10k - check!

Just popping in with a quick update to say -

Woohoo!  I did it!  The 10k was yesterday, and I can check it off of my list now!

It was a beautiful day, but 10-15 degrees warmer than any day I've gone running in preparation for this race.  That made it a little harder, especially in miles 3 and 4.  I also didn't do the best job pacing myself (running about 25 seconds per mile faster than usual) - I had lots of butterflies beforehand and the closer it got to race time, the more excited I got.

Still.... I finished 5 minutes faster than my estimated time - which was pretty exciting!

The best part - my family coming to see me!  I got to see them at 4 different points during the race, and my sweet husband even ran with me for a bit of the last mile so he could check in on how I was feeling and give me some encouragement to make it to the end.  And there's nothing like having high fives from your kids or having them run alongside for half a block!

Next up, increasing speed!  I'm running a 5k in May, and I need to set my time goal for that race.  I'll have to go back and look at my old 5k times, my current 5k pace, and figure out a good goal to work towards.  Although I'm not excited about hill repeats and track workouts, I know they are good for me!  And when I reach that goal it will all be worth it!

The Bright Side

This post isn't so much about the lunch I packed this morning, but the reminder that came from from my family while I was deciding what to pack.

The story started yesterday when the kids and I got home after school.  I walked into a house filled with the aroma of freshly-baked bread.  Now that wouldn't normally have been a problem, except I'd set my bread machine so that the dough cycle would be finishing up as we walked in from school.  

I had some volunteer commitments yesterday, so I'd prepped the ingredients and set the timer on the machine.  The plan was that we'd get home, unpack backpacks, get everyone's hands washed,  and start making pizza for an early dinner.  Accounting for the time it takes for three cooks to complete such  a task, I figured the pizza would come out of the oven in time for us to eat and then get to a 6pm meeting at church.

Needless to say, I was a little deflated when I figured out that something had gone wrong.  I even posted this on my Facebook status:

Came home from school to the wonderful smell of bread baking - except that my bread machine was supposed to only be running the dough cycle.

Bread machine - 1, Person who thought she knew what she was doing when the set the dough cycle to run while she was gone - 0.

I did get some great encouragement from a friend and from my husband.  You know, fresh-baked bread isn't all that bad.  But my plan had been interrupted.  

Since the bread smelled good (and really, I thought it did), we tasted it.  Amazing - it tasted good, too!  (It would have make a great pizza crust!)  Once it cooled, I wrapped it up - thinking it was too good to waste, but wondering what to do with it. 

Fast forward to this morning.  The kids and I were in the kitchen, and asked them what they wanted to eatfor breakfast.  "Can we have some of that bread?"  Really?!?  So I gave them a taste while I asked them what they really wanted for breakfast (cereal? granola bar?).  And they liked the bread.  Hmm.  Now, I enjoy a savory breakfast as much as the next girl, but I just didn't think Pizza Dough Bread was the best way to start the day.  So we decided to pack it in their lunchboxes - with slices of pepperoni and cheese, marinara sauce for dipping, and strawberries.  They. were. thrilled.  I was dumbfounded.  But mostly, I was reminded that even when I think things are all fouled up, there's usually a way to turn it around for good.  Thankfully, I had the help of some family and friends to remind me.

On my Facebook wall today:

Making the most of yesterday's bread machine snafu.  "Breadsticks" with marinara, pepperoni and cheese, strawberries.  The kids asked for the bread for breakfast, too!

And in reply to the comments below my photo:

I'm proud of my kids for helping me make the best of the situation (and figure out a lunch plan pretty quickly!). Hubby and the kids LOVED how the bread tasted, which made my day!

Thanksgiving Prayer

For the second year in a row, Miss M has volunteered to say the blessing at our family Thanksgiving meal (11 adults, 5 children, 4 generations).  Even her prayers are sweet, sweet scene-stealers....

"Thank God for our food, so we can grow up big and go to college, and have Thanksgiving with God."

Can I have an "AMEN!" ?

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

For the Record...

Yes, probably boring to anyone but me, but here are my race stats for the local Turkey Strut 5K this morning:


Place 453 (out of 913)
Rank 454
Mile 2 - 28:23
Rank - 443
Mile 3 - 14:20
Gun Time - 45:01 (one second over my training goal - and this includes 1:15 to get to the start)
Gun Pace - 14:30
Chip Time - 43:44
Chip Pace - 14:05

Definitely not speedy, but I'm very pleased with how it went.  I started out running solo, but caught up with a friend along the way.  Also, I forgot to charge my iPod, it was 43 degrees, and we even got rained on a bit.  BUT - it was a great run for me, and I'm looking forward to our end-of-training-run in just a few days!

5K Wrap-Up

I'm so glad I decided to do a practice 5K before my goal run next month!  I learned a few important lessons:

1) Running with a group of 200 people is not like running with 100 or so folks at my twice-weekly coached runs.  Especially with many of them are kids.
2) It is very difficult to anticipate which way another runner will move (if at all) when they hear you coming up from behind them.
3) Even on a closed race course, the sound of the police escort motorcycle right behind you will still unnerve you.
4) Running with earbuds in both ears is not necessarily a good plan for me.
5) It's hard to drink a cup of water without spillage - even when walking - so be prepared to wear some of it.  It was definitely worth it anyway.

And confirmed a few things I already knew:
1) It's so much more fun to run with a friend.
2) I really need to hold off on the base layer of long sleeves until the high temp is in the 40s.  I was a little too warm, especially since there was almost no shade on the course.

I'm so glad my husband and kids came along - I have some great photographs and had a great cheering squad!  I'm posting just a couple of photos - because many of them are close-up with photos of other folks I don't know, and because I'm still a bit self-conscious about how I look in my running gear :)

Attaching the timing chip to my shoe.  I was geeking out just a little bit....

Approximately one mile in the course.  Got to see my family again at the 1.5 mile mark - what a treat!

Come to think of it, the kids were using a second camera that morning.  I need to take a peek at the run from their perspective!  I'm sure they also took some shots of the bouncy house they were looking forward to enjoying post-race.  (Update: Lots of closeup self-portraits and photos of the ground [and most of those with Miss M's feet].  Some good shots of the family walking from starting line to mile one to the halfway point and back to the finish. No photos of bouncy house taken by the kids.)

I was really surprised to learn that the timing chip saved me 14 seconds on my time!  The group was large enough that it took me 14 seconds to get across the starting line once the race began.  I opted to start near the back, not knowing how my pace would compare to everyone else's.  I quickly realized that I was a little too far back, pace-wise, but that's just a part of the learning curve, I suppose.

The most exciting thing - besides crossing the finish line - was realizing that I finished nearly 4 minutes faster than my end-of-training goal!  It wasn't my best run - the music threw my pace off a bit, I think, and I got tired early on - but I still did well.  It was also a relatively flat course compared to what I usually run, which probably worked in my favor.  Nevertheless, it gives me a new goal to work towards!

For now, I'm looking forward to running with my running buddies again and sharing the lessons that I learned in my first 5K!

Jeopardy! (also, Overheard #36)

From my Facebook status last night:

My 6-and-3/4-year-old just answered a Jeopardy! question all by himself. Way to go, Mister J!

And after someone inquired as to the question:

Honestly, I didn't hear the whole question - but I heard him say "bamboo", then the contestant said "bamboo", and then Alex said "correct". And then we all celebrated with Mister J :)

Worst Run Ever, and a Pat on the Back

Part I - Worst Run Ever
I started with three strikes against myself tonight.  I forgot to grab a pre-run snack this afternoon, I forgot to take my water, and I missed warm-up.  I still managed a better time than I expected, but I wasn't at my best.

The interval changed to 3 minutes run, 2 minutes walk tonight - perhaps the reason for my better-than-expected time.  But my lack of warm-up meant that I had to slack off on two (or was it three?) intervals.  It's the first time I've ever NOT stuck with the intervals.  And it wasn't about not having the endurance for the three minute run.  It wasn't about wanting to quit - because I never want to quit anymore!  (I know!  I'm shocked, too.)  It was about my aching hip/leg, and about not wanting to really hurt myself, which would lead to not being able to run.  Although it was frustrating to slack off on those intervals, I'm not beating myself up about it.  I'm listening to my body, just as I should.  I'm in better shape now than I was just a month ago, it feels great, and I don't want to jeopardize the results of all of this hard work.

Part II - Pat on the Back
Did I mention that I run/walked a 5K last Thursday?  I sure did!

I stuck with the intervals for a mile longer than I'd ever gone before, and I made a WAY better time than I expected for adding a whole mile!  I felt like Superwoman when I finished.  A very tired, sweaty version of Superwoman, but pretty much awesome anyway.  So now I know that I CAN DO IT!  From here on out, it's just about increasing my endurance for the run interval.  I'd love to run an entire 5K someday! 

First Cub Scout Meeting

He's growing up!

I can't tell you what a 'mommy moment' it was for me to see Mister J all dressed up in his Cub Scout uniform for his first meeting!  Totally makes the pricked fingers (from sewing on badges - a Girl Scout, I'm not!) worth it.  I didn't get misty-eyed, but it did take my breath away just a little bit.  I was a little annoyed that I forgot to bring my 'good' camera - but I guess this cell phone snap turned out okay.  Oh well, I'll try to get a better photo next week!

Mister J was so excited to come home after the meeting and show me what he learned - he was talking from the moment he walked through the door!  And then he showed me how to tie a square knot!  He was so proud - and so am I.

1.25 miles

OK, just a quick update. Last night was the first coached workout with the 5K training program - yay!

I was a bit apprehensive leaving the pre-training meeting last week, but had a great on-my-own run on Saturday. On Sunday I retraced my route in the mommy-van and realized that I had covered about a mile. Monday's workout was 1.25 miles, which I knew I could do! The hardest part of the run? The core workout afterwards. It was worse than the hills. BUT - I managed a dozen (girly, half-) pushups, and I am darn proud of that. Also more crunches than I have done since ... Well, I don't want to think about how long it's been. I have always disliked ab work.

When I got home, Big J asked me how it went. I said, "Ask me tomorrow." And the good news is that nothing hurts now that wasn't hurting before the run! Bonus - my feet aren't hurting at all! (This is super news since my podiatrist - yes, I have {those} feet - didn't seem all that excited that I wanted to join this program.)

We run one mile at the next workout, and then 1.5 next week. I am so excited for the 1.5 mile workout that I can't stand it! If you know me, this sounds totally out-of-character. And I know it will get harder. I am SO thankful for all of the support I have gotten - I know if will be even more important when things get tough!

Wii love Toy Story 3!

Shortly after it came out, we took the kids to see Toy Story 3 (and when I find the pics from that outing, I'll upload one here).  We all loved it, so it's definitely one that'll be added to our DVD collection.  Shamefully, it's the only one I've seen all the way through.  We have Toy Story and Toy Story 2, but I have never made the time to sit down and watch them - I'm always doing something else, so I've only seen them in bits and pieces.  (Same with It's a Wonderful Life, as it turns out....)  Anyway, back to the point....

Shortly after seeing the movie, Mister J spotted Toy Story 3 for Wii - and asked if he could use his savings to purchase it.  Big J and I thought about it for a bit since Mister J would need to use some of his "save" money rather than his "spend" money.  In the end, we agreed that a bigger purchase from his savings would be a great lesson in working hard - and saving - for larger items.  We did ask Mister J to think about the purchase for a while to be sure it was really the way he wanted to spend his savings.  We were just about to go on vacation for 10 days and decided that if he still wanted to make the purchase when we were back home, we'd take him shopping.  Well, shopping day arrived!

Leaving Costco, about a month ago

As it turned out, there was a coupon that day, so he saved $10!  He was so proud of his purchase!
While we don't follow it exactly, we use the principles from Financial Peace, Jr., to teach our children lessons about money.  We have attended Financial Peace University and although Dave didn't pay me to blog about FPU, I'd love it if he'd sponsor a giveaway.  Dave's not reading - who am I kidding?- but if you'd like to know more, check out www.daveramsey.com.  I'm also glad to share our experience, or you can type "financial peace" in the search box on the right.

Happy Fathers' Day!

Happy Fathers' Day to the one who...

...isn't afraid to get in the kitchen and teach the kids how to make the best scrambled eggs!

...is patient enough to let the kids help plant the garden!

...takes the time to go to Daddy-Daughter Date Night at Chick-Fil-A (and let the son into the photo before they leave)!  (PS - Here's what mom and son were doing)

...works hard so I can be home with our children!

  Happy Fathers' Day, Big J!  We love you!

And Happy Fathers' Day to our Dads (Grandpa H and Grandpa R), too! 

Dance, Dance, Dance!

Miss M's first dance recital was this afternoon - and it was just too cute!  She did a great job!  After her number, we stayed and watched the rest of the show, too (she was dismissed at intermission). 

The theme of the recital was, "Celebrate!"  There were songs to celebrate holidays throughout the year, and Miss M's class did "Peter Cottontail" for Easter.  I can't wait to get the DVD so she can see how well she did.

I tried to get a few snapshots in the front yard before we left the house.  Miss M isn't looking at me because we were all trying to get photos.  Hopefully someone got a good one.  I wish I'd remembered to get a photo of her after the show with the rose she got from Grandpa R.  She was pretty worn out, though, and ended up falling asleep on the way home. 

Our beautiful dancer (looking at someone else for "smile!" cues....)

And one more thing...

After all of the allergy news in our house lately, I thought this bit of news deserved its own post on its own day.

Mister J swam all by himself yesterday!  No pool noodle, not during a lesson, and all on his own.  I'd played in the water with the kids for a while, pretending to 'sit' underwater and let my body float up to the top (like my Dad did for me when I was a kid, and it was one of the turning points when I became more comfortable in the water).  Then he played with another boy for a while - whose Dad was pretending to be a shark and the boys just loved it.

After a snack break, the kids when back into the water while I sat on the side.  A little while later, Mister J called out to me, "Hey, Mom, watch me!"  And I watched him swim!

He was so excited to get home and tell Big J - and I was excited for him.  It was hard to hold my tongue and not spill the beans myself!

Awesome job, Mister J!

(Hopefully I'll get a photo to put up here one day - but I typically don't take my camera to the pool.)

Food Bank Garden

You've seen pictures of our garden plots, but they are small-time compared to the 2-acre food bank garden in our city. The work is done completely by volunteers, and the garden is the primary source of fresh produce for our local food bank.  I thought this would be a great opportunity for our family to get some more gardening experience and knowledge while teaching our children about helping others.  After double-checking that it was a family-friendly activity and signing up for the email list, I waited for the dates and times to work for our schedule (mainly, that meant waiting until school was out).

Today was our first day at the food bank garden  We thought the rain would spoil our plans, but the clouds and thunder passed by quickly, so we decided to head on over.  The garden is very close to downtown, but once you get to the garden (which is on the grounds of a larger farm, which is part of a larger campus....), it's like being in the middle of the country.  You can't see or hear the city - just rolling hills, green grass, trees, and cows.  It's wonderful!

Tonight Mister J and I worked for about an hour, and then spent another 20 minutes or so just exploring different areas of the garden.  Big J and Miss M met us there briefly following their Daddy-Daughter Date Night - and I think they'll join us again next time.  I know Miss M is excited to break in her new gardening gloves!

Here are some cell phone snapshots of our evening.  I'll take a better camera on a future trip!

At the top of the garden - only a portion of it shows in the background

We helped out by re-seeding a row of cucumbers this evening - filling in the spaces where the initial plantings didn't grow.  We also learned that there's irrigation tubing under the plastic bed coverings.

I think the other volunteers were surprised to see such a young helper this evening.  A couple of folks called Mister J over to help pick some cucumbers, and then he started spotting them on his own!  Although I'd already discussed it with him, the other volunteers were so kind to explain to Mister J where the food would be going.  (On the drive over, we even discussed that healthy food sometimes costs more than 'junk' food - which Mister J has decided doesn't make much sense!)  It was great to have that reinforcement of what we'd just been discussing!

After we finished re-seeding and our little bit of harvesting, we explored some of the other parts of the garden.  There's a trial garden for tomatillos, bush beans, the Three Sisters method for corn, beans, and cucumbers, and much more.  There are rows and rows of tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, and corn.  There's an herb garden, and there's probably more that I haven't even seen!

We compared the leaves of the cantaloupe vines to the leaves of the watermelon vines.  The watermelon leaves are much fancier!

 There are sunflowers at the ends of many of the rows.  I hope I'll remember to take more shots with the sunflowers later in the season to compare their growth. 

We had a wonderful time tonight, and I'm looking forward to the time all four of us can go together.  I hope that's very soon - they harvest three times a week!  It's such a great opportunity to learn so many lessons - and I also appreciate the opportunity for my children to interact with (and learn from!) other adults outside of the school year. 

This post is also linked to Food on Fridays hosted by Ann Kroeker.

 

Sweet Thoughtfulness

My daughter and I were shopping at T@rget on Friday afternoon before we picked up my son from school. We just needed a couple of things, and as we were checking out Miss M asked for a treat (aka candy).

What's every mom's first answer to that question? "Not now, honey." And let the begging begin....

Admittedly, I'm a PA* mom, so there's more than just the sugary-high-followed-by-crash to be concerned about. A lot of the check-out aisle candy contains peanuts or is potentially cross-contaminated. So I moved on to my next tactic - I offered to give Miss M a snack at home, trying to talk it up by mentioning that she could have snack time with her big brother. I am not winning....

There's another little girl with her mom ahead of us in the checkout line. Of course, they are overhearing the entire conversation I'm having with Miss M - including the whiny parts and the 'no-you-may-not-have-candy' parts. I noticed that the little girl ahead of us did get to pick out a sweet treat, that she whispered something to her mother, and that she walked back to the candy display to select another sweet treat. Her mother paid for their items and handed one of the treats to the little girl. The little girl then turned around and handed it to my daughter and said, "I heard you asking for some candy."

Along with expressing our appreciation of the little girl's generosity, the PA mom panic was setting in and I was feeling a couple of other emotions, too:
a - Put in my place by a little girl who sees the joy in a little surprise treat every once in a while.
b - Split second decision of whether or not I should decline the candy, explaining my daughter's allergies, and thereby squash this little girl's sweet, loving, giving spirit?
c - Do I let Miss M accept the treat, allowing my daughter the joy of receiving the gift, and also allowing her to learn from the example set by the other little girl?
d - WARNING! WARNING! POTENTIAL PEANUT CONTAMINATION! WARNING! WARNING!

And my responses to all of that panic?
a - Have I mentioned that Miss M's love language is gifts?
b - Um, no. There will be no squashing of sweet little girls hearts today.
c - Well, yes - but will read the label once we get to the mommy-van and I'll deal with any tears (if it's not a safe treat) once we are in the relative privacy of the vehicle.
d - That is no joke, y'all - it's like there ought to be flashing caution lights, too. I really don't think I'm hypervigilant - I can't tell you how much candy is off limits to someone with a peanut allergy.

We paid for our purchases and walked back to the mommy-van, Miss M holding on to her newly-gifted treat. As we were across the parking lot, Miss M asked me, "Does it have nuts?" You can't imagine how tight I wanted to squeeze my sweet girl right then. I am so proud of how much more aware of her allergies she has become in the last few months, and I was super proud to know that her excitement over this unexpected gift didn't lessen her vigilance.

As it turned out, it was a safe treat - mommy's anxiety melted away, Miss M's happiness multiplied even more, and I realized I could probably learn a big lesson from a generous little girl who was in line with us at T@rget.

*peanut-allergy

First Basketball Game

He's excited, and so are we! (And he made his first basket ever during practice! He was so excited, but I didn't get the snapshot since my 'real' camera is at home.... Mom FAIL).

The Milestone That Wasn't

Remember Blanket? .... Aw, come on, sure you do! Blanket.... Mister J's constant bedtime companion (except for that one time when he got left behind at Grandma RL's). Well, friends, Blanket is getting old. He's been hanging around with Mister J for the better part of the last 5 years, and unfortunately blankets age faster than people. He's had his share of love, his share of travel, his share of bodily fluids, and his share of 'baths' (in a lingerie bag on the washer's gentle cycle). He's wearing out. Some places in the yarn are worn so thin that I fear they will pop and unravel with another wash.

I dreaded the day that Blanket would unravel. I gently worked with the thin places, pulling the yarn to a thicker point before tying a loop of yarn into a knot. I reminded Mister J that Blanket is delicate. I'd tried once to find a replacement blanket. When I brought it home, Mister J informed me that it didn't feel the same. So, that was that, and this new blanket was just added to the pile of kid-sized blankets and quilts to be used for camp-outs, naps, and playtime.

I was out shopping with Mom/Grandma RL a few days before Christmas and we dropped in at a local consignment shop. I always check out the children's section, and this trip was no different. And there it was - a lovely, light blue, knitted/crocheted (I can't tell the difference) blanket. I walked over to it, felt it, and was instantly excited that this blanket might be The One. I didn't buy it right away - I'd been down that road - but I decided I would approach Mister J with the idea that evening.

Mister J is most often tearful when the subject of Blanket's future comes up, so I tiptoed a bit when I brought it up. I decided to leave the choices completely to Mister J. I explained what I found at the store and asked if he was interested in looking at it if it was still there (it's a consignment store after all, so there was only one). His answer? Yes. Whew! Two days before Christmas, Mister J and I went back to the store to look at the blanket. It was still there. I took it off of the shelf, opened the bag (I'd already checked it for snags, etc., the first time I saw it), and let Mister J feel it. He liked it! The final question - could we put Blanket away in a special place and let this New Blanket be the one he would snuggle with at bedtime. With a smile on his face, he said yes. I could have cried. Instead, I smiled, we walked to the front of the store, and I gave Mister J the money to pay for the New Blanket.

That night, as I was tucking him into bed with a freshly washed New Blanket, Mister J asked me when I was going to put Blanket in a safe place. Truly, at this point, I could have boo-hooed. This was so much easier on Mister J than I thought it would be! And, for that reason, it was so hard on me! Right before my eyes, my baby is growing up. When did milestones turn into barely noticeable dips in the road? This wasn't even a bump - not for him. I am so proud of him, even though it was bittersweet for me.

Optimus Prime...

Hey, Uncle J, we got it transformed! (With thanks to the guy who showed me how to do it on YouTube)

Look, Mommy!

Miss M was so proud of herself for completing this floor puzzle on her own! Since then, she's mastered a few others, and some with smaller pieces. She really enjoys puzzles, just like her big brother!

Willpower...

These were on clearance at Target today, but I succeeded in simply looking at them and moving on. I do love school/office supplies. I also picked up some paper in the scrapbook aisle, looked at it, and put it back. Yay, me! I did pick up some clothes for Miss M - most of it on sale. I love stocking up on the basics (especially long sleeve tees) at sale prices!