Life Is Beautiful

Aw...my poor little stubborn baby. He has NEVER slept well - and now that he's newly turned two - I'm happy to say that we can now reason with him and thanks to a good routine, this doesn't happen very often. We have a new ritual that is much much better than the classic "scream yourself to sleep" routine. I sing a couple of songs, turn on the Night Night Puppy, use the flashlight to charge the stars on the ceiling, and then hugs and kisses! I take my glasses off and press my face between the crib bars for a sweet little kiss. Then he moves to the next open space and says "And another one!" we move all the way down the line and back again, little smooches and giggles all the way. No matter what happened that day - this little ritual puts me right. I know that it's largely a stall tactic for the boy, but it sure is a heart soother for the Momma. Thank you, Lord, for that boy and just one more bedtime kiss!

I was doing an abs workout this morning when I looked down to notice that someone else's legs had been stuck on my body. These legs look less like my Play-dough "snakes" and more like appendages with actual muscle. Amazing. I spend considerable time being disappointed with various body parts - today I'm going to be proud of my legs! Time for the confession: I'm scared to death of being old and sick. Moreover, I'm really scared of the "C" word. Confidentially, I've been researching the use of Baking Soda to increase the alkalinity of the body in order to combat our acidic environment. There is some thought out there as to that being a major cause of cancer. And so, don't laugh...but I've been taking 1/4tsp of baking soda mixed with water each morning to increase my body's alkalinity . I guess I figured that it couldn't hurt. And anyway, laugh if you want. I've seen what cancer does to a body and I am willing to do an...

I thought I would share a couple of pictures of some of my heroes. Amazing that only a 40 years ago, it was advised that women NOT run due to their delicate nature. Good thing a few stubborn ladies didn't listen to THAT piece of medical advice! Constantina Dita - Oldest woman to win an Olympic Marathon at age 36. Awesome! Kara Goucher - Total cutie, Momma and proving to be a running badass, not only in the 1000m but longer distances as well! Deena Kastor - one of my favorites. Fifth fastest woman to ever run a Marathon, and now a Mom as well!

I have found lots of neat ladies out there, running their little hearts well! This lady has great blog and a SWEET GIVEAWAY this month. Enter here , and don't forget to add Amanda to your blog roll at RuntoTheFinish !

That's me... heels, hose, lipstick, and sparkles everywhere.  Just wanted to show you that I wasn't slacking this weekend... I ran a little 5k on the hotel treadmill Friday night and Saturday was my scheduled rest day.  And, apparently, a scheduled Cake/Candy/Carb Day. Ahem. I did get a new brother out of the deal, and life can return to normal for my sister.  She's been a "little" stressed out with the whole wedding thing. I'm just glad I won't likely be in any more weddings very soon.   And maybe next time I can cast my vote for an athletic theme song we can all wear tech T's and Vibrams!

This is a "Salad as Big as My Head!" One of my strategies for eating low calorie/high protein is to fill up on the veggies and meat. Here's my recipe for a very filling salad for around 400 calories. 3c. spinach petite carrots 1/2c. sliced mushrooms 1/2c. raw broccoli 6oz. cooked chicken breast 1/2c. lowfat cottage cheese You probably noticed there's no dressing, croutons, crackers, nuts, or cheese on this salad. Yep, that would be more fun, but the calories would jump real fast. The cottage cheese provides enough moisture to trick you into thinking there's dressing. This salad can be easily put together in the morning and taken to work. Just keep the chicken and veggies separate from the cottage cheese to avoid limp spinach. Enjoy!

Our 9 year old was very angry with me today. She had a very bad episode while getting ready for church and it was apparent that she was totally exhausted. My husband is a man of seemingly limitless patience. I mean, he's married to me, right? *rim shot* But really, he did much better with her than I did. The deal was, that since she basically screamed from the time she woke up until we hit the church door, she couldn't go to her volley ball game at 2pm and must come home and take a nap. Enforcing that yielded the same results as before. The screaming, the crying, the hurling of insults my way. I've been told before that she hated me. I don't respond. Today she upped the ante and threw out the old "I'm gonna kill myself." I responded, in my usual style, with "Well, you'll have to explain to Jesus why you didn't want to finish the work he had for you down here, then!" I knew she was just trying to get to me. And it worked. I tried ...

Here we have my new Vibram Five Fingers and a Foo-Foo Coffee drink.  I took this while waiting to get my hair cut.  Review to come on the "shoes",  the Frappacino was to much ice and not enough chest hair burning coffee for me.  The hair cut - hooray! Nonetheless, these moments alone don't happen often, so I shall savor it.   I only wish David was here...without the kids!

This little girl is very special to me. She is a bright, intelligent, kind soul. She has taught me most of what I know about gentleness and compassion. God put her in my life to train me. She would give her last lollipop to the next door neighbor or donate all of her allowance to the first person who knocks on the door with a collection plate. She is brave, resilient and joyful even in trial. And, as little girls often do, she has now grown up. In a few days, she will be getting married. I'm so proud of her and so humbled by her example of godly love. The only thanks I can give her for showing me patience and kindness to live a godly life myself. Grace is something we can't earn and can't repay. And so it is with my sister. My friend, my confidant. She knows it all and loves me anyway. May God richly bless Amy and Nat as they join in marriage on May 21st, 2011!

Happy Mother's Day to all of my compatriots. We had a wonderfully busy day and now I am waiting for my wonderful husband to bring home Mongolian Beef from the little Chinese restaurant up the street. I started the day with a dose of Insanity . Today was Day 1 of this extreme home fitness program. You can read about it if you want in my other blog - Mortonpixie and Insanity . Our church service was absolutely wonderful this morning. Our pastor taught on The Model Mother out of Proverbs 31. I guess I always sort of know that I'm important and hold our family together - but Pastor Aaron really put it in a way I could understand it. I felt so uplifted and encouraged! And on to the reason for the day. As our 12yo son pointed out, if it wasn't for him - I wouldn't be a Mother. Kids... This is Susan (age 3), Alahnnah (age 9), Cameron (age 2), and Liam (age 12). We were at Dairy Queen last night when I snapped this picture. These four "Angels" are the mos...

He was making this "embarrassed" face for us while we sang. So cute. Bye-bye to having any babies in the house. Next thing you know - potty training - then college. *sniff*

Having this mess immortalized on "film" was shame enough to make me clean it. 

It feels so much better to have this cleaned up.  Does this happen in everyone's house??

My brother and my husband ran slower than they needed to today.  They wanted make sure I made it across that finish line!  I love my Dream Team!

Today I finished the Lincoln Half Marathon in 2:39:22. I am very pleased with my finishing time - I was shooting for 2:45. The road to this race has been much longer in the past week, than the 4 months of training before that! On Tuesday of this past week (5 days to race day) I had terrible stomach problems. I had a hard time eating and bad stomach cramps that even kept me up a little in the night. On Wednesday (4 days to race day) my Mom developed an infection that she was place on IV antibiotics for. Major bummer...did I mention that she was supposed to care for our children while David and I ran? On Thursday (3 days to race day) I was so sick with stomach and gastro -intestinal distress that I stayed in bed all day. My husband cared for our children and our daycare children. I couldn't eat a THING. (Good) On Friday (2 days to race day) my sweet friend, Tina, offered to care for our children on Race Day. This woman is such a servant. She is a single Mom of 4 boys who wo...