Yesterday was my eight-year wedding anniversary. The day started off like any other day, I hollered at my husband from the kitchen while he snored his way through the alarm....I kissed him goodbye and headed back to bed. I ran around during the day, doing the usual routine- laundry, groceries, emails for Cub Scouts, phone calls, kid stuff, homework. Jacob offered to make dinner, so I didn't worry too much about that. We have this silly semi-tradition stemming from a mishap on Valentine's Day 2000 when I wound up serving us grilled cheese and pb&j and soup in my bedroom on an end table. =o) So he offered to make grilled cheese and soup for the family for dinner. After I sent our son to a time out after several meltdowns, my husband arrived home from work with -surprise!- roses behind his back. He very rarely gets me flowers, and even less of the time, they are roses. He really likes daisies and lilies, stuff that is a little less cliche-y. And then surprise again, he brought home some coffee ice cream! YUM! We had dinner as a family and I cleaned up from dinner while he got the kids ready for bed. Then we settled in for the most terrible chocolate mousse I have ever tasted followed by some much better ice cream and watched Red Riding Hood.
It's funny to think how different life was eight years ago. Even five years ago things were drastically different. Eight years ago we could get up and go at our pleasure. We didn't have bedtime, naptime, any kind of routine other than going to work every day. We only had to contend with our own moods and grumpiness. We were concerned only with our own hygiene and well-being. Who cared if our house was messy or if we ate dinner at ten o'clock at night? We were young and unconcerned.
I also spent some time yesterday reading, "Run Like A Girl". I am so in love with this book!! I have my highlighter and flags out and find something worth marking on almost every page. It is completely inspiring and has brought to light so many things that I didn't realize. I'm about halfway through it and can't wait to let you guys know all the wonderful things I've learned and come to realize about myself as a result of this book!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Missing person's report aka Freak.Out.Central.
Yesterday I experienced the worst afternoon of my life. Isaiah typically gets off of the bus at 2:45 pm. Since this year he's in the second grade, I've given him a little teensy bit more freedom. Instead of going to wait for him at the bus stop, I go out to the end of our driveway and wait for him. I can see the bus go through the corner (we are the second house in) and then I can see him cross the streets to get to the house. No big deal, right? It makes him feel good, and I can still see him from the second he passes the back of the bus. Except yesterday the bus drove off and my kid was not on the sidewalk.
"OK, calm down, he's probably at school still. Maybe he had to go to the bathroom or something and he missed the bus. Let's call the school."
The school tells me that they will page him and hopefully he will turn up at the office but they give me the number to transportation and they can make some calls to see if he maybe got on the wrong bus. I knew this was highly unlikely because he has the same bus driver and bus number as last year. But I called anyway, just to be on the safe side. No answer. Great. Call the school back. "Nope he hasn't come. Let me call his teacher. Maybe she saw where he went." Shit. This isn't making me feel any better. So I call the cops to see if they can maybe send a car over to the school to see if he's wandering around. In the back of my head I'm hoping that he didn't think he could walk home. It's almost a four mile walk along some pretty heavily trafficked but not fantastically sidewalked streets.
I file the missing persons report, crying the whole time. How tall is he, how much does he weigh, what clothes is he wearing....all questions that I never ever wanted to answer while talking to a police officer. About fifteen minutes later my house phone rang. To my surprise, it was our friend and Den Leader's wife, Mandy. To my relief, she lets me know that Isaiah turned up on her doorstep. He was trying to walk home and realized that he didn't know the way. When he realized he was lost, he saw a trail that they had traveled on during a Scout meeting and he remembered how to get their house. So he went there.
FREAKING OUT. He was unaccounted for for a total of only about 45 minutes, but it was the most terrifying 45 minutes of my life thus far. My police officer friend tells me I did a good thing by filing the report as quickly as I did because if the unthinkable actually were happening, minutes are critical. Thank goodness it was just my kid making a bad decision and nothing worse happened. I'm also very thankful that under the pressure of being lost, he was able to keep his head and figure out a solution instead of continuing to wander around. SO. I woke up this morning with my eyes almost swollen shut from crying for hours yesterday afternoon. But I have my son, grounded FOREVER, safe and sound at home with us.
On a lighter note, I received my copy of "Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives" in the mail on Wednesday. I made it about twenty pages in to the book prior to disaster striking yesterday afternoon....but I love what I've read so far and can't wait to get back to y'all with my review. I just know you're all on pins and needles.
Also coming up soon, a big change in my family........stay tuned boys and girls!
Enjoy your holiday weekend!!!!!!!!!!
"OK, calm down, he's probably at school still. Maybe he had to go to the bathroom or something and he missed the bus. Let's call the school."
The school tells me that they will page him and hopefully he will turn up at the office but they give me the number to transportation and they can make some calls to see if he maybe got on the wrong bus. I knew this was highly unlikely because he has the same bus driver and bus number as last year. But I called anyway, just to be on the safe side. No answer. Great. Call the school back. "Nope he hasn't come. Let me call his teacher. Maybe she saw where he went." Shit. This isn't making me feel any better. So I call the cops to see if they can maybe send a car over to the school to see if he's wandering around. In the back of my head I'm hoping that he didn't think he could walk home. It's almost a four mile walk along some pretty heavily trafficked but not fantastically sidewalked streets.
I file the missing persons report, crying the whole time. How tall is he, how much does he weigh, what clothes is he wearing....all questions that I never ever wanted to answer while talking to a police officer. About fifteen minutes later my house phone rang. To my surprise, it was our friend and Den Leader's wife, Mandy. To my relief, she lets me know that Isaiah turned up on her doorstep. He was trying to walk home and realized that he didn't know the way. When he realized he was lost, he saw a trail that they had traveled on during a Scout meeting and he remembered how to get their house. So he went there.
FREAKING OUT. He was unaccounted for for a total of only about 45 minutes, but it was the most terrifying 45 minutes of my life thus far. My police officer friend tells me I did a good thing by filing the report as quickly as I did because if the unthinkable actually were happening, minutes are critical. Thank goodness it was just my kid making a bad decision and nothing worse happened. I'm also very thankful that under the pressure of being lost, he was able to keep his head and figure out a solution instead of continuing to wander around. SO. I woke up this morning with my eyes almost swollen shut from crying for hours yesterday afternoon. But I have my son, grounded FOREVER, safe and sound at home with us.
On a lighter note, I received my copy of "Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives" in the mail on Wednesday. I made it about twenty pages in to the book prior to disaster striking yesterday afternoon....but I love what I've read so far and can't wait to get back to y'all with my review. I just know you're all on pins and needles.
Also coming up soon, a big change in my family........stay tuned boys and girls!
Enjoy your holiday weekend!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
The green-eyed monster
Hmmm....my track record is not looking so fantastical. Last blog? Oooohhhh...over a month ago. That tells you roughly how many miles I have ran since then. Yep, big fat goose egg. Truth be told, I thought I could handle running with my kid on a bike in front of me and I was wrong. The stress of being with him, watching double time as he crossed driveways and almost went over the edge of the curb was more than I could handle. Not to mention that it was hot and I felt so terrible looking at him at the end of a run and he had sweat trickling down his face from under his helmet. Oh well. I have my sights set on a different half marathon this year, the Paul Reese Memorial Run in Clarksburg. It's the week before my birthday which gives me approximately ten weeks to train for it. Perfect.
In other non-running related news, my brother-in-law is getting married this weekend. The past year has gone by super fast and not without it's share of drama. There have been a few disagreements over the things that they have opted to do and admittedly some catty behavior on my part. In the end though, these past few weeks I've realized that I have just been displaying one of my least favorable traits. I am an incredibly envious person. And instead of dealing with the envy and moving on, I hold on to it for dear life and dwell on it until it builds into this festering chip on my shoulder. Really not pretty. So for the past few weeks I've been working really hard to overcome this envy that I have for this woman, this wedding, this entire situation. And yesterday I came clean to her and told her how I felt and apologized for any hard feelings that may have resulted. It's difficult to keep focusing on the beauty of a situation when you are constantly dwelling over how you wish you had that opportunity. It's difficult to not focus on the fact that every situation is different. It's difficult to say, they've waited ten years longer than you did to get married, of course their wedding is going to be a little more (okay, a lot more) elaborate than yours. I have always had a hard time dealing with envy. This girl just seems to have it all...the college degree and career, the crafty creativity, the relationship with her family...and I had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that that's a GOOD thing for my brother-in-law to have in his life. After talking with her for several hours yesterday I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel so liberated! Like I can finally be truly happy for them, because I am, but it was always overshadowed by that stupid green-eyed monster.
ALSO, I am looking forward to receiving and reviewing a copy of a new book within the next few weeks. Keep your eye out for my review!
In other non-running related news, my brother-in-law is getting married this weekend. The past year has gone by super fast and not without it's share of drama. There have been a few disagreements over the things that they have opted to do and admittedly some catty behavior on my part. In the end though, these past few weeks I've realized that I have just been displaying one of my least favorable traits. I am an incredibly envious person. And instead of dealing with the envy and moving on, I hold on to it for dear life and dwell on it until it builds into this festering chip on my shoulder. Really not pretty. So for the past few weeks I've been working really hard to overcome this envy that I have for this woman, this wedding, this entire situation. And yesterday I came clean to her and told her how I felt and apologized for any hard feelings that may have resulted. It's difficult to keep focusing on the beauty of a situation when you are constantly dwelling over how you wish you had that opportunity. It's difficult to not focus on the fact that every situation is different. It's difficult to say, they've waited ten years longer than you did to get married, of course their wedding is going to be a little more (okay, a lot more) elaborate than yours. I have always had a hard time dealing with envy. This girl just seems to have it all...the college degree and career, the crafty creativity, the relationship with her family...and I had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that that's a GOOD thing for my brother-in-law to have in his life. After talking with her for several hours yesterday I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel so liberated! Like I can finally be truly happy for them, because I am, but it was always overshadowed by that stupid green-eyed monster.
ALSO, I am looking forward to receiving and reviewing a copy of a new book within the next few weeks. Keep your eye out for my review!
Monday, July 11, 2011
On getting a grip
Since high school graduation eleven years ago, I have changed quite a bit. But then again, there are some things that haven't changed. I'd like to say that I still have a pretty sunny disposition and I really like to see the good in people and give them the benefit of the doubt. Back then, when I graduated, I had some serious body image issues that I still struggle with. Back then, however, I had no reason to be worried or ashamed of the way I looked. I was super hot! (Relatively speaking of course.) I had a teeny tiny 24 inch waist, teeny tiny boobies (boo), and sported nicely curved hips. Since that time I have gained about forty pounds (as of last year it was almost 60 gained, so yay me for dropping that number!) and popped out two children. My skin, clearly not genetically enhanced by Mr.Fantastic or Stretch Armstrong, did not gracefully handle the amount of stretching that occurred during the weight gain or the two pregnancies.
Last year I bought myself a tankini to help resolve the issue of the belly button and stretch marks. Really I can handle the stretch marks. The thing that kills me is this imploded crater that is permanently stuck in the middle of my gut. Well, this year when I put on the tankini I was shocked to discover that the dang thing is *drumroll please* TOO BIG! OK, so now what? I put on this bikini that I bought a few years ago and only wore when we had a backyard pool of our own. Of course it fit, but then I'm stuck with the problem of the belly button. I can't possibly show it to anyone. What would they think?
After wrestling with my own brain for two freakin weeks I came to the conclusion that:
1.If it weren't for the offensive belly button, I would be totally ok with showing off my tummy. EFF the stretch marks, I've got two kids!
2. I'm proud of the progress that I've made and my midsection is really not too shabby.
3. I need to GET OVER IT and realize that no amount of working out or sit ups is going to get rid of it. So.
I wore the bikini. TWICE. First at the lake with a group of friends. This was an all day process. First I had the bikini on under my tank top, then the tank top got folded up while I was sitting in the sun and pulled back down when anyone came near me, then I said screw it and took the tank top off and then I said oh screw it again and the shorts came off. The second time was at a Fourth of July barbecue with family and friends. And you know what? I was okay. Nobody ran screaming. Nobody pointed and laughed. (Thank goodness.)
I'm taking what I've been given and dealing with it. And it feels great.
Last year I bought myself a tankini to help resolve the issue of the belly button and stretch marks. Really I can handle the stretch marks. The thing that kills me is this imploded crater that is permanently stuck in the middle of my gut. Well, this year when I put on the tankini I was shocked to discover that the dang thing is *drumroll please* TOO BIG! OK, so now what? I put on this bikini that I bought a few years ago and only wore when we had a backyard pool of our own. Of course it fit, but then I'm stuck with the problem of the belly button. I can't possibly show it to anyone. What would they think?
After wrestling with my own brain for two freakin weeks I came to the conclusion that:
1.If it weren't for the offensive belly button, I would be totally ok with showing off my tummy. EFF the stretch marks, I've got two kids!
2. I'm proud of the progress that I've made and my midsection is really not too shabby.
3. I need to GET OVER IT and realize that no amount of working out or sit ups is going to get rid of it. So.
I wore the bikini. TWICE. First at the lake with a group of friends. This was an all day process. First I had the bikini on under my tank top, then the tank top got folded up while I was sitting in the sun and pulled back down when anyone came near me, then I said screw it and took the tank top off and then I said oh screw it again and the shorts came off. The second time was at a Fourth of July barbecue with family and friends. And you know what? I was okay. Nobody ran screaming. Nobody pointed and laughed. (Thank goodness.)
I'm taking what I've been given and dealing with it. And it feels great.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Feelin the burn...
Yikes, it's been almost a month since my last post! Since my last appearance, we have been a bunch of busy Browns. Since Father's Day we have been camping for a total of 7 nights and 9 days. That's three weekends in a row. THREE WEEKENDS. In. A. Row. Do you know how much laundry that is? O.M.G. I've done a lot of laundry these past few weeks. We have a break coming up. From camping that is. We still have a lot of activities planned, they're just less involved and we get to sleep in our own beds.
On the running front, I've been trying to log at least two outings per week. My half marathon training kicks off next week and I gotta be honest, I'm not looking forward to it. It's HOT and this year I'm lacking a live-in nanny to allow my husband and I to run after the sun goes down. Boo. The nice part is that I'm getting a nice little tan from my efforts. The downside to this is that my tan line hits just below my knee since I run in capris. And since I decided that I'm wearing shorts this summer, my two-tone legs are a sight to see. I finally broke down and got a running skirt last week though. I decided on a running skirt because my thighs still rub together so my shorts like to creep up. Not only is this super uncomfortable, but it's also not cute at all. The handy dandy skirt feature acts as a cloak to cover the uncuteness of the creepy shorts.
I've been running with Isaiah on his bike and Justice in the jogger. We just have to make sure we head out earlier in the morning before the heat kicks in. Summer is definitely here and isn't messing around. Today we left at around nine. It was already 78*. Since I've just become used to the notion of wearing any kind of shorts in public, running in my skirt was really a scary thought. I felt exposed and vulnerable. On top of the heat and the massive amounts of exposed skin, I went to use my inhaler before we left the house only to discover that it was empty. I should have just given up at that point. But nope, I'm kind of stubborn like that I guess and headed out anyway.
On our last outing, I got upset with Isaiah for not taking extra caution when crossing business driveways. So I reminded him before this trip. Of course, he took this as the prime opportunity to show me how well he can listen. He took it to the extreme and actually stopped his bike before each driveway, like screeching halt-I almost ran into him kind of stop. He was hot too, so we had to stop a lot to drink the Gatorade I brought along with us. We saw a car accident, pretty big one, on our way and got to see the firetrucks, ambulances, and clean up crew show up and get to work. He was pretty excited about that, but it was just one more thing to distract him. He kept speeding up, then slowing down to a crawl pace, then almost falling off the curb.
So in conclusion, it was not an awesome run. Uneven pace, lots of stopping, ridiculous amounts of chafing, and definitely out of breath. We covered 2.7 miles in 36 minutes. It wasn't a shining moment in my running career but I'm glad to have gotten out and completed the miles.
On the running front, I've been trying to log at least two outings per week. My half marathon training kicks off next week and I gotta be honest, I'm not looking forward to it. It's HOT and this year I'm lacking a live-in nanny to allow my husband and I to run after the sun goes down. Boo. The nice part is that I'm getting a nice little tan from my efforts. The downside to this is that my tan line hits just below my knee since I run in capris. And since I decided that I'm wearing shorts this summer, my two-tone legs are a sight to see. I finally broke down and got a running skirt last week though. I decided on a running skirt because my thighs still rub together so my shorts like to creep up. Not only is this super uncomfortable, but it's also not cute at all. The handy dandy skirt feature acts as a cloak to cover the uncuteness of the creepy shorts.
I've been running with Isaiah on his bike and Justice in the jogger. We just have to make sure we head out earlier in the morning before the heat kicks in. Summer is definitely here and isn't messing around. Today we left at around nine. It was already 78*. Since I've just become used to the notion of wearing any kind of shorts in public, running in my skirt was really a scary thought. I felt exposed and vulnerable. On top of the heat and the massive amounts of exposed skin, I went to use my inhaler before we left the house only to discover that it was empty. I should have just given up at that point. But nope, I'm kind of stubborn like that I guess and headed out anyway.
On our last outing, I got upset with Isaiah for not taking extra caution when crossing business driveways. So I reminded him before this trip. Of course, he took this as the prime opportunity to show me how well he can listen. He took it to the extreme and actually stopped his bike before each driveway, like screeching halt-I almost ran into him kind of stop. He was hot too, so we had to stop a lot to drink the Gatorade I brought along with us. We saw a car accident, pretty big one, on our way and got to see the firetrucks, ambulances, and clean up crew show up and get to work. He was pretty excited about that, but it was just one more thing to distract him. He kept speeding up, then slowing down to a crawl pace, then almost falling off the curb.
So in conclusion, it was not an awesome run. Uneven pace, lots of stopping, ridiculous amounts of chafing, and definitely out of breath. We covered 2.7 miles in 36 minutes. It wasn't a shining moment in my running career but I'm glad to have gotten out and completed the miles.
Monday, June 6, 2011
THREE more days
Unbelievably enough, this school year is already coming to an end. On Thursday, my son will spend his last day as a first grader. And on Friday, I will have my first day of what I'm sure will be the longest summer I've ever experienced. Not that I'm not looking forward to this summer. We've got a lot of fantastically fun things planned and potential for a whole lot more.
My BFF from afar is coming to California at the end of July. I'm super excited for her visit. We haven't seen each other in almost a year and I'm ready to spend some quality time with her. She has been struggling with her weight, and we have put on a little competition to keep us each accountable and give ourselves a little something extra to work for. The one who loses the highest percentage of weight (a la Biggest Loser) wins a facial paid for by the other. One, I would L.O.V.E a facial. Two, it would give us a really good excuse to ditch the hubbies and the babies for a few hours. Three, well, I don't have a number three. I'm just excited to see her and spend time with her wonderful family.
I've been continuing to run as the weather permits. It's been freakishly wet and cold here; kinda feels like November. Most days when I can't run I just make sure I stay really busy moving around the house and I do my yoga, which really does get me sweating. I love the yoga stretchiness and really should integrate that into every day. I'm actually going to start staying up when my husband leaves for work at 5:30 am. Currently, I go back to bed until I have to get my son up for school at 6:30. Then sometimes after he gets on the bus I climb back into bed until 8. I think once school is out for summer, I'm going to need that time in the morning to myself and will regret staying in bed until the kids are both awake. That way I can do yoga, watch some morning news, and enjoy my cup of coffee before any of the whining, tattling, and neediness begins.
How does your schedule change for summer break? Do you find it more difficult having your kids home all day long?
My BFF from afar is coming to California at the end of July. I'm super excited for her visit. We haven't seen each other in almost a year and I'm ready to spend some quality time with her. She has been struggling with her weight, and we have put on a little competition to keep us each accountable and give ourselves a little something extra to work for. The one who loses the highest percentage of weight (a la Biggest Loser) wins a facial paid for by the other. One, I would L.O.V.E a facial. Two, it would give us a really good excuse to ditch the hubbies and the babies for a few hours. Three, well, I don't have a number three. I'm just excited to see her and spend time with her wonderful family.
I've been continuing to run as the weather permits. It's been freakishly wet and cold here; kinda feels like November. Most days when I can't run I just make sure I stay really busy moving around the house and I do my yoga, which really does get me sweating. I love the yoga stretchiness and really should integrate that into every day. I'm actually going to start staying up when my husband leaves for work at 5:30 am. Currently, I go back to bed until I have to get my son up for school at 6:30. Then sometimes after he gets on the bus I climb back into bed until 8. I think once school is out for summer, I'm going to need that time in the morning to myself and will regret staying in bed until the kids are both awake. That way I can do yoga, watch some morning news, and enjoy my cup of coffee before any of the whining, tattling, and neediness begins.
How does your schedule change for summer break? Do you find it more difficult having your kids home all day long?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Eating Clean
Ridiculously enough, it is hailing right now. Here. In Central California, where it is usually blazing hot already. Here I was, worried about how I was going to run in 100* temps and this morning I had to call the run on account of rain. Weird. I have been getting out there three times a week for the past few weeks, and I feel great!! I'm able to sustain under a 12 minute mile while pushing the jogger for 3+ miles. We actually ventured out last week and wound up covering 4.25 miles. I felt amazing! I FEEL amazing! I have musles in my legs that I can feel and see that I didn't even know existed! Even my arms feel like they are toning up as I have to put forth extra effort now to push the stroller.
The other night while at the grocery store I had to wait in line to return my RedBox movie (I absolutely love redbox). Jacob ventured off with the kids to the magazine aisle and I stumbled across Clean Eating magazine with a delicious looking chocolate pie on the cover. After flipping through it and drooling on every single picture they had in there, I decided I just had to have it. I am so glad I made that purchase. Every page is full of valuable nutritional information. They even have a two week meal plan which outlines breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with two daily snacks. AMAZING. This week's shopping included my creating a spreadsheet closely following the meal plans and creating a shopping list off of that. This morning I woke up early to prepare my husband's breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the day. He has called me after each meal to give me a quick review. It's pretty simple stuff for the most part during the day. He is satisfied and so am I. But he asked me...What exactly is clean eating?
So I did some extra research. The Clean Eating magazine states that "the soul of clean eating is consuming food in it's most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it's a lifestyle approach to food and it's preparation, leading to an improved life-one meal at a time." Several websites I've visited have listed the same basic principles:
The other night while at the grocery store I had to wait in line to return my RedBox movie (I absolutely love redbox). Jacob ventured off with the kids to the magazine aisle and I stumbled across Clean Eating magazine with a delicious looking chocolate pie on the cover. After flipping through it and drooling on every single picture they had in there, I decided I just had to have it. I am so glad I made that purchase. Every page is full of valuable nutritional information. They even have a two week meal plan which outlines breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with two daily snacks. AMAZING. This week's shopping included my creating a spreadsheet closely following the meal plans and creating a shopping list off of that. This morning I woke up early to prepare my husband's breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the day. He has called me after each meal to give me a quick review. It's pretty simple stuff for the most part during the day. He is satisfied and so am I. But he asked me...What exactly is clean eating?
So I did some extra research. The Clean Eating magazine states that "the soul of clean eating is consuming food in it's most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it's a lifestyle approach to food and it's preparation, leading to an improved life-one meal at a time." Several websites I've visited have listed the same basic principles:
- Avoid processed and refined foods. Reduce added sugars and enjoy whole grains.
- Drink lots of water.
- Eat five or six small meals per day, never skipping breakfast.
- Replace saturated and trans fats with good healthy natural fats.
- Reduce or eliminate alcohol.
- "If man made it, don't eat it." Only eat foods occuring naturally, no man-made fillers or ingredients.
I'm down with all of that, so we're going to give it a shot. I spent a lot of time in the produce section yesterday stocking up on strawberries, blackberries, zucchini, lettuce, and fennel. I like the fact that I mainly shop in the perimeter of the store and not in the aisles. I like the fact that I have fewer boxes and jars on my countertop after cooking. It feels really good to know that I'm feeding my family good, wholesome food that is prepared at home from fresh ingredients. It has been a slow process but I think ultimately this is what we have been working toward all along, we just didn't know it!
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