"Mama Said There'll be Days Like This"....

SHEWEEE!

I mean we have been having some DOOZY days around here. Today was crazy with high winds, tornado sirens going off and more.

But lately, the little cyclone in my life has been my 5 year old. I do NOT know what has happened, but it seems three alarm fits are the rage around our house. If he doesn't like something, wants something his brother has, gets told "No", falls asleep in the car on the way to an event and is awakened by one of us, doesn't like something we are having to eat, you name it - it can be the trigger.

The hard part is, sometimes he gets himself SO worked up that NOTHING will calm him down. He almost literally has to "cry it out". Then he will fall asleep from pure exhaustion.

PLEASE tell me someone else out there knows what I am talking about, here!

I want to instill in my children a sense of respect, compassion, love and loyalty. I want them to follow Jesus and his life and give their lives to HIM. I want them to listen and use their manners and be kind to the people around them. I try to be an example of these things for them (although I know I fail miserably at times!). So when they act like children from a scary movie, I am very upset and perplexed.

Have we done something wrong? Do I deserve to have children? I start letting evil thoughts roll through my head - "Should I have gone back to work full time?" or "Has staying home full time with my kids profited anything?". I tell myself that those thoughts are crazy, and yet they continually creep back in when the storms roll through our house.

I almost DREAD going out in public right now. I can sometimes predict what will trigger his fit, but not always. I cannot for the life of me figure out what is provoking this MADDENING phase we are in right now.

Please pray I do not lose my sanity altogether in these days of tribulation. I know in the grand scheme of life, this is not a natural disaster. But somedays, in the middle of one of these moments, it sure feels like my world is crashing down around me. I am thankful for my children, but I definitely need some powerful prayer to cover me as I press forward and attempt to continue to raise my boys in HIS will!

Ready to Run

Well, friends, I finally did it!

After months of talking about it and hoping I could make it through 13.1 miles, I ran my first half-marathon this past Sunday morning. Back in February I began training and running in preparation for a half-marathon in Chicago in September. Then I had the FREAK reaction to a tetanus shot and basically could not run for about five weeks. I wasn't ready for Chicago. So I went and watched my husband and some of our friends run. Truthfully, I was a little jealous of them. I also began to question if I was ever really going to be able to do this.

My friend, Tara, found a half marathon in Louisville online and we discussed signing up to run in it. It was about a month after Chicago. Greg signed me up for it before I could think about it too much!

I ran about 4 times a week the three weeks leading up to the race. I even ran three times on vacation! I had run 10 miles 3 or 4 times before in the past few months, but never a full 13. I was a little nervous.

Since the tetanus reaction, my times have TANKED. It has only been in the past two -three weeks that my times have been getting a little better, but they are still not where I want them to be. I decided my goal for this race was TO FINISH without stopping. I could worry about times during the next race.

Sunday morning, the alarm went off at 5:30 am. Tara picked me up at 6 and we headed to the 'ville. We got our packet, pinned our numbers on and strapped on our ankle chip bracelets so they could record our times. We stretched and walked, trying to warm up. It was probably less than 50 degrees at the start of the race. The race began at 8 am.
We set off and immediately I held myself back. It is very easy at the start of a race to start off too fast and try to run like everyone around me. I knew that I had to pace myself realistically or I would not have any steam left by the end of the race.
It was a beautiful morning. We were running along the river and through several park areas. I opted against wearing my headphones, so I just took in all the scenes around me. I took the race ONE MILE AT A TIME. I tried to tune out who was running behind me or beside me. I would pick a person in front of me and focus on passing that person. First it was the girl in the hot pink hoodie. Then it was a guy in a red under armor shirt. Later it was an older gentleman and his younger companion and then a group of three running together.
I ran exactly at the pace I wanted to run for the first 10 miles. I drank water at each water stop. I even tried one of the gel packs (espresso is NOT the best taste) and kept moving. As I hit 10 miles, I started having pains in my left calf. I kept going. At 11 miles, there was one last water stop. I took a cup and drank it in. I kept moving, not willing to stop for a second in fear that I would not start back running! the last two miles, my legs were like tree trunks. It was so hard to move and my mind was willing them to move faster and they simply were not following those commands.
As I wound around the final curve, there was my husband and my three boys - cheering. My friend Tara was there - she had already finished. My son Noah wanted to run with me. So the last .2 of the race, he ran beside me and crossed the finish line with me. The lady put the medal on me and I think he thought he was going to get one too! It was a great feeling and I could say with confidence the bible verse I had repeated to myself throughout the race - "I have fought the fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith".
I came home after a celebratory meal of pancakes with the boys and I took a three hour nap! I could hardly keep my eyes open on the way home.
I am now thinking ahead to the spring. I plan to run the Derby Mini-Marathon. I know that is a much bigger race with a LOT more people. Maybe this time, I can not only finish the race, but have a time I am happy with as well!

Little Lovelies

Things I think are lovely....
* having my 5 year old read books to me
* listening to my 7 year old read to his younger brothers
* having my two year old serenade me -his repertoire includes Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, The Farmer in the Dell and Happy Birthday
* having my two year old run at full force across a room just to hug me
* BEAUTIFUL fall foliage - the trees are really starting to strut their stuff around here
*post-it notes - it is an obsession
* just the right song on the radio
* crossing things off my to-do list
* Hawaiian bread sweet rolls
* no-bake cookies
* already having some Christmas shopping done at the beginning of October
* Laura Bush's autobiography - Spoken from the Heart - I have teared up countless times as I read her poignant words about her life and especially her experiences as First Lady
* Grace that is granted to me each day

Hope you are having a LOVELY day!

CB

A Little Shout Out

I have so many things I want to post, but do not have much time to do so tonight. I do want to say that I am proud of my husband. He ran in the Trail Run at the Salato Center this past Saturday and got 2nd place! It was a four mile run. He said it was much harder than running on pavement, which is what he is used to running.
One year ago, he had only been running about 2-2 1/2 months. He has lost about 90 pounds since July of 2009. He has altered his diet and extremely increased his amount of exercise. He is proof positive that people CAN commit to change.
I am so proud of him for his effort and continued lifestyle change. He is a great example to our boys and encourages them to be active. I know it helps him feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.
I can also say that I think BOTH of us trying to make better choices and have an active lifestyle keeps us both going. It is easy when you are trying to do that alone. As with anything else in a marriage, it always helps when you and your spouse are truly on the same page.
Thanks, babe! I love you.