So its been a few days/weeks since my last post. Lots has happened to keep me busy in that time. Like deciding to send Danny to preschool, finding a good fit for him/us, and registering him, crying a little at the thought of my baby boy growing up, getting all of his supplies, meet the teacher night, crying some more and actually dropping him off at school. And more tears. It's bittersweet because I want him to grow up and be independent, but also I want to keep him little and have him always be my little buddy. When I look at him, I still see the tiny baby in the NICU and still have the urge to shelter him and protect him. I worry about the hardships he'll face as a child, teenager, and adult. I wish I could protect him from the hurt, disappointment, and unhappiness that I'm sure he'll experience. Yet I know that I can't. I'm simply here to hold his hand, teach him to be positive and confident, and how to handle those disappointments in life. It's a tough job. *sigh*
He loved preschool the first day. There were toys to play with, new faces, new friends! But yesterday was a different storry. His teacher said he was sad and asked for me. Piper on the other hand wanted to go to school so badly! She grabbed a backpack from her bag collection and took it in the car to go drop Danny off. She was more than ready to ditch me and go spend the day learning! It's definitely an adjustment for all of us.
Danny will also be running his first race with me on Labor Day. He'll be running a 1k (I'll be running with him), and then I will be running the 10k. Danny is going to be ridiculously cute!! He even gets a medal for competing. How awesome is that??
Speaking of racing, my running group has decided we are doing the Texas Independence Relay. It's a 203 mile relay that goes from Bastrop, TX to Houston, TX. I'm very excited to do this next year!! My 2013 race schedule is already filling up. Here are my upcoming races:
September: Labor of Love 10k
September: Lady Speedstick Half-marathon in Nashville
October: Halloween Hustle 15k
November: Big D 30k
December: New Years Double - New Years Eve Marathon
January: New Years Double - New Years Day 5k
February: Cowtown Ultra-marathon (50k) (the ultra is my goal, but depending on training/how I feel, might do half or full marathon)
March: Texas Independence Relay
May: Run Like A Mother 5k
May: Patriot Half-marathon
Wow...didn't actually realize I had that much already planned out! I still want to do a sprint triathlon too, so I guess I better make sure to leave room for that. Love it!
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Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
What's Cooking
My first blog post using the IPad! I'm typing on the actual IPad and not a separate keyboard, so I apologize ahead of time about spelling and grammar. I'm sure this will take a little while to get used to.
Today though, I think I'm going to go spend money on a new pair of running shoes. Headed to Run On tonight to go try on a few pairs and make the big purchase. Can't wait! Hopefully this will heal my running injury too. Well, maybe not heal, but help to not re-injure my leg. Gotta get ready for my next races! Im running the Labor of Love 10k on September 3 and the Lady Speedstick Half Marathon race on September 22 in Nashville. Danny is going to run his first race on September 3 - he's doing a 1k before the 10k starts. And I'm running the September 22 race with my step-mom. Fun running times to be had!!
I have been in high intensity cooking mode lately. My sister and I did the Once A Month Mom freezer cooking thing. We made 3 breakfasts, 3 or 4 lunches, and 6 or 7 suppers. Well, double that too since the goal is to have a well stocked freezer. We used the diet menu because it included weight watchers points and we are both attempting to lose a little. Well, she needs to just lose a little. I need to lose a lot. Details! Anyway it made a lot of food and I have been enjoying making it! I really enjoy making homemade food for my family. I feel like homemade food is comfort food - regardless of the fact that the comfort food I make is mostly healthy. I just think that someday my kids will look back and be thankful that I gave them nourishing food that kept them healthy. At least I hope so!
The other bonus is that bulk cooking is (supposedly) cheaper. I'm still waiting to see the results from that one because I spent a lot of money up front (around $350 for food for six people - my sister getting two of those servings). Generally, I spend about $125 a week on groceries and then i end up going back once during the week and getting a thing or two. However, I know I always run into the store for 'only one thing' and end up coming out with a cart load of food and junk. Target is the worst for this! Seriously - Super Target is the devil. I can't leave that store without spending at least $50. And $50 is almost half of my weekly food budget. I am slightly happy that I now have to drive out of my way to go to Target and that Walmart is literally just down the street from me.
Today though, I think I'm going to go spend money on a new pair of running shoes. Headed to Run On tonight to go try on a few pairs and make the big purchase. Can't wait! Hopefully this will heal my running injury too. Well, maybe not heal, but help to not re-injure my leg. Gotta get ready for my next races! Im running the Labor of Love 10k on September 3 and the Lady Speedstick Half Marathon race on September 22 in Nashville. Danny is going to run his first race on September 3 - he's doing a 1k before the 10k starts. And I'm running the September 22 race with my step-mom. Fun running times to be had!!
Monday, August 20, 2012
I'm Here
So the good news is - I'm not dead! It's been a while since I posted, I know, but I have a good excuse: my internet connection completely stinks. And I think my computer is dying. Derek got a free Google Chrome book a few years ago as long as he tested the product. We've had it for probably 3 years now, and it has worked well for the most part (although I do miss having an actual hard drive on my computer!). However, it has been stepped on by Thing 1 and Thing 2 so many times (I'm guessing that's the problem anyway!) that it now will randomly decide to restart in the middle of doing something. Plus at our new house our wifi seems to be very spotty and my internet cuts out all the time. Both are very frustrating and have lead to half finished blog posts disappearing and my patience being tested. I am not the world's most patient person.
The good news is that my leg injury is healing nicely and for the most part it is not bothering me at all now. Woo-hoo! I was able to run the Hottest Half with only minor pain and finished only three minutes after my PR time. Running a half marathon in rather warm, sunny, humid weather in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 3 seconds made me happy, especially with the injury. The race itself was fun and pretty easy and scenic. We did go over these crazy iron bridges that as you ran, were kind of springy and when 15 - 20 people were crossing it, it got downright disorientating. I had to walk across all of those bridges, which really slowed me down. And made me slightly sick to my stomach!
Speaking of being sick to my stomach, I have caught the flu bug that is going around here and spent last night getting sick and alternating between having a fever and chills. It was pretty awesome and left me with little sleep and a killer headache this morning. I'm not sure what brought it on, but I'm really hoping that the rest of the family doesn't get it.
Okay - wrote all of that about five days ago...then my computer restarted itself. I'm using my Chrome Book minimally now and Derek is giving me our Ipad to use as my new computer. I can't wait until we build up our savings again and I can afford a *real* laptop again. I'm going to hit 'publish' so that I at least get this post out. I have only written a total of three posts for August. I promise next month will be better and more bloggerific (for my 7 faithful followers!!).
The good news is that my leg injury is healing nicely and for the most part it is not bothering me at all now. Woo-hoo! I was able to run the Hottest Half with only minor pain and finished only three minutes after my PR time. Running a half marathon in rather warm, sunny, humid weather in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 3 seconds made me happy, especially with the injury. The race itself was fun and pretty easy and scenic. We did go over these crazy iron bridges that as you ran, were kind of springy and when 15 - 20 people were crossing it, it got downright disorientating. I had to walk across all of those bridges, which really slowed me down. And made me slightly sick to my stomach!
Speaking of being sick to my stomach, I have caught the flu bug that is going around here and spent last night getting sick and alternating between having a fever and chills. It was pretty awesome and left me with little sleep and a killer headache this morning. I'm not sure what brought it on, but I'm really hoping that the rest of the family doesn't get it.
Okay - wrote all of that about five days ago...then my computer restarted itself. I'm using my Chrome Book minimally now and Derek is giving me our Ipad to use as my new computer. I can't wait until we build up our savings again and I can afford a *real* laptop again. I'm going to hit 'publish' so that I at least get this post out. I have only written a total of three posts for August. I promise next month will be better and more bloggerific (for my 7 faithful followers!!).
Sunday, August 5, 2012
How my Ouch Landed me on the Couch
I'm seriously feeling old here with my achy, creaky body. Last Tuesday, I did my tempo run and had a little trouble with it. I couldn't get my breathing regulated. I couldn't keep and maintain my speed. That sort of thing. On Wednesday, I went and did my regular 4 mile run with my running group (in 106* - holy moly it was hot!), and couldn't run very far. I thought it was just the heat, but the further I went, the more my left hip started hurting. Boo! On Saturday, I headed out to do my "easy" 10 mile run. And easy it was not. My hip hurt SOO bad. I ended up walking most of 8.7 miles and then called it quits. I stopped to do some stretching at the end of my run/walk, and when I went to stand back up, it was painful to stand on. I shuffled back to my car and drove home.
Once I got back home, I took some naproxen, took an ice bath, and then iced my hip and thigh on and off for a few hours. Luckily, my mom and step-dad were here, so they helped me keep the kids entertained for the day. We went to the pool for some easy swimming/playing and then made a trip to Mecca. Er, I mean Toys R Us. We were trying to find Danny a skid steer. The kid is obsessed with skid steers for some odd reason. It might be because his new favorite show is Mighty Machines (on Qubo Channel at 10am here in Texas). Toys R Us showed that they had it on their website, but we couldn't find it in the store at all. So instead, Danny got an encyclopedia of Cars cars. As Derek called it - it's a catalog of all the Cars cars that he doesn't have (Mom! I need that car, that car, that car, that car, that car, etc, etc, on for infinity). It is kind of cool because it gives some back story of all the cars and also includes the characters from Mater's Tall Tales, Cars, and Cars 2. If you have a Cars lover - this would be an awesome Christmas present. Piper got a giant ball with Dora the Explorer on it. That girl loves her Dora! After the kids got their new toys, we headed back home to meet my sister and her boyfriend for some delicious, healthy supper and board games.
By supper time, my leg was killing me again. I took another naproxen and was alternating heat and ice while playing board games with the family. I won two rounds of King of Tokyo, and then my mom won once and then it was midnight and I was falling asleep in my chair! This morning I woke up and my hip hurt still. I took some more pills, more heat and ice, and have just basically sat on the couch all day (other than a quick trip to Run On to try on some new shoes and get some gels). I guess it's a good thing this week is a taper week because I am pretty sure I am out of commission for the next week. I'm really hoping that I'm not in too much pain to run the Hottest Half on Sunday. It's very disappointing to be injured.
From everything I read on the interwebs, it sounds like I have a hip abductor strain/tendonitis, which can be caused by an increase in distance, speed work, and hill work. What? Your aren't supposed to increase all three of those in the same two week period?? Ugh! I am awful at biting off more than I can chew when it comes to running. It's just so addicting and makes me feel so good - yet at the same time, if you overdo it, it can hurt SO bad. Anyway, from what I read, it said that I need to just stay off my leg, rest, ice/heat alternately, take ibuprofen, and do some light stretching. So that'll be my week this week. Along with play dates and grant writing and starting cheer/tumbling classes for Piper. When did my little girl grow up?
Speaking of little girls, my friend Erin that I've mentioned in previous posts is in Ethiopia right now (!!!) picking up her little girl that her and her husband are adopting. They are actually taking her out of the orphanage tomorrow. I am so, so, so incredibly excited for them and am now praying that their "cocoon" period goes smoothly and that they make a seamless transition from a family of four to a family of five.
Once I got back home, I took some naproxen, took an ice bath, and then iced my hip and thigh on and off for a few hours. Luckily, my mom and step-dad were here, so they helped me keep the kids entertained for the day. We went to the pool for some easy swimming/playing and then made a trip to Mecca. Er, I mean Toys R Us. We were trying to find Danny a skid steer. The kid is obsessed with skid steers for some odd reason. It might be because his new favorite show is Mighty Machines (on Qubo Channel at 10am here in Texas). Toys R Us showed that they had it on their website, but we couldn't find it in the store at all. So instead, Danny got an encyclopedia of Cars cars. As Derek called it - it's a catalog of all the Cars cars that he doesn't have (Mom! I need that car, that car, that car, that car, that car, etc, etc, on for infinity). It is kind of cool because it gives some back story of all the cars and also includes the characters from Mater's Tall Tales, Cars, and Cars 2. If you have a Cars lover - this would be an awesome Christmas present. Piper got a giant ball with Dora the Explorer on it. That girl loves her Dora! After the kids got their new toys, we headed back home to meet my sister and her boyfriend for some delicious, healthy supper and board games.
By supper time, my leg was killing me again. I took another naproxen and was alternating heat and ice while playing board games with the family. I won two rounds of King of Tokyo, and then my mom won once and then it was midnight and I was falling asleep in my chair! This morning I woke up and my hip hurt still. I took some more pills, more heat and ice, and have just basically sat on the couch all day (other than a quick trip to Run On to try on some new shoes and get some gels). I guess it's a good thing this week is a taper week because I am pretty sure I am out of commission for the next week. I'm really hoping that I'm not in too much pain to run the Hottest Half on Sunday. It's very disappointing to be injured.
From everything I read on the interwebs, it sounds like I have a hip abductor strain/tendonitis, which can be caused by an increase in distance, speed work, and hill work. What? Your aren't supposed to increase all three of those in the same two week period?? Ugh! I am awful at biting off more than I can chew when it comes to running. It's just so addicting and makes me feel so good - yet at the same time, if you overdo it, it can hurt SO bad. Anyway, from what I read, it said that I need to just stay off my leg, rest, ice/heat alternately, take ibuprofen, and do some light stretching. So that'll be my week this week. Along with play dates and grant writing and starting cheer/tumbling classes for Piper. When did my little girl grow up?
Speaking of little girls, my friend Erin that I've mentioned in previous posts is in Ethiopia right now (!!!) picking up her little girl that her and her husband are adopting. They are actually taking her out of the orphanage tomorrow. I am so, so, so incredibly excited for them and am now praying that their "cocoon" period goes smoothly and that they make a seamless transition from a family of four to a family of five.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Mommy Needs a Break
It's been a busy week or two. I had a grant due for work (have almost put in 10 more hours than my norm for the pay period), hosted two play dates and one running group, ran lots o' miles, and generally just had a super busy life. Even though I thought I was keeping up on housework, I have four loads of laundry sitting in baskets waiting to be folded, a dishwasher full of clean dishes to put away, a sink full of dirty dishes to be put in the dishwasher, crumb covered couches, and kids with sticky faces (I swear I just gave them a bath yesterday but Piper clearly put ranch in her hair at some point). Oh housework. Oh never-ending housework! How did I ever manage to keep an even remotely clean house when I worked full time??
And I absolutely adore my children, but it really is hard when they want to play and I have to work. Mostly because they don't understand why mommy can't play with them right now. So they act out to get my attention. And I end up having to correct their behavior which doesn't make anyone happy. I really dislike being the "Bad Guy" as Danny calls me when he is getting reprimanded. I'm glad my grant for work has been turned in and now I can work when the kiddos sleep and/or are distracted by something else.
As for sleep, Danny seems to be doing a lot of that lately. He has been taking naps pretty regularly over the last two weeks. I'm guessing a growth spurt, but not positive. I think around 4 most kids go through a growth spurt; maybe Danny is just hitting his early. Yesterday he took his nap at 5pm - 8pm, though, and then was up until about 10:30pm. Then woke up this morning at 6:30am. He's been a little whiny and cranky today - and so have I. It has definitely been a rough (ish) day.
I put the kids in their rooms after lunch. Piper for a nap and Danny for a rest. I gave him the Ipad and let him play some games in bed while I watched War Horse. I'm about 1/2 way through it now and it's making me more emotional than I was before watching! Why a highly anxious person is watching a war movie is beyond me. Maybe because I didn't think it was going to be so war-y? I expected more horse. Less war. So far it's a really great movie. Even if it wasn't exactly what I expected. World War I was so incredibly awful. I doubt any war is a "good" war, but the use of gasses and barbed wire and just the general awfulness of it all gets to me every time.
On a happier note, today is also Derek and my 10th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe that we've been married for a whole decade. And that we were such babies when we got married!! I can't imagine a 20 year old Piper getting married!! Or a 21 year old Danny. Wow we were just small fries when we got married!! It has been a great 10 years, though. We have grown so much together and have become a great team. I can't imagine life without him. Love him!
And I absolutely adore my children, but it really is hard when they want to play and I have to work. Mostly because they don't understand why mommy can't play with them right now. So they act out to get my attention. And I end up having to correct their behavior which doesn't make anyone happy. I really dislike being the "Bad Guy" as Danny calls me when he is getting reprimanded. I'm glad my grant for work has been turned in and now I can work when the kiddos sleep and/or are distracted by something else.
As for sleep, Danny seems to be doing a lot of that lately. He has been taking naps pretty regularly over the last two weeks. I'm guessing a growth spurt, but not positive. I think around 4 most kids go through a growth spurt; maybe Danny is just hitting his early. Yesterday he took his nap at 5pm - 8pm, though, and then was up until about 10:30pm. Then woke up this morning at 6:30am. He's been a little whiny and cranky today - and so have I. It has definitely been a rough (ish) day.
I put the kids in their rooms after lunch. Piper for a nap and Danny for a rest. I gave him the Ipad and let him play some games in bed while I watched War Horse. I'm about 1/2 way through it now and it's making me more emotional than I was before watching! Why a highly anxious person is watching a war movie is beyond me. Maybe because I didn't think it was going to be so war-y? I expected more horse. Less war. So far it's a really great movie. Even if it wasn't exactly what I expected. World War I was so incredibly awful. I doubt any war is a "good" war, but the use of gasses and barbed wire and just the general awfulness of it all gets to me every time.
On a happier note, today is also Derek and my 10th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe that we've been married for a whole decade. And that we were such babies when we got married!! I can't imagine a 20 year old Piper getting married!! Or a 21 year old Danny. Wow we were just small fries when we got married!! It has been a great 10 years, though. We have grown so much together and have become a great team. I can't imagine life without him. Love him!
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