It has been one heck of a busy week! Travis has been gone since last Sunday so it has just been me and the boys. The dogs have been behaving particularly well this week, I don't foresee that lasting... Clark and I have been getting along wonderfully, though I am really worn out. He is such a great baby but he really takes a lot of work 24 hours a day. I do not know how single mothers do it. My prayers are with them!

Clark had his first bout of vomit yesterday. You see my boy likes to keep everything down; he has only spit up a handful of times in the past 6 months. Literally, I can count the times on my fingers and toes. However, yesterday is another story all together. I think that the combination of it being so hot and him gagging on some milk is what caused it, regardless he tossed up every ounce that he had taken in. I mean it came out of his nose and all. He was such a trooper though, he didn't even cry or act as though it surprised him at all. I was more freaked out about it than he was. Afterwards I gave him a bath and we went on with our day as normal. Okay, not completely normal, we didn't go for a run because he was not feeling the stroller at all in the morning while it was still cool enough to get out there.

Thursday we went to our first ever meeting of Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPs), and had a lovely time. Our neighbor invited us to go with her so that I could meet other mothers that are moving to the same town that we are. The meeting was not the usual get together, it was really more like a hail and farewell to the old and new board members but I still got to meet some lovely ladies and I am hopeful for the next few years. This in and of itself is a change since I've really been dreading the upcoming move. I have really been slacking in my fellowship, and in my studies of the bible. I am glad to head back in the right direction.

I think that GOD is really calling out to me because not only did I get the invite to MOPs from my neighbor but I also received a package, from one of my favorite aunts, of children's books from the christian book store. Isn't it funny how we can get lost in our daily lives and yet the lord will seek us out and remind us that he still loves us and is waiting for us to call on him?

So anyway, Travis is home today and we can resume our regularly scheduled programs. YAY!!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend and remember to take a moment to remember the lives given for our freedom!!

Good Run Day

I had a good run yesterday. The weather wasn’t optimal, it was hot as all get out and the humidity was enough to make a girl need gills… Somehow I managed to push out three 10:30 miles for a 31:30 finish, all while pushing the nugget in his jogging stroller. I do not know how I managed it. I mean really, I struggled to get through the last half mile but I didn’t walk and am super excited about it. I know that this might not be a big deal for some of you but it is a huge deal for me. I have not been able to push through three miles with the baby stroller yet (without a walk break)  and certainly not knock out a 10:30 pace doing it. OH YEAH!!!

The rest of the day consisted of hanging out with the little boy, taking a couple of walks, making him some apples, and cutting my friend’s son’s hair. I  headed off for an early to bed night and got some much needed rest.

 Hope you had a good day too. 

Busy weeks ahead...

Yesterday I had an eye appointment and it was quite possibly the most frustrating appointment ever. You see, I have been having issues with things being blurry while I drive; Travis will point out something and I am unable to read it and at night I am just plain blind, a hazard to others and myself. So I went to the doctor because I am concerned for Clark’s safety. I want to make sure that I keep him around for a long time, plus he needs his mommy. The doctor ran the tests and then looked me straight in the eye and said, “you have better than 20/20 vision.”  WHAT??? No, it can’t be. So he had me look at a line on the chart and asked if I could tell him the letters. Well I am in my thirties, I am educated, and I know my alphabet… Uh yes, I believe that is either an O or a C, next is an E or an F, the next one is an H and the last one is a T. The reason that I could tell him this is not because I can CLEARLY see the damn letters; it is because I can make an educated guess at what capital letter is on the chart. HELLO!!! So the doctor then put a prescription to my eyeballs and asked if I could see the chart better and low and behold it was CLEAR! Um yes, give me that prescription and let me be on my way!

After the eye doctor I had a luncheon to go to across the street, it consisted of a lovely group of ladies getting together to say good bye to the neighborhood. We ate good food, had a few laughs, and watched the children play with each other for what might be one of the last times. During this luncheon the conversation turned to recent events at the middle school, events that make me think homeschooling is going to be the best option for our kids. You see apparently the principal announced over the loud speaker the other day that TEA-BAGGING would not be allowed at recess. THAT’S RIGHT, TEA-BAGGING!!! Are you shitting me? I cannot believe that 1) some kid is tea-bagging another kid at recess and 2) the principal is announcing it to the entire school! Can you imagine your kid coming home and saying, “Mommy, what is tea-bagging?” HOLY SHIT!!!

Those are my two funnies from yesterday, I’m sure today will bring more…

On another note, I am trying not to get overwhelmed with thoughts about our upcoming move but every day I walk out my front door there is a moving van at one of my neighbor’s house packing up their things. This gives me the itch to start throwing things out, to get rid of the clutter and dust collectors. Today is the area wide yard sale and I gathered things to get rid of. I’ve got necklaces and earrings that I never wear, purses that go unused, scarves that have never touched my neck, air conditioners that we won’t need in our new place, candle holders that just take up space, etc… Hopefully it will all sell.

Have you had any “holy shit” moments provided by something another adult has said to your kid?

I need a nap...

The posts might be a little slow over the next few days, I need a nap.

You know how when you go to the doctor they ask that you show up at least 15 minutes early for your appointment? Yeah so um I showed up to Clark's 6 month appointment yesterday not 15 minutes early but 24 hours in advance. What a ding dong. I mean seriously a day early???

So today we will be going back to the doctor to get his check up and then I it is off to get his shots. I imagine he will be a cranky little guy this evening. I certainly hope not.

This past Sunday Clark and I ran a 5k together. Well he sat back and watched the scene go by as I ran it. Let me tell you, it was no easy feat. The thing started at 2pm and it was hot as hell out. Both times I hit the water station (out and back course) I took two small sips of water and then poured the rest on my head. I managed to keep an 11 minute pace. Which for pushing an additonal 30lbs is impressive, I think (that might be low balling, I mean the baby is 22lbs, then there is the ten pound diaper bag, water bottle, and the stroller itself...).

I also managed to "chick" a few guys. Let me tell you, as a runner I have always been one to get bothered when I have been passed by anyone pushing a baby stroller. I mean really someone pushing their kid is running faster than me??? So I can only imagine what a man must feel when it is a chick pushing a stroller passing him. I had a fellow stroller pusher finish 100 meters in front of me, he had kept his eye on me the entire time, when I had to walk through the water stops he would walk, when I had to stop and run after a cup that was tossed from the stroller he walked, and when I would pick up pace he would too. I guess he didn't want a woman to make him look bad. :)

Anyway, I hope that I can pick up the speed on my next 5k. Hopefully it won't be blazing hot out for it...

Have you ever "chicked" anyone? How did it make you feel?

Homemade Yogurt

Finished product, it is so creamy.

Last night I made homemade yogurt. I was really worried about how it was going to turn out or if it would turn out at all but low and behold I woke up this morning and it was done.  Not only was it too easy to do but it was cheap! I made 64 ounces of organic yogurt for the price of buying five yogurts that have who knows what added to them. Oh yeah, I’m doing the happy dance!

To make your own you will need:

½ gallon of milk (I used organic that was on sale for ½ price)

2.5 TBSP of starter yogurt (use plain yogurt with active cultures. Once you make your own yogurt you can use that as your starter)

1 double boiler or pot
1 casserole dish (with lid)
1 candy thermometer
Cheese cloth (optional)



Heat to 180

Cool to 110

Save 2 TBSP of milk in a bowl. Heat the remaining milk in the double boiler / pot until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit (continually stir the milk to keep from burning). Remove from the burner and pour into the casserole dish, let cool to 110 degrees. While the milk is cooling, mix the 2 reserved TBSPs of milk with the starter yogurt. Turn your oven on to warm or 100 to heat it up. Once the milk has cooled, add the starter yogurt mixture and mix well, place the lid on the casserole dish, cover with a dish towel and place inside the oven. Turn the oven light on (for heat), turn the oven off, and let the milk sit overnight or 8 hours. In the morning you will have yogurt!

Cover and let sit 8 hours

TOO EASY!!! There are some substitutions that you can make if you don’t have an oven light that produces heat; you can place the casserole dish in a cooler and seal it to keep the yogurt warm. If you want to have greek yogurt then you can strain your finished yogurt through a cheese cloth (layered into 4ths) removing the whey and creating a thicker product.

 I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

 Do you have any recipes for homemade treats that are healthier to make than they are to buy?

Homemade Chicken Stock and Shredded Chicken

I started making chicken stock from scratch a few months ago because I want to decrease the amount of processed food that we buy, I want to know what goes into our bodies, and I figured that I could also tweak it to suit our taste. I WAS RIGHT! Homemade chicken stock is so much better than the stuff that you buy off of the shelf, you know, that could last a nuclear blast (what do they put in that stuff?).

After searching the Internet, and perusing a couple of different recipes, this is what I came up with. My recipe will yield 7 quarts of stock and three baggies of shredded chicken. I made three batches this weekend so now I've got enough stock and chicken to get us through the next few months. YAY!

So here is how I make my Chicken Stock:

1 5lb chicken                     

2 onions (peeled and quartered)             

3-4 carrots (halved)        

4 celery stalks (with leaves, cut into thirds)                                        

1 head of garlic (halved crosswise)

2 TBSP Kosher Salt          

1.5 TBS whole peppercorns                        

15 stalks of flat leaf parsley

15 stalks of dill                  

15 stalks of thyme                                          

15 stalks of cilantro                                                                                         

28 cups of water

Assemble ingredients

Put it in the pot

Place all of the ingredients into a HUGE stockpot and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 1-2 hours (depending on how long it takes the chicken to cook, sometimes I use a fresh chicken and other times I use a frozen chicken so it takes longer). Once the chicken is cooked remove it from the pot and take the meat off of the bones. (I just put the meat into a bowl and set it aside to shred later) Replace the carcass into the pot and continue to cook for 2 hours.

Once you turn the heat off let the pot cool, strain the liquid through a colander and let cool the rest of the way on the counter. Once the stock has cooled to room temperature, place in the refrigerator overnight to chill completely. The next day remove the fat from the surface and then divide the stock into the size that you need.

I know this looks gross but at least it is no longer in the stock.

I put mine into quart size bags and freeze them. You can use the stock immediately or you can freeze for up to three months.

Ready for the freezer.

Do you have any great freezer meals that are your go to life savers?

Entertainment for Baby

I have been going out of my mind to find ways to entertain Clark day in and day out, so I decided that I would make him flash cards. I was trying to find a way to make a game of them or something and this is what I came up with:

Alphabetical flash cards on construction paper in “bubble” letters so that he can color them in (once he has the dexterity to do so),they are laminated so they are reusable. The colors of the paper are in the order of the color spectrum. You know, ROY-G-BIV. (Side note: I also organize my closet this way. Yep, I’m OCD like that.) I put the capital letters on one side and lowercase letters on the other. Clark does really well with paying attention as I go through the alphabet, he looks at the letter as I show it to him and he watches my mouth as I say the letter out loud. I also tell him what sound the letter makes, “A says Ahhh, B says Buhh, etc.” He will usually sit for three rounds before he wants to eat the cards.

I also made him some memory cards. The memory cards are either gray (ay is the preferred American English spelling, ey the rest of the English speaking world, just saying…) on one side with a basic word written on them (such as Mom, Dad, Dog, Moon, etc.) and then colored strips with a letter of the alphabet on it, or they are white with a dashed word on them for him to practice writing (I get that it will be quite some time before that happens but these are mini versions of the big cards for travel purposes) and the same colored strips on the other side. I figure we can take these cards with us when we go out to eat or are traveling, to keep Clark entertained. The basic words are so that he can get used to word recognition.

I can’t wait to finish my next project for you to see…

Do you have any recommendations for entertaining baby?

Role Models

My Mom after her 1st Full Marathon, My HERO

As I ran the Mannheim ½ Marathon I got to thinking about heroes and role models. I thought about how when we are children we read stories about heroes, princesses and princes, knights in shining armor, dragon slayers, etc. The list is unending, but who are the people that really made a difference in our lives? Our parents, our teachers, the neighbors, our friend’s parents, our parent’s friends. I think about the people that are considered role models today and it scares me. I worry for future generations when today’s role models consist of teen pop stars that wear too little clothing, drink underage, go to jail, and make bad decisions publicly. I hope that I can ensure that Clark has a surplus of good role models in his life.



My Dad, the man that taught me how to be an active parent.

You see, before the race started I got to watch as my friend’s husband interacted with our other friend’s children, how he made up superhero names with them, how he fed into their imaginations, how their eyes sparkled when they talked to him and when their make believe scenarios weren’t crushed by some adult that refused to entertain their childish thoughts. I watched in awe. I’m glad to know that there are adults out there that can embrace their inner child, even if only for a few minutes, to be a hero to a kid.

So while I ran I wondered who would be Clark’s hero? Who will his role model be? I certainly hope that it is his father and me, but I hope that there are other adults out there that will encourage his imagination, that will guide him in the right direction. Lord knows that there are going to be plenty of people in his life’s path that will want to lead him in the wrong direction, there will be people that will do so even though that isn’t their intention, but I hope that there are more role models providing respectable and wholesome events in his life than bad.

I think that the reason the run provided me time to think about this subject was, not only because it was so long and we were out there FOREVER, because on the side of the road were children of all ages watching as we passed. These children were our cheering section; they clapped, yelled, beat drums, and held their hands out to give high fives. I wasn’t able to high five every child that I came across but I slapped every hand that was close enough. I watched as some of the runners would just pass those tiny little hands without even a second thought. It made me grimace. I mean really people? You are running the same pace as me, maybe a little faster, so I know you aren’t winning this thing! Sticking your freaking hand out to the side isn’t going to slow you down any, what is the harm in making that kid feel like they are contributing?  Those kids made my day! LITERALLY! I don’t think that I would have made it without them. 

My Sister, an amazing role model

As I slapped high fives with a little girl I wondered if she too would one day become a runner, if she would catch the running bug from me as I trotted past or would she be disheartened by all of those runners that didn’t take the time to show their appreciation? I can’t wait to take Clark to a race, one that he can sit on the side and high five runners of all ages and genders.  I can’t wait until he sees that his mommy and daddy are amongst those runners that give high fives. I hope that he too will catch the running bug. If not, I won’t love him any less but I hope that even if he doesn’t catch the bug he still supports the people that do. I hope that by giving a high five to those kids I was a role model for them, someone that didn’t crush their hopes, and someone that appreciated their support even if they didn’t realize that they were the ones that were so important on that day.

Conquering Fear, I hope Clark will too.

I hope that I can be a role model to the children that I come in contact with, someone that they can learn from, respect, trust, and confide in. Do you know of any great role models for children these days?

Mannheim ½ Marathon (Written on Sunday)

OUCH!!! My pride is a little bruised, my hands and knees are busted up, and my body is just a aching…

Yesterday really took its toll on me. How did it go wrong? Let me count the ways… Here is the recap:

We left the baby shower at ten to four, I cried the entire way home (please know that this is the first time that I have ever left my son with anyone, not family, in his life. Also, I’ve only been away from him for 2 hours and I was going to be away from him for the better part of 6). We got home with ten minutes to get changed, take one car to the babysitter’s house (it had the stroller and play seat in the trunk, they needed them), and then get our booties to the train station. I also had to throw one of my bras in the dryer, and try to go the bathroom. We made it to the train station with our bibs in hand and my shirt on inside out.  1 & 2

Once we met up with our group of friends at the train station and headed downtown my nerves about leaving the baby had finally started to calm down. It was race time, I needed to get my head in the game. HA! We got downtown and started looking around the race venue and watching the other races begin, the hand bikes looked really cool, and they even had rollerbladers and unicyclists. Then we made one more “pit-stop” and started to make our way to our corral in the starting area.

 The organizers of the event had made a horrible mistake of building a two way bridge over a walkway for people to go over coming and going from the venue, so here we are with hundreds upon hundreds of other runners trying to get to the starting line and not making any progress due to the bottleneck at this bridge. 3 Then while we are trying to get to the start on time (after ten minutes of fighting the crowds with only 5 minutes to go) some ding dong woman in high heels starts trying to cut across the crowd. She proceeds to trip on another runner and grab me by my shirt to catch her fall. She pulls herself up by pulling my tank top down and looks at me with disbelief. I yelled, “GO!” at her so that she would get out of my face because I was infuriated that anyone that wasn’t running would be trying to get through the crowd knowing that the race was about to start. 4 Then I felt like an absolute asshole for yelling at that woman. 5

We make it to the starting corral just in time for the race to start, and we’re off. Just as we pass under the start arch and over the chip sensor I realize that I haven’t started my gps so I turn it on and wait for it to pick up satellite. Waiting, waiting, waiting… It says something I’ve never seen before and I ask Travis, “what do I do?” He tells me to restart it and try again. I have to do this twice. 6 So on my second try, I don’t notice that we are starting to curve on the road and my right foot catches a road reflector.  I EAT SHIT! 7 That’s right, I fall on my face, arms sprawled out, body contorted in a manner unbecoming of a runner while the other 11,000 runners try to trample my ass. Travis pulls me up from the ground, I’m crying. My hands are burning, my knee is throbbing, my elbow is skinned, and my pride just took a nose dive into the asphalt. He asks me if I’m injured, do we need to quit now, and reminds me not to injure myself by pushing through this. Through tears I tell him that I am fine and that we are going to run this effing race if it is the last thing I do.

I continue to cry for the better part of a mile while Travis continues to tell me to calm down. I gain control of my emotions for a little while and try to just run. We trot for about two miles and I start to tell Travis that he should run ahead, that he isn’t going to get a good time if he stays with me and I don’t want him to be too sore from running my slow pace. He does not leave my side. The miles slowly pass… We kept a 10:30 pace for the first two miles but then I need to slow down to an 11 minute pace, my hip flexors hurt, my back hurts, my knee hurts, and my hands are still burning. The fall really took a toll on my body from tensing up, and my mind was just running with whether or not Clark was doing okay. I tried to just keep thinking that “Just keep running, then you’ll get to Clark that much faster.”

After mile 7 I need a walk break and this is where the race went downhill, figuratively not literally. My hip flexors were not cooperating at all! So at this point every time we would pass a beer tent I would think about quitting, I would debate telling Travis to finish the race and then drive back and pick me up under that wondrous reprieve, that I’d be tanked and need a DD, but instead I just pushed forward. Miles 8 & 9 weren’t too awful, there were children lining the streets giving high fives out to the runners that acknowledged them. I tried to touch every single one that was held out to me, those little kids were truly what got me through. I cried as I passed babies in strollers, I cried as my ipod kicked out music that made me think of my Dad, I cried at the thought of not being able to finish that damn race. 8

After 15 Kilometers I had to do the mental battle with my body, I would just try to run a kilometer and then walk a little, I’d try to make it to the next water station. There was a lot going on in my head and I was not winning the battles, I walked A LOT! DEFLATED!!! 830pm my milk comes in BOOM! Holy Shit the pain! 9 I cry a little.

Finally we could see the finish line, it was about a mile away and we had to snake through the city blocks to get back to it and I just hoped that I could run the last part so that I didn’t look like a pansy to all of our friends. That is when the Marathoners started to pass us. 10 That’s right, the guys running the full marathon started to come in behind us and make their way to the finish. This is how I came to realize that the way to get your photo taken a lot was to be really slow and get lapped by the marathoners…

We finally finished the race in 2:41:20, my worst race ever! I keep trying to justify it with the fact that I had a baby less than 6 months ago but that doesn’t help. I am trying to get over it. I know that I had a lot on my plate, I have gone through a lot this year, there were a lot of factors that lead to such a bad time but still, I feel like they are just excuses. I am determined to get a better time THIS YEAR!!!  So my training will continue, I will start to try and slim down, incorporate more speed work and drop any excuses that I come up with to not run.  Let the training BEGIN!!! Okay continue but whatever…

Have you ever had a really bad race? What happened? How did you get over it?

Full Schedule...

We’ve got a busy weekend ahead!

Today I am baking a cake for my friends baby shower that is being thrown tomorrow at 230, her theme is Mustache, I’ll be making a large handlebar mustache cake for the shower. Pictures to follow as soon as the cake is complete.

 I am cleaning my house that has been neglected due to family visits and shopping trips. Yesterday my friend Nancy and I went on a road trip to Kaefers, the crystal store. The store is about an hour and a half away from here but the trip was well worth it! I got a set of crystal champagne glasses for under 17 euro, they were originally 17 euro per glass. HELLO!!! I also found out that they are having a super sale in July on all things Christmas. I don’t know if you know my little secret or not… I’m a Christmas addict. I love it! I have three Christmas trees. I haven’t actually put all of them up at once yet but this year is the year baby!

 And then… we are going to pick up our race packets for the Mannheim ½ marathon that is tomorrow night. I have managed to really get into my head about this race, I don’t know why all of the negative self-talk is creeping in but I’m really hoping that by going to the race expo tonight I will get excited about the race instead of dreading it. I don’t know why I am so worried about this race, I’m trained up for it (though I could have taken my training more seriously and plan on picking up the pace over the next few weeks). I really think that it has to do with carrying a little extra weight, worrying about how Clark is going to be while he is with the sitter, and the ever present fear of there not being a porta potty when I need one…

So tomorrow we’ve got to go to the baby shower, come home and change into our running gear and then head downtown to log some more miles. Sunday I am making three pots of chicken stock, which will supply us with roughly 21 quarts of stock (this is enough to get us through the next few months) and relaxing around the house with Travis and Clark.

Have a great weekend!

Wishing I was knocked up...

Big Preggers and Super Happy!

I just read another blog update where the author is pregnant. I have to admit that I am a bit jealous... I know that I shouldn't be and trust me my jealousy does not mean that I am anything but happy for her, I love it when good natured people make babies but I sure do wish I was knocked up too.

Have I mentioned that I wanted Irish Twins? Do you know what that is? Irish twins are a set of siblings that are under a year apart in age. I wanted a set and have officially passed the point of being able to get one for Clark. I have not passed the point of wanting to get pregnant. Every single time I see a pregnant person my uterus screams, “ME TOO, ME TOO,  I WANT TO BE KNOCKED UP TOO!” I know that I will get pregnant with my second child exactly when I am supposed to, that God will provide us that joy when the time is right. We got Clark when we were supposed to and the next baby will come the same way but man oh man did I love being pregnant.

After Luxembourg kicked my booty

As far as not being pregnant goes, well I did get to go on a run today and I am drinking a nice cold beer right now so I guess I don’t have much to complain about.

This weekend’s ½ marathon is quickly approaching and for the first time I am afraid that I am not prepared. I know that I ran farther during the training period for this ½ than I did for the first one that I ever ran (Luxembourg) but for some reason I am more nervous about this one than I was that first one. I don’t know if it is because I actually know how far we have to go and how painful it could turn out or if I am just being a worry wart. Hopefully it will all turn out well. Time will tell…

Parenting

Over the past week I have had multiple conversations about parenting styles. I must make note here that I have certain expectations of children and what they are 1) capable of 2) what is expected of them. This post is not only an observation of what I’ve notice in trends these days but also I hope that it will serve as a reminder in the future of what I’ve seen and how I thought the situation should be handled. I’m sure that parents want to hold onto the idea that their child will do no wrong, or is incapable of behaving badly but I remember the stuff that I got away with because my parents were oblivious to what I was capable of, my kids won’t fare so well.

You see, I think that children are too spoiled these days. They are given freedom too early in life, their parents are more concerned with being liked than they are with being a guiding force in the lives of their kids. I have a friend, who has a 16 year old daughter; her daughter basically runs her life. My friend is constantly chauffeuring this girl to and from her boyfriend’s house, so much so that she can’t even enjoy an evening with friends because she is constantly looking at her watch to see if she is supposed to be leaving to fetch her daughter.  I have a problem with this for a few reasons: 1) The girl has more than one D on her report card (one would be enough in my house to be restricted) 2) The boyfriend is two years older and has tattoos and earrings (yes, this might be judgmental but…) 3) When did boys stop picking the girl up for a date and returning her home? 

I think that my friend has lost it. I’ve told her that she is an enabler and that none of this would be happening if she didn’t allow it but she just makes excuses for the girl, “it’s her first relationship/ we’re moving soon, they only have four more weeks together / they don’t know how the train system works, etc.” Her husband on the other hand sees things the way that I do but for some reason unknown to me he won’t hold his ground. They argue about it but it always seems to go in the direction that the daughter wants it to and I think that it is because Mom doesn’t want to be the bad guy. Unfortunately that makes Dad the bad guy. I think that this will lead to a bad relationship between the father and daughter for a long time to come.

I’m not writing this post to bash my friend. I’m writing it because I think that parenting is like a slow dance between partners. I think that if the parents aren’t in sync, then like in dancing, someone’s toes are going to get stepped on.  I think that parents are doing a disservice to their children when they try to be their friend and not the guiding light in their life. Children need guidance and an explanation as to why things are the way they are, they need protection. Sometimes that protection is from others and sometimes it is from themselves.  Children aren’t always able to make the right decision, they are more interested in having fun then working on their grades, they would prefer to be with their friends instead of with the books, but as the adult in their life we need to take the reins and drive them in the right direction.  This might lead to disappointment or even a few cross words but it will teach the child that they won’t always get what they want, something’s are earned and others are privileges, that not everything in life is going to go their way. I think that today’s youth is spoiled, they are allowed to get away with way too much, and they aren’t being taught manners or what it is like to work for something. I hope that I can at least teach my children what that is all about.

The truth about pregnancy…

We Enjoyed Every Minute!!!

This past Sunday Travis and I went to a barbeque with some of our friends, one of which is 8 months pregnant and is due on the 4^th of July. This friend asked me why I hadn’t told her the truth about pregnancy when I was pregnant or even after I had Clark. I asked her what she meant and she said, “Why didn’t you tell me that I was going to be uncomfortable for 10 months straight?”

This question took me back, I had to think really hard before answering because once you’ve held your baby those things seem to just wash away. I know that there were some trying points during my pregnancy but they were so small compared to all of the abundance of joy that I felt for those ten months.  The fluttering of my baby’s feet trumped the heartburn every single time! Baby hiccups made having to sleep on my side bearable, the wonderment of growing another human being in my body was so much more important than anything that could come my way.  I truly think that it never crossed my mind to think of pregnancy as ten months of being uncomfortable, my mind grabbed onto the fact that my body is amazing and is able to not only grow another person but it is also able to nourish that baby and keep him alive for even longer.

Are there things that I could have warned her about? Yes, certainly, I could have explained to her that she should find a good pair of sandals that will not cut into her swollen feet for the final few months of pregnancy and she should buy another pair two sizes larger for her post baby, water retention days, I could have told her to buy stock in panty liners, breast pads, tums, and tucks.  These things don’t even scratch the surface and not to mention labor and delivery, what about all of the strange things that come after the baby is born… Hello body odor, water retention, night sweats, nipple rash, uterine contractions, etc… 

There are so many experiences that come with having a baby and no they aren’t all pleasurable but they don’t always happen with each pregnancy or with each woman.  Some women have it worse and some have it better.  I don’t believe that women intentionally hold back on telling new expecting mothers their “horror” stories because they want someone to commiserate with, I think that they just count their blessings and brain dump the rest. Sure I remember the things that were a pain in the ass but being the only person that gets to feel my little one inside for those precious months was so much more memorable than any of the other stuff.  Plus, who wants to be the A-hole that is telling an expecting mother about the negative things that she has to look forward to? I hated it when women would tell these awful tales of their deliveries or how bad they had it when they were pregnant. Really? You were blessed with a healthy baby and all you have to do is complain? Nobody wants to hear that crap…

So to all of you expecting mothers out there: Yes, there will be times that you are miserable because you are too uncomfortable to eat or you can’t fit your swollen feet into the pair of shoes that you wanted to wear, you haven’t seen your vagina in months and aren’t sure if she will still be your friend once you two meet again, you don’t know what your feet look like and are afraid to ask your husband/wife/other to give them a rub, or you sit down and can’t get back up but those moments are fleeting and the love that you feel for that little baby will make those moments seem like a distant flash of time that requires no second thought.  Enjoy your pregnancy as best as possible and remember that you are amazing, your body is amazing, and you are creating the miracle of life.

Enjoy it!!

Family Visits

Clark and Aunt Teresa

For the next two weeks Travis's Mother and Sister are visiting from Canada. They are super excited to snuggle the baby and to see some of Europe. We have scheduled trips for almost every day that they are here so they can see as much as possible in the short time that they are here. I think they will need a vacation from their vacation once they get back home.

They got here on the 26th and hit the ground running! Their first full day here they spent 8.5 hours visiting Heidelberg. The next day we took them to Mannheim for some shopping and Italian ice, followed by grilling in the back yard. Sunday we went to the Mai Markt and got to see some interesting sights. Monday they headed off to Venice for four days and we will pick them up from the airport late Thursday evening. Friday will be a little more Heidelberg or maybe Ladenburg and Saturday we will head off to Rothenburg O.D.T. with a follow up visit to NeuSchwanstein Castle and Garmish.

That will leave them with one more day here around the house before they head back to the other side of the pond. We will be sad to see them go, Clark certainly loves having them here!

12 miler and thoughts on running

Post 5k Dec 2008

Running… Where do I begin?

I have a love hate relationship with running; I love to run and be mobile, I love to feel the sun on my face and the pavement move under my feet, I love the breeze that I create by putting one foot in front of the other; I hate the mental fight I have with myself before almost every run, “get out there Jack, the day isn’t getting any longer / but I haven’t eaten or I need to work on dinner.”

You see, I am admittedly lazy… That’s right, now you know my dirty little secret. LAZY!!! As much as I love all of those things about running I would really rather take a nap.  Yes, once I am out on the road and have hit my stride I am always happy that I went, once I’ve completed a long run and my legs are screaming, dead weight, I am overjoyed but the lazy girl in me is still thinking, “I could have had a nap” or “I could have slept in.” Okay, maybe I couldn’t have slept in because I am up at the crack of dawn everyday but I really could have taken a nap…

I am one of those people that has to be training for something ALL OF THE TIME because if I don’t have a race to look forward to then I don’t have a reason to get out of the house. I can put it off until “tomorrow” and tomorrow can turn into weeks. On the up side, I know this about myself and I know that I have a tendency to be lackadaisical about my running. So for this year we are currently training for a ½ marathon that we will run on the 12^th of May, I have incorporated speed work so that I can get my 5k time down and I will run that sometime this summer, and I have decided that I am going to continue to increase my mileage so that I can hopefully run a full in the fall. I’ve told Travis that I want to either run another full marathon this year or get knocked up, which ever happens will make me happy!

This past Saturday Travis and I went out for our 12miler. We ran 11 and walked the final mile because we were both running on empty.  Around mile nine I started to run out of gas, I had to take a walk break almost every half mile and I hate that! I’m not one of those people that thinks you have to run the whole race for it to count, on the contrary, I think that so long as you start and finish you are a runner but I am one of those people that hates it when I look back on a run and think that I could have given more. The entire run plays through my mind like a movie and I critique it, I question why I “needed” that walk break or why I took such a long one.  I know that I was tired and didn’t have sufficient fuel for the last portion of the run but I still feel like I’m making excuses.  So to combat my negative ways on next Saturday’s long run I am going to take something to eat with me on the run, probably a banana or something, so that I’ve got the gas to get through those last few miles.

Don't get me wrong, my love for running far outweighs my hate! I'll write a post on that soon because running is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in my life.

Do you have to mentally prepare days in advance for your long runs? Do your past runs play through your mind like a movie?