Things I Love Thursday (Running)

Well, since I have only been really writing this blog regularly for the past three weeks and this is my third post on running, I think it suffices to say that I LOVE RUNNING! And, I have a goal to run the Chicago Marathon next Fall. So, I thought I would justify my love for running by listing things that make running good!

1. When I am about to scream because my house needs cleaning, my kids need feeding and things are not going my way BUT it is 7am (my usual time to run -- although somehow this has changed to 5:00am -- see #5) I get to go without having to justify, and somehow life is a lot clearer afterwards. (or maybe I just can't yell because I am out of breath)--either way it works!

2. Some nights I really need a piece of chocolate, glass or two of wine, chocolate chip cookie, etc. On days I run, I really do not feel guilty about one of these things, and even on days I don't run, I just run a little more/faster the next time.

3. I can say that I have actually accomplished something -- "I ran 6 miles, in 54 minutes. " One of the only things I actually COMPLETE in my life, other things like dishes always need doing, there is always laundry to do and toys to clean up -- they are never COMPLETE!

4. It is one of the only things I can do that I am completely alone doing, and it is OK.

5. I do not have to be completely alone, I have made some of my best friends running, and am always making new friends running. There is camaraderie in running, I may not ever have taken the time to get to know someone because our lives are different, busy, full, etc. BUT then we run together. And there is just something about running 8 miles in a snowstorm just for training sake that makes you feel like this person is your favorite person and you will be friends forever!

6. I get to run with my girls. This Fall my 8 year old and 5 year old have been training with me for the turkey trot Thanksgiving morning. So we will be starting our day running together, for that I am thankful!

I cannot imagine not being a runner, I hope that I will be one of those people at 89 still running and maybe even one of those old people you hear people talk about that passed them at mile 5.

This post is being linked to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries

A Book Review

Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

I love to read, I am not a huge fan of book reviews, because so often it is just a personal thing. But I am going to give it a try. For example, I strongly disliked the books The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. Both of these books have gotten rave reviews from many, but they just were not my cup of tea. So, this review is just my humble opinion. And, I went into this with high expectations. Some set by the 3 or 4 pages of reviews at the beginning of the book stating how this book changed lives. The other expectation was one set by myself. Somehow I thought this book might be just the perfect blend of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. Now this would be my dream book probably, historical fiction with a little bit of mystery (or whatever drew me to Twilight). Well, I was sadly disappointed. This book was a quick easy read, but it was not all I had hoped for. The two main characters were Toma and Lucine. And Toma was what seemed to be a "savior" character. Definitely in the ending he was that, but he was SO lacking. I am always taken by books that show the lure and danger of overindulgence. So often we look at evil as just that evil. The characters that murder, abuse, hurt. This book shows the danger of just living with pleasure and love in excess, at all costs. And that I appreciated. But I wanted more development. I did not see what real love looks like, the kind that is complete, the kind I think this book was trying to show. I wanted more. So, all in all, I would give this book 3 stars if I had a rating system like that. The idea was good, it fell short.

Top 10 Christmas Traditions... It's Beginning To Look a lot like Christmas!

Well, not here, but just north of here I heard they got a foot of snow! And, I cannot believe how many people are setting up Christmas trees early, before Thanksgiving. I say go for it! I love this time of year... the lights, the smells, the sights. I love it! There are a few traditions I will keep and a couple I would like to start (or restart)
1. Pajamas -- since I was a little girl we got pajamas on Christmas Eve -- to look cute in our pictures Christmas morning (although I dont think I ever looked really cute in any of those pics)
2. Put up Christmas Tree the weekend after Thanksgiving -- I actually have these really fond memories or going to cut down our own tree the first week of November as a kid, some friends of ours had a Christmas Tree farm and before they sent them out to the stores we got to come cut one, we then followed it with chili at a neighbors with friends from church also cutting down THEIR trees and singing Christmas carols. I thought we would have a real tree by now, for sure last year, but so far our little tree has hung in there. We missed putting it up last year until the week before because we kept thinking we would get a real tree, we never did, we put up the old standby and my two year old broke into tears when he saw the lights, I dont think he had seen anything so beautiful in his life!
3. Advent - so often I skip this part, I get so caught up in all the doing, I forget the need to prepare myself for this holiday so... we will be reading a part of the Christmas story each day and lighting our Advent candles
4. And for a craft/Advent Calendar -- Iwould like to make a Jesse Tree
5. Read this story as a family --I love reading with my family ay night, with hot chocolate or tea and everyone cuddled up together (well except for the two year old doing sprints down the hallway)
6. This one is going to be very hard for me -- but I want to make it a tradition that each child gets just one present from us, besides the pajamas listed in #1... My love language is gift giving, and I love to buy presents for my family, but I really feel like this is when I lose perspective!
7. Listen to this CD, (I did not know if they actually sold it anymore, but I found it on Amazon) it is a favorite of my husband's and mine, and it is really hard to get him to like my music
9. Drive around and look at Christmas lights
9. Make these amazing Chocolate Oreo Truffles, (I only let myself make them during the holidays )
10.Celebrate with family, we always spend Christmas Eve with my in-laws and this year we are heading to my sister's on Christmas Day
Well seven of the ten are tried and true traditions, three are new, we will see how they go, and hopefully soon it really will begin to look a lot like Christmas around here!

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesdays at Oh Amanda

Poop on Potty Training!!!!

Poop! I hate potty training. Don't get me wrong I am incredibly happy when it is over and I don't have to change the diapers of an almost three year old, BUT in the middle of it, I hate it! I hate the messes, the fear of 'where is my child at this moment, is he hiding or is he going to the bathroom some random place in my house!' This is my third attempt. My first two were very successful, they were quick, easy. My first, my husband did most of the work -- so that was perfect!!! Then my second just wanted to be like her sister, so she just did it!

My third, he hates it, this morning he screamed at me, "I DON'T LIKE YOU!! YOU ARE MEAN MOMMY!" Just for making him sit on the potty? And I am not above bribery, I bribe with candy, stickers, cute underwear, you name it we have it. He just does not want to do it. He actually believes he will get a real truck when he is potty trained. He pointed it out to me the other day at the bank drive thru -- and I thought maybe this was a sign that he is NOT potty training until he is 16. Our day then proceeded with more screaming (I would not put pants or anything on him til he went on the potty) Some kids like to be naked -- not him -- after about 15 minutes he sat on the potty, tried really hard, did not go, and got to put on underwear -- CARS underwear (cool underwear)! He made it about 2 hours, which to my fault, I should have made him try again, but I really did not want to hear my sweet boy call me mean again and say he didnt like me! AND I was in the middle of some cooking projects. So, when he disappeared, I started searching -- David, where are you? Why are you hiding? To which he responded "I am a Ninja!" (sitting in a pool of pee?) Which he proceeded to blame on me -- he adamantly insisted that HE DID NOT WET HIS PANTS -- I did it! Well, once again, "I DONT LIKE YOU MOMMY! YOU ARE MEAN!" came out of my sweet boys little mouth. He was not allowed to put on new underwear/ pull-up/pants until he went on the potty. And 15 minutes later he was on the potty POOPING!!!! Then very grown up like he put on his alien underwear and pants. He then sat at the table to eat lunch and when his sisters did not understand what underwear he was wearing he stood up, pulled his pants to his ankles, breathed out a sigh of annoyance, "See?" And it is only noon and we are no where near done potty training.

Things I Love Thursday (being a girl!)

Well, I am going to make fun of myself a minute here because I was tempted to once again write about reading/books that I love, but apparently I have already wrote that blog twice in the past two weeks ... which I believe means I am both incredibly in love with books AND tired. I honestly left my purse at the store and my phone in a field today. I am apparently one tired mama!

SO, I am going to diversify! and talk about something else I love -- Being a Girl!

I grew up in a house full of love, a good home for the most part, we had our faults, but my mom was always really big on making sure I knew she loved me for me. She did not emphasize anything girly. Education was important, not appearance. And I totally get that, BUT I honestly believe every little girl needs to hear she is beautiful. Every little girl wants to be a princess. I did not know that though until I became the mom of now three darling girls who are little mommies, princesses and absolutely beautiful if I do say so myself. And after the birth of my first little girl, I realized I love being a girl! I love watching movies that make me cry. I love putting on makeup and having my husband think I am beautiful. I love getting dressed up and I am working on even liking wearing heels (I think this is optional though) I like when my husband is the brave one and I dont have to be. I want my girls to know they are loved for who God made them, creative, smart, and funny. BUT I also want them to know that God made them girls, and part of being a girl is being a beautiful princess, and that is OK.

This post is linked up to Diaper Diaries, Things I Love Thursday

Wordless Wednesday -- Maybe winter wont be so bad!!!

Last year we built a snow hill in our backyard, my children had a blast! And, joy on my children's faces, is the most beautiful sight in the world!!!

This post is submitted to Wordless Wednesdays at A Beautiful Mess

Top 10 things I am Thankful for... In honor of... THANKSGIVING!!!

It seems to be the theme in my life these days -- do you ever feel like it could only be more obvious that this is something you should learn if someone actually wrote with permanent marker across your eyeballs! My five year old said to me the other night while I was missing my husband, "MOM, do you want to be on the street with me!?!? or have a house over our head and food on the table!" me, "ummm, a house and food?" Five year old, "GOOD ANSWER!" She is right, who am I to complain, my husband has a job, we have a house and we have food. Be thankful! Then my two year old struck me twice in one week. He greeted his eight year old sister with, "Sister, I am so thankful to see you this morning!" Then upon arriving home with groceries, he noticed, skinless, boneless chicken breasts and grabbed them saying, "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! YOU GOT CHICKEN! I LOVE CHICKEN!" As Thanksgiving approaches, I am thankful for little people in my life who are reminding me to be thankful for what I have!

So... I am thankful for....

1. my Savior, Jesus Christ

2. a husband! He loves me despite all my downfalls and thinks I am so funny he actually thought I should do stand up comedy at one point which is just funny in itself

3. four amazing, unique children that have taught me more than I ever thought I needed to learn

4. friends! New and old, we have moved a lot over the past 10 years, and sometimes it has taken a long time to make friends and feel settled, this move has thankfully been a lot quicker adjustment. And I have managed to stay friends with some of the girls I grew up with!

5. a house!!! I have to remind myself of this because it is easy to take it for granted, but just a year and a half ago my family was crammed into a small two bedroom apartment. After 9 years of marriage we purchased our first house and it is so nice to have a home!

6. health! I have been blessed with 4 healthy children.

7. food! I have been toying with the idea of having one day a week where my family just eats rice and beans all day. I think this is something that is hard to understand -- that food is something I should be thankful for that not everybody has it.

8. a job! My husband has a job. That is probably enough said in today's economy, but so far, I have been able to stay home with our children and that is just an extra bonus.

9. forgiveness and grace! I need it every day!

10. that I am 33! I have lived a really good life so far, full of adventure and love and have a lot more to go Lord willing!

this post is linked to Top Ten Tuesdys at Oh Amanda