and screaming - it's on. He cried, almost solid, from 1:30am to 3am. David and I both made a few trips to give a drink/cover up/give kissandhug/check diaper and then jus

Not Perfect - Forgiven

What a day. What a night. Anyone with children can testify that some days are just a bust. Last night, Susan was a real pill about 2:30 am. She hollered and fussed and woke Cameron up (all because she finally decided she wanted her PJ's on after I had conceded to let her sleep in her clothes!). After Dave and I both attempted to bribe, beg, and threaten her back to sleep, we went out and closed the door - leaving her to immediately decide that she was to tired for all of that. At 4:30 am, my Tuesday alarm went off. Duh... In previous in-climate weather, I had been holed up in the local YMCA using the treadmill to train for my upcoming Half Marathon. Weather is better now = why is my alarm still set!? A little before 5:00, it seems a thunder storm rolled through. I would not have noticed, except for our 9 year old made me aware. Poor kid - she likes to sleep with a window cracked, and the mini blinds were slapping against the window in the wind. I directed her to the couch

Therapy

What do you do to cope with the stress of daily life? Listen to music Take a bath Watch a favorite TV show or movie Go for a walk Read a book Pray What about when things get really hard to handle? Talk to a friend or family member Go for a longer walk Read your Bible Eat Drink Isolate Stop talking Sleep to much Stare endlessly at TV that doesn't really interest you The later of the hard to handle list used to be my way to cope. Essentially, not coping at all. Just trying to weather the storms of life until it passed. How did that work out for me? Not well. Things do pass with time, but you never grow unless you learn to cope. While I disagree with the theory of evolution of species, Darwin did get it right when he asserted that "survival is ultimately dependent on the ability to change and evolve." Change in a positive direction is labeled "growth" - spiritual maturity. And if you want to survive your life, you have to change. Back to the question: What

Week Wrap Up

I have had a bunch of things running around in my mind this week - but no time to write. From the feelings evoked by seeing the crucifixion of Christ re-enacted by my church family, to thoughts of putting my training miles to good use and running for a charity. I've started my older children on next years books (they blew through this years) and my youngest child has regressed all the way back to getting in bed with me around 4am. Or screaming and waking up the whole house...refusing to be reasoned with. I've had a head cold, ran my longest training run since my knee injury, and consumed more in the way of junk food that usual. Today, I took some cough syrup during nap time and fell asleep on the couch. I woke up when hubby walked in, grabbed my gym bag and tried to go swim some drills. I bonked out at 750 yards, a little more than half of what I wanted to do. So, not really on the top of my game this week. I will admit, my 9 mile run on Tuesday was the BOMB. The weathe

Race Report II

Race for Grace - Grand Island NE - 10K + (6.65mi) We went up to my Mom's last night and she graciously allowed us to descend on her house and proceed to totally mess up her basement with all of our junk. :) We slept as well as anyone can with 4 children who are out of their element can. Our older children did well, but our 3yo tossed and turned and bothered our 9yo. For like and hour or more. I think we all fell asleep around midnight, and were all up at 7. So, not terrible, just not right. The race didn't start until 9am, so we had plenty of time to get ready, get the kids something to eat, and get there. The race was in a smaller town, so parking was a breeze. It was a nicely laid out event, with a pretty nice goody bag along with our t-shirts. Coupons for local businesses, a nice water bottle, and even some post-race snacks! Our race course was completely closed. The miles were all marked and we had water and potties at the 2 and 4 mile marks. I enjoyed the weathe

Fantastic Friday

My daughter, Alahnnah , just about couldn't handle today being April Fool's Day. If ever there was a holiday for that girl - this is it! My requirement is that the pranks have to be "nice", not include food- esque items passed off for food, and they can't lie. She had a fun day. I think she may have even had her Daddy fooled that she found a "real" mouse in the flour! Great day today. Had a moment that made me grin... Right after lunch, I always change diapers and help kiddos use the potty. You win some and you loose some. Today, I lost. Stinky messes all around. After I cleaned and napped them all, I went downstairs to retrieve the couch cover that was drying and passed my son's room. He needed his guitar tuned - the fancy electronic tuner wasn't working right with the laundry going nearby. That done, I went upstairs and helped Alahnnah with her math. That variety of multi-tasking really made me laugh. Tonight was our 9yo daughter&