Pumpkin Race

Bet you didn't know pumpkins could race, didja? Seriously, it was my last 5K of this year (no turkey trot for me) and it was, to me, the most important because it was what inspired me to run in the first place. And making it happen was no picnic!

Last week was one of the busiest we've had around these parts in awhile - basketball practice, new eyeglasses for me, yearly physical for Oldest Boy and flu shots/mist for all, and then the Space Shuttle.

Thursday is usually errand day around these parts and right now it's just me and Little One. We drop Baby Girl off at Pre-K and then we shop until we drop (or scream until we get out of the cart. whatever.). When we're through we head back to school to pick up Baby Girl, head home for lunch, take a quick nap (Little One) or work-out (me and sometimes BG), and then it's off to pick up the boys. It's a lot of driving. This week, while waiting in carpool to pick up Baby Girl, the battery in the space shuttle...died. It may have been my fault (although you can't prove anything!!). Anyhow, it ended up with the nice maintenance guy jumping my car with this fancy generator thingy - which was a good thing because I knew where the battery was but doing anything to it would have required, well, a call to AAA.

While it was great that my car got started, I was almost out of gas...and terrified to turn it off before I replaced the battery...and I had a car full of groceries. Drove home. Dropped off groceries while leaving the Space Shuttle running in the drive. Packed the girls lunch. Used the gas from the gas can in the garage so that I had more than fumes. Loaded back up (with a bag of tricks to keep them entertained...timing is everything...I was wishing those busy bags were here that day!). Got the battery changed.

When we got back in, I had to reset the code for the radio/DVD player to work. No problem. Mr. MOTH texted me while I was doing that to remind me of it. I texted back - no worries. I just did it and now am getting lunch for me and trying to decide what to do - head home or hang out before picking up the boys. I checked the time and decided it wasn't really worth it to drive home (25 minutes away) just to turn around and head back down to their school so I went to the craft store. 1:45. Perfect, I just wanted to shop around a bit before we needed to leave at 2:30 to get them. Turned off the Space Shuttle and checked my phone for texts from Mr. MOTH. @#$! 2:35!!! Doh! Taking the battery out also screwed up the clock. Luckily, I hadn't unbuckled the girls yet and we made it in time. Left the house at 8AM. Returned (for more than 2.5 seconds) at 3:45PM. {SIGH}

Ah, yes. The race. Here's where I would show you photos...but no one took any. That's what happens when you're always the one behind the camera.

I finished with a PR (27:39.00). I felt like it was a much harder course than my last race so I was pleased with my time. Around 1.25 miles I fell in behind this woman in a purple shirt. She was pacing around the same as me so I just sort of followed until we hit a hill. I cannot run outside of my house without running up a hill. A really steep hill - followed by a really, really steep hill - is my normal 3.1 course around the neighborhood. She slowed down on the hill. I did not. I passed her around 2.25 miles and since I never look back I didn't know where she was...until we came in sight of the finish. She pulled up next to me and turned on the jets. PUH.LEEZ. I was not about to let her beat me without a fight. I have never sprinted to the finish. But, y'all, we were neck in neck. Her time? 27:38.55. She beat me by 0.05 seconds. I call that a "tie". ;)

Plus I got to hold a very wiggly 2 1/2 year old immediately after I crossed the line...so I win.

Veins, Running, and Busy Bags

Next week I am having my varicose veins "fixed" (meaning, I hope they can no longer reproduce). For me, it's not as much cosmetic - although they are ugly as sin - as it is medically necessary. They hurt. They're uncomfortable. And based on family history, they're only going to get worse.

BUT, I'm a big chicken. They are doing the two worst with laser treatment and the rest with injections. According to the doctor and the website I should be able to resume normal every day activities immediately. However, I can't do any "strenuous aerobic exercise" for at least a week. Even the way I run, it would still be considered "strenuous aerobic exercise". {SIGH} This means no running. :( I did manage to schedule the procedure after the Great Pumpkin Race - the 5K for the boys' school that got me started running in the first place. I had really, really wanted to run in it last year but, since I had never even run a full mile before, I didn't. But that started the wheels turning and the ball rolling and the treadmill spinning and now here I am - able to easily complete a 5K and consider running further. Maybe.

Luckily, my niece-in-law (Shut up! It is TOO a relation!) organized this little busy bag swap. In theory, the idea is BRILLIANT! In reality, I don't know yet. We haven't completed the swap part. I have managed to spend an inordinate amount of time the last few days cutting construction paper and tissue paper and generally convincing my two-year-old that no, she CANNOT use my big girl scissors (she gets the Play-Doh ones). The kids have all helped in some way and that has been more than worth the effort. When I'm all done I'll probably post directions for my stained glass shapes - an idea sparked by a craft from Baby Girl's Pre-K. I am pretty excited - the idea of having a ton of little projects that will keep the kiddos busy and quiet for even 5 minutes in the doctor's office waiting room (which I will be in approximately 1, 493 times over the next couple of months) sounds like heaven!

Just Another Day

Did you ever have one of those days? One where you can't stop the negative jabber in your head? Yeah. Me, neither.

I am just in a complaining kinda mood, I guess. I try not to do so in front of the kids so guess where I'm gonna do it? Yep.

I hate living so far away from everything - Mr. MOTH's work, the boys' school, the mall, my preferred grocery store, even Baby Girl's school isn't exactly "close". I hate that right now we don't feel like we have much of a choice - finding a place that's similar to ours (meaning over an acre of property) closer to the city is near impossible or at least out of our price range. Gas prices are killing us. And it's not fair that the boys can't be part of a lot of school activities because of the distance. I wish public schools didn't suck so much. I wish people weren't so afraid of God being mentioned in school that it has gotten downright ridiculous (back when people feared God, Himself, things weren't near as bad).

I wish that I wasn't so tired (or maybe just lazy?) that I don't get up and get my run in before my day starts and instead take time away from my kids to do it. I'm glad I caught the running bug but now my clothes don't fit (in a good way). I wish I could figure out how to eat so that I maintain my weigh when I increase my miles (I will eventually have the time to research this, just not yet). I wish I had new running shoes.

I wish there weren't so many stupid, idiot, impolite drivers on the interstate.

I wish the boys' school offered a pre-K program because Baby Girl's school is a hot mess.

I wish this pain in my neck would go away.

I wish my husband knew how to fight fair.

I wish we would win the lottery.

But mostly, I just wish I could find the sunshine today. I need a rainbow.

10 Years Later...

On October 6, 2001 Mr. MOTH and I stood up in front of our individual families and said, "Forever." On October 6, 2011 Mr. MOTH and I stood up in front of the family that we (along with God) had created together and said, "Forever." I still mean it - and now our children can stop asking why they weren't at our wedding...
This is what happens when you hand your almost-seven-year-old your camera and make him the "official" wedding photographer:

If you look closely, my eyes match my dress:

I can't wait to watch the video that Oldest Boy took (he was the "official" videographer...) - especially considering every time I glanced at him the camera was at a 45 degree angle!

Buttons

Saying things have been crazy-busy around here is almost an understatement. All 4 kids have some bizarre head cold that starts out easy (simple runny nose, maybe a low-grade fever) and morphs into this croupy sounding cough that causes them to have laryngitis. There is really NOTHING more pathetic than a two-year-old with laryngitis. :(

This cold did not stop us from celebrating my mother-in-law's 84th birthday. She is currently living in a home near my SIL that the entire family is comfortable with. It might not be top-of-the-line but extended family (my SIL's SIL) works there and can keep tabs on things for us. The sisters brought her to J's for the "party". It is unbelievably bittersweet but sometimes comical (My SIL Donna went to pick her up and she was dozing. She bent down and whispered in her ear, "Ma, we're gonna take you to J's..." and my MIL said, "What the hell do YOU want?!?!" LOL!).

While we were waiting at the house, the kids were trying to entertain themselves. The older ones scored the Cartoon Network on an upstairs TV. Mr. MOTH was watching the college football game. And Little One was wandering around pushing buttons. Any button she could find - the phone, the remote, you name it. At one point my nephew was sitting on the couch with this puzzled look on his face. Finally he said, "Does she have the garage door remote?" Uh, yeah. He was sitting right above it and could hear it going Up! Down! Up! Down! *snort*. What a kid!

All At Once

First up, I HAVE A BRAND-SPANKIN' NEW NIECE!! WOOT! WOOT! Born yesterday, 9/8 at 6:21PM - 8#3oz, 21 inches. Beautiful. The new momma is doing fine. The new daddy it "tired". (I tried really, really hard not to laugh when he said that. Try not sleeping through the night for 8 1/2 years, buster!).

Yesterday, I had to do it all. Every thing that my kids have going on happened all at once. Baby Girl had Pre-K (but only for two hours). Little One and I had to take her but it didn't make sense to go home and do what? Turn around half an hour later to go back? So we did what any sane mommy does: We went SHOPPING! Baby Girl has a big-kid bed but no mattress/sheets/mattress pad, etc. so we tried to take care of some of that.

Meanwhile, my SIL, "K" was being induced. They broke her water and then we waited. I was getting updated by text because, as much as I really, really wanted to be there it wasn't happen' yesterday.

I had to come home, organize papers from three classrooms and two separate schools, make dinner and throw it in the crockpot (meatballs), pack snacks for after-school and snacks for the cross-country meet, pack uniforms and changes of clothes, feed the girls and get at least one of them down for a nap.

Off to the school to pick up the boys, drove to the park, convinced the girls that they didn't REALLY want to play on the playground (yeah, right), walked up a very, very steep hill while pushing 75+ pounds in a stroller, got my assigned spot for the race complete with walkie-talkie and bright orange vest, walked to my post, waited patiently (yeah, right) with all three kiddos running up and down a very, very steep hill (and sometimes rolling), neurotically checked my phone for a text, jumped up and down like a lunatic when they texted that she was pushing, freaked out when one of the runners had an asthma attack AT my post (this siutation still causes me to be extremely pissed and frustrated as I had no way of telling them accurately where I was and the coach - she was from another school - was completely incompetent at dealing with this as SHE told her that maybe she should keep running), watched a doctor throw his medical bag because he thought she was still with me (I radioed that she wasn't but he must have already taken off or something), lost count of how many runners had passed my post, walked another - very scared - little girl up the hill because she got a side stitch, missed my son cross the finish line, cheered when I found out he PR'd, shoved fruit into the girls' mouths so they would stop whining to get out of the stroller, waited for the ambulance to show up for the little girl with asthma, prayed for her with my children on the way back to the car, came home, cooked spaghetti, cried at the picture my brother and mother sent of baby "V", put the kids to bed, drank a beer, ran a bubble bath and invited my husband in.

Can't wait 'til next week when I get to do it all again. Twice. (Minus the "waiting for baby" part).

PS I had my longest run of my life on Wednesday - 4+ miles - on the treadmill. WOOT!

FORMER Party Girl?

Sunday evening the two boys and I were priviledged to be invited to a crawfish boil at Oldest Boy's best bud's house. I have only eaten crawfish once in my life but I LOVE me some seafood so I was NOT missing it, despite the rain.

I haven't been to many social events lately where I wasn't related to at least a few of the other party-goers so I was a bit rusty on my social skills. That, and the fact that I will never, ever drink a beer while driving my kids anywhere put me a little out of my element. I was practically a wallflower for most of the party.

I sat in the living room for about the first 20 minutes after helping a little in the kitchen. I should mention here that Best Bud's mom is an Ironman Triathlete who also coaches other runners, triathletes, and marathoners. She used to intimidate me (OK. She still does but it's gotten better since I know her a little more now). I knew that a lot of her running/training buddies would be there, too, and I've met a few of them at different birthday parties for her son or other events.

One of two things happens when you spend any amount of time with these type of athletes: A) You begin to feel so inferior in your pathetic 20 minute aerobic workouts and resistance band training that you try desperately (ALWAYS to no avail) to steer the topic away from running/swimming/biking or B) You look around at the other folks and realize that (mostly) to look at them, they don't look like marathoners/triathletes/ironmen. No, really. They look just like me. And then you get all crazy and start running and the next thing you know Best Bud's mom is offering you a training program for a half marathon (I didn't say I was GOING to run one, just that I might. Someday. In 10 years or so. Maybe. Probably not. Maybe.). Appearances can be deceiving.

As I was playing wallflower in the living room a woman walked in. No, not a woman. A real-life Barbie doll. She was stunning and she had beautifully made desserts and side dishes in a designer carrying bag and she was dressed to the nines. Naturally, I immediately hated her. ;) Then I started listening to the conversations (about the LONG runs) and found out she was training for a marathon and had just completed 18 miles that morning. This did not endear me to her any more at that particular moment. And then the food came out (incidentally, do you KNOW how much food approximately 100 people - 75% of whom are endurance athletes EAT?!?! A WHOLE FREAKIN' LOT!!) so I got busy stuffing my face daintily eating barbeque ribs and salmon (side note: The salmon was outstanding!!) when Barbie started looking for a place to sit. I slid over to make room on the couch and then realized that my napkin (which is really required when eating ribs) was nowhere to be found. Y'all, she split her napkin in half and shared. We chatted and guess what? She was probably the nicest new person I met all night. And then her husband walked in. He was, to use a Pittsburgh term, a jagoff. I have never seen someone treat their wife with such open rudeness and disrespect as he did her (at least in this kind of setting). And she just kept being so sweet to him. I? Would have left. WITHOUT him. She clearly deserves so much better than the shmuck to whom she's married. Appearances can be deceiving.

All-in-all it was a decent evening but I was wishing the other half of my family had been with me. Also, that I had realized a bit sooner that all of the fun, social people were hanging out by the keg/crawfish table. That would be why we stayed 45 minutes longer than I had anticipated. Once we found these folks (and the boys discovered the live crawfish just waiting to be scooped into boiling water) we were much happier campers. Best Bud's mom introduced me to a triathlete from LA (No, not my blogging friend, Mary) and she helped me out with the seafood table and entertained me with her training debacles. Even endurance athletes make mistakes. Appearances can be deceiving.