Two More Days ... Will I Make it!

Just 2 more days and vacation will be here. I can hardly wait. I am so excited, but also overwhelmed with what I still have left to do. How come the following things are always true before vacation ...

1. no matter how organized I try to be, I am always up until midnight the night before packing and getting last minute things done. (packing for 7 is a challenge)

2. my house is the messiest it has ever been and there is no way that I am going to get it cleaned so that I can come home to a clean home.

3. my laundry pile is growing, not getting smaller. (this happens most days, not just before a trip)

4. trying to get the kids to pick up and help mom out is like pulling teeth. They look at me like I am talking in a foreign language.

5. I would kill for the chance to nap, but who has time to nap...

6. I toss and turn at night, running through a list in my head of things that I cannot forget to do or bring on the trip.

7. my kids tell me that they don't feel good, what!!! this is not happening!!

8. I start having nightmares about the worst airplane flight ever.

9. I start practicing self control to deal with the stares and comments that we will get when people see that we are traveling with kids ... 5 kids... they must be crazy!!!

Clearly you are thinking that this lady desperately needs a vacation. Amen!! The stress before a trip is always worth it when we land and I get to see my family. The kids run up to grandma and papa and give them a big hug. The look on their faces when they see their grand kids. Priceless. I am so ready. Bring on the stress. I can handle it!! Here we come!!!

Simply Saturday

My good friend Becky has inspired me to write this post. Go check her out. She is an amazing mom with two beautiful twin boys who adore her.

As I was thinking about what to write for my Simply Saturday post, I was stuck. Being a mom of 5 kids, not much in my life is simple. Crazy, busy, overwhelming at times, yes, but rarely simple. As always, my kids have inspired me to see and enjoy the simple things in life. This morning, like many Saturday mornings, my kids came into our room to wake us up and request breakfast. Rolling over and trying to ignore 5 kids is a bit of a challenge, but we always seem to try it. Soon a tickle fight had begun and our room was filled with the laughter and squeals of all 5 of my kids. They all love this. Daddy is the best at tickling them. Mommy just tries to make sure no one gets hurt or falls off the bed.

It is the simple things in life that show our kids that we love them. Spending time with them on Saturday morning is one of those simple things. They want our time and attention. They want to play with Daddy because Daddy is home today. They want to be together as a family. This doesn't take money or hours of planning, it just takes our time. Thank you kids for reminding mom and dad that time spent together shows the love that we have as a family. May we always remember this. We love you all so much. So what are we doing together today?

Taylor 5k Race

Giving my final kick! The finishline: 30:28

The whole gang!! We need a running club!

The girls!! I think we have new running buddies!!

These pictures do not tell the whole story. We woke up to dark clouds, rain and thunder and lightening. The storm was only going to last a few hours and be cleared by 11:00. Great! So when we are walking back to our cars the storm will be over. That is pretty much what happened..

Race day morning: 7:00am

Alarm goes off. I crawl out of bed and wish I had gone to bed on time. So tired!! Get dressed and realize that the shorts that I wanted to wear I put in the wash last night and forgot to put them in the dryer. Run downstairs, toss them in the dryer. Maybe 15 minutes will be enough time? Grab my shoes, number, mp3 player, knee braces ... what am I forgetting? Oh, safety pins for my number. Where are they? Nothing like wasting 10 minutes looking for pins. Now I am late and I am eating on the run. Shorts, not dry, grab other running pants. Open the door, yuck!! I am going to get wet. Wonderful!!

8:00am

Arrive at the park with Marla (friend I talked into racing her first race) Can't find a parking place, so park in the back lot and walk. Raining a little bit, but not bad.

8:15am

Quarter mile fun run was to begin, but by this time it is pouring. Everyone that was there was under the registration tent, trying to stay dry. We must have been quite a sight to see. We felt like cattle. The kids ran in the rain, but had fun. We were pretty wet by then, but were on the sidelines cheering them on.

8:55 am

Needing a potty break before the 5k, Marla and I brave the weather and go searching. We see the "can" but getting to it is another story. Fences were set up everywhere for the carnival later that day. It was quite comical. We looked like we were playing a live version of mouse trap. To make this adventure more fun, it starts pouring rain again. We are soaked and running to cover. In the process, I miss judge a small puddle for a small river and am now carrying an inch of water in both shoes. Thinking I had time to empty out my shoes and ring out my socks before the race was a mistake. The announcement to head to the starting line for the 5k rings loudly as we reach shelter. Wonderful!

9:20 am

Race time. We are getting ready and they are giving us last minute instructions and announcements. All I hear is "blahh, ahh, ahh." I hope that was not important. Let's race.

I felt pretty good during the race. I was wet and my clothes were clinging to me, but I was racing. By the 2nd mile, the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking out from behind the clouds. The last few minutes, I was praying for some more rain. I did not reach my goal to break 30 minutes, but I tell myself that I was carrying 10 pounds in water weight. Better luck next time. My next race is a 10k in August. My first 10k. It should be fun. We will start praying for better weather.

A Conversation with Daddy ...

This morning Rylee and Emma came to our room and jumped into our bed, much too early. They are incapable of sleeping while laying still. Needless to say, our sleep time was over. When they can't sleep, they talk. Shocker!!! This was their conversation ...

Emma: (in a whinny voice) Rylee, are you still my best friend? Please!

Rylee: (a long, dramatic pause) Yes, you are my best friend.

Emma: Good!

Daddy: Rylee, am I your friend?

Rylee: No

Emma: You are not a kid!

Daddy: I can still be your friend and your Daddy. What is a friend?

Rylee: Someone you play with.

Daddy: I play with you. Anything else?

Rylee: Nope.

Mommy: Am I your friend?

Rylee and Emma: Yes!!

Daddy: Can I be your friend?

Rylee and Emma: Yes!

We might need to work on the definition of friendship, but we enjoy these conversations with our little girls. They are precious memories. We love you, girls!! You will always be our friends!!

Confessions of an amateur runner

Just when I think I am starting to really understand this running thing, I get thrown a curve ball. Let me explain ...

My last training run was a train wreck. I was huffing and puffing and my time was so off. It can be so discouraging. I was excusing my performance with being sick and just not quite feeling back to my old self, plus I am getting old. So today, a must run day, I pull into the park at 8:50 pm. I know what you are thinking, "great start!" I was quickly losing daylight, so I told myself to pick it up and get in what you can. Apparently, these are the magic words that my body needed. I felt amazing. Great pace, minor huffing and puffing, legs felt strong, and I was even passing people!! (most people were walking, but I still passed them, victory!!) The start of my 2nd mile, I actually felt like a real runner.

"I wonder if I look like a runner? I feel great! Let's pick up the speed. Ok, slow down a bit, let's not get crazy!! Wow!! Maybe, I do know what I am doing!"

These conversations in my head are very common. I try to keep myself entertained. Just when my pride was getting to a dangerous level, I look over to see a couple of teenagers running all crazy, and laughing. I am pretty sure they were mocking me. Ok, that answers my question about looking like a real runner. Maybe some work in that department wouldn't hurt. I thought about messing with them, by running like Phoebe in that episode of Friends, but I refrained. My luck, I would fall and break something 4 days before my race. Not good!

The downside to this amazing run is that I could not find my watch before I left the house. Who knows what my time actually was, but in my mind it was amazing. That is the only thing that really matters!! Race day is coming! Bring it on. I am ready.

Flashback to my Childhood ...

At lunch today, I had a flashback to my childhood. My daughter, Emma was eating lunch and had to go to the bathroom. In a panic, she informs me and the table of kids (her brothers and sisters) that she was not finished with her food. Do not throw it away!! I had to laugh!! My youngest brother, David went through this very same thing. Being the baby in a family of 5 kids, he often felt the need to defend his food and announce to the family to leave his food alone if he left the table. One traumatic afternoon, the dog ate his food that he was not through with. Since that day, David would panic when he had to leave the table. We did mess with him and hide his food on more than one occasion. Yes, we were mean!!! He learned very quickly to defend his food. Emma will learn also. I resisted the need to hide her food. She is much too young to appreciate this. David, now that you are a father, I am sure you will have many life lessons to teach your kids!! I am convinced that this lesson will make the cut!!! Love ya, little brother!

Confessions of an amateur runner

This week I am learning how much of an amateur runner I really am. I am trying to get ready for my 5k race in Taylor this week. This should not be too hard because my last race was an 8k. Why, then do I feel like I am going backwards!!! I know that it doesn't help that I had to take 2 weeks off due to sickness. Let me tell you that it is shocking how much you lose in 2 weeks. I feel like a loser. My body is just not back to normal yet. What is taking so long? The voice in my head is saying, "you are getting old!" This is a great excuse until race day when a sixty-ish lady passes you. What!!!! Who cares that her body looks like she has been running way longer than me. I am half her age. It is depressing!!
I know that I can finish the race, but my goal is to beat my time. At this rate, I might only be looking at a few seconds faster. I want to shave a minute off, but I think I am dreaming! Start praying that I don't hurt myself trying to improve my time. The last thing I need is to trip and sprain my ankle during the race. I might be an amateur forever! Great!