Tough

Next semester is going to be tough.  Jason will be starting classes for his major which are conveniently all at night.  Note: Conveniently is said which sarcasm. :O)

He has 1 day class and 4 night classes. Ick.  That means no family time and no gym/running time at night.  I'm gonna have to go back to 6:30 am training sessions and running in the morning.  Thankfully the running will be at the gym in the warm, b/c it's gonna be cold out!! We will really have to learn to cherish weekends as family time.  Monday-Thursday will be Momma gets home, we eat diner, and Daddy leaves for school.  It's gonna stink.  I keep reminding Jason and myself that it's means to an end! I just hope all his classes for the next 2 years aren't at night.  That will really suck!

GOTR Part 2

I got an e-mali today stating there was a already a chapter in process for our county!  Whoo-hoo!  I really didn't want to start and head up a new one.  I am excited to volunteer and coach for this one though.  Everything should be a approved by the end of the month.  Then we will start meeting, and hopefully be able to have our first season come fall!

Girls on the Run

Through random clicking of pages that my friends have "liked"  I found Girls on the Run.  Upon entering their site and reading what they do, I was hooked.  This is their mission statement:

To educate and prepare girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living.

It gives me chills, seriously.  It's a 12 week program that not only trains 3rd-8th grade girls to run a 5k it encourages them to make wise choices.

This is the objective:

The objective of Girls on the Run is to educate and empower girls at an early age in order to prevent the display of at-risk activities in the future. At risk activities include substance/alcohol use, eating disorders, early onset of sexual activity, sedentary lifestyle, depression, suicide attempts and confrontations with the juvenile justice system. 

This is a program after my own heart!!  I click locations...only 2 chapters in Kansas, and they are FAR away!!  :O(  What's a girl to do??  Why click the "start your own chapter" button of course!  I'm waiting for them to send me information about starting a chapter in my county.  I don't know what goes into it, I don't know anything about running a non-profit organization, but I do know I haven't been this fired up about something in a long time.    

I'm excited to find out more about the program and any way that I can get involved.

Almost back where I was

After I had Harri I lost 63 pounds.  I swore it wouldn't come back on, but it did(at least most of it)   :O(
At the beginning of this year I decided I was going to take it off, again.  Right now I'm about 8 pounds more that what my lowest was after I had H.  Who-hoo!  I'm going to keep working with the trainer, I'm going to pick my running again.  I'd like to lose 25-30 more pounds.  That'll be my focus after the first of the year.

You know what drives me insane?

1. People who bitch all the time they are broke, yet are always buying "stuff". If you have money for that "stuff" you are NOT broke! If your heat is getting turned off, that's broke. If it's getting turned off b/c you don't have money to pay it b/c of the "stuff" you bought, well, you're just plain stupid. I've been seeing this "trend" on FB a lot lately and I'm sure it's only going to get worse as Christmas grows near. We have 3 children in a 1 income household while Jason goes to school. Money is tight, times are tough, but we are making due. They can too. I'm afraid I may have to block some people. I'm not gonna wanna hear about how much their kids C-mas gifts are and how expensive they are and how they can't afford them. THEN DON'T BUY THEM!! Geez, go teach your kids the real meaning of Christmas this year then.

2. Our family learned the very hard way alcohol gets you NOWHERE. There is a girl I know that her idea of "quality time" with her husband is getting drunk. Is it just me or does that seem wrong? Don't get me wrong, I like to have a few, a few times a YEAR! Yes, my average drinking nights range 2-4 a YEAR and I'm proud of that. If I have to get drunk to enjoy my husband what does that say about our relationship? When she told me that, I just looked at her like she was a retard. I can't fathom. Maybe it's the fact that both of my parents are alcoholics...I don't know, but it's not something I do often. I don't have to drink to have fun, It's expensive, when I do drink it makes me sick, and I end up saying shit that doesn't need to be said. Gee, that sounds fun.

3. Perhaps it's the eternal optimist in me or the very high anti bullshit level, either way I can't stand whining. Your life is not that bad. That's what I want to say to all these people. Or you got yourself into this mess, so shut up. I know, compassion is not my strong point. I just don't feel bad for people who makes choices then whines about the consequences. If I can spend the extra 3 1/2 minutes to think about my decisions you can too. If I can be a grown up and realize I made the choices that put me here you can too. When I tell people this I get the, "I'm not as strong as you" crap. Let me tell you a secret. YOU ARE AS STRONG AS YOU CHOOSE TO BE. You CHOOSE not to be strong b/c it's easier, b/c you can whine more, b/c people will feel bad and help you. It's your CHOICE.

Ever had so much to say, yet you know you'll never say it?

I feel like I could verbally vomit on numerous topics. I am feeling annoyed at most aspects of my life right now. I'm so done. I seriously want to tell everyone to just "Shut the Fuck Up!"

Do you how much much better I would feel if I could do that? I already feel a little better just typing it :O)

Bragger

I totally have to brag about my kiddos. We had parent/teacher conferences this week and they are both doing amazing. Jonathan, received 4 A's and 2 B's. His teacher said he is bright, helpful, responsible and an overall great student. His only downfall? Chatting. He's a talker. 3 of his 6 teachers have commented on his "excessive" talking in class. His homeroom teacher even said that his name has come up every month for student of the month, however he has yet to receive it due to his excessive talking.

Savannah is a whiz. She is 1/4 of the way through her 3rd grade year and her standardized tests have her at the middle of 4th grade for reading, math, and language. I knew she was smart but, WOW! Her reading has really picked up this year too. She's reading 4.4-4.8 books right now. She blows through books on her own level. I've stopped buying books as much b/c she reads them to fast. Totally reminds me of myself as a child.

Harrison-I was supposed to meet with Ms. Carla for how he is doing at school, but it got rescheduled. However I assure you he is a genius too!

I'm doing something different

So far it's going well. I'm hesitant about sharing, b/c everyone has an opinion and I don't really feel like listening to them right now. Once all is said and done I may share, but that's weeks away. It's nothing bad, don't worry. In the long run I believe it's going to be a very good thing :O)

I love my birthday!

Birthdays are special. I try to make them special for those around me and I love it when others make mine special. I actually got to have a 2 day birthday this year :O) On Tuesday my office took me to lunch at Olive Garden, where I received an orange cake and a $15 itunes GC! Whoo-hoo! Then that night Jason took me to dinner and gave me my next 8 weeks of training sessions. Double Yay! After 2 doses of Alfredo in one day, I got my ass handed to me at the trainer! My legs still hurt! On my birthday morning, the kids presented me with their gifts. A running shirt, sunglasses, a super cute hat, and an orange loofah! I loved it all! I worked and went to lunch with Jason, then home for a quiet evening of hanging out and grocery shopping. I love my life. Thank you all of you who sent birthday wishes.

hmmmm...

Sometimes, I hate Facebook. It makes me feel like I have nothing to blog about when I come here, b/c most everything is already out over there. I have to really rack my brain for "new" news. Let's see...

I had a couple of rough weeks at work awhile back. The kind of days where you don't want to get up and go to work. That's never happened to be before at this job. I've always loved my job. Those few weeks though...I was half tempted to look for another position. I worked through it and talked to my boss(who is awesome) and I feel much better now. Next month I'll have been there 18 months. 18 months and no raise. Don't get me wrong I've had bonuses, but not an hourly raise. So, I will be putting on my big girl panties and asking for one. Agh! So not in my comfort zone. Running is going better. I'm back on the saddle. I feel really weird not doing the long distances that I once was, but I have to remind myself that I'm not training for a marathon anymore so 10 mile runs are no longer necessary! I set my own personal record yesterday at the Susan G. Koman 5k. Pretty excited about that one :O)

Jason is looking to change his major...again. I truly don't care as long as he's happy. I just want him to hurry up and be done. I'll be excited to live like normal people again. The kids are doing well. Jonathan is rocking the 6th grade. He has 5 A's and 2 B's. At progress report time he had 7 A's so I'm riding him hard to get those B's back up. Savannah is doing awesome academically, but it's her attitude that is causing trouble. She's always getting "yellows" for talking, and talking back. Harrison is about as perfect and wonderful as they come!! He's talking way more now and understands most everything you say to him. He's the puzzle master. He has 4 wood puzzles that he loves. He goes to "school" 2x a week for 1/2 a day and I think it's great for him to have children his size around. He's so used to playing with the big kids I often worry about how he'll do once he gets into kindergarten and has to play nice with others.

I'm super ready for fall! Cooler running temps and SOUP! I made homemade potato soup tonight. It was pretty delish. It was almost a disaster though. I only had wheat flour and I had no idea how that was going to play out... It made the soup thicker so I had to add more water and bouillon, then added more spices to compensate for the more water. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself(and I do!)

It's amazing what antibiotics and pain meds will do for you! I feel like a new woman. I woke up at 9 still feeling crappy, took more meds and went back to bed until 1. Finally got up and around and started my Sunday ritual of laundry and cleaning. I went grocery shopping later than normal and it was nice. Everyone else was at home having dinner, so wal-mart was pretty barren. It was nice. Happy ya'll have a great week :O)

Dopey

That's how I feel. I think I have an ear infection. I have been having some sharp, almost unbearable pain in my ear. It only last 5-10 seconds at a time, thankfully, but it hurts like hell when it's here. I have some homeopathic drops I got at Wal-mart and some perkiset(sp?) that my Grammie gave me. I was surfing the net, updating blogs waiting for it to kick in and I think it has. I'm starting to feel loopy and sleepy. So I should probably stop here, and come back tomorrow to update. If I start a blog now who knows how it will end up!

Not much new,

Thought I should update though. I feel better. I had some stuff to get off my chest at work and once I did I instantly felt better. I have never been one to keep feelings inside. If I'm upset, mad, happy, ect, I'll tell you. Holding feelings in just breeds contempt and makes the person holding in the feelings miserable, while the other person has no clue!! Anyway, I had an awesome weekend. My mom, step-dad and nieces and nephews came to visit. I had never seen Zachary before, he's so little and sweet! It was fun to snuggle baby again. I put all the pics up on FB. A few even came out really good! There are a few of my sister that are amazing! I think I'm finally going to try and figure out my camera. It's silly to have a $600 camera and to use it as a point and shoot. I need to learn all the settings and stuff. I know I could do so much with it, if I just learn!

hmph..

I'm bitchy, cranky, totally blah. No reason. All is well. Kids are back in school. Jason is back in school. I'm working. Nothing has changed. I'm just BLAH. I think the blah-ness is contributing to lack of running desire, or maybe the lack of running is contributing to the blah-ness. To be honest I'm not sure which it is. All I know is I have an overall blah-ness for life. Work, home, everything in between. Blah, blah, blah blah. I don't feel like doing anything. Running, fixing dinner, doing laundry, snuggling with my children, kissing my husband, nothing. I just want to sit and be blah. Let's be honest. It's depression. At least that's what it sounds like. It will go away soon. It always does. Those few weeks that it lasts though....blah, blah, blah...

Tired and Happy

What a weekend! I am soooo very tired, but so happy we went. We left Derby at 7:30 a.m. Friday for our weekend adventure. We booked a King suite at the Drury Inn for Friday and Saturday night. If you've never stayed in one I highly recommend it! It was little pricier than some in the area but they had HOT breakfast and a 3 free drink happy hour with bar food munchies. The money we saved from not going out to breakfast was worth it! Our room was nice and we had a separate room from the kiddos, so that was even nicer. We checked in about 11 on Friday dropped off our stuff then hit the mall! Both of the kiddos had a school clothes money and it was burning a hole in their pocket. I wish I could say we went to some neat stores we don't have here, but that's not the case. The Oak Park Mall had pretty much the exact same stores our mall does. Jonathan hit the motherload at Hot Topic. They had $19 skinny jeans(on sale from $34, thank the Lord!). He got 4 pairs and a very LOUD belt. We hit up a couple of other skate stores for him and got some t's. Then went to JC Penney and Justice for Savannah. Lord, I was wondering if I was ever going to be able to find her a shirt with out Justen Beiber on it. That kid is sooooo not cute! On Friday evening we went to dinner at an awesome Italian restaurant. Unfortunately we had to bail early b/c Harri had his fill and was just crying non-stop. So Jason and I enjoyed our dinner in the hotel room. Ahhhh, the joys of parenthood!

Saturday we got up and had our hot breakfast at the hotel, it was pretty yumm-o. Then we headed to the Legends, which is an outdoor outlet mall. It was neat place with statues and fountains, and of course, shopping! I hit up the adidas store and got a new running tank, sports bra, socks, and my favorite, foam flip flops! They are the kind that are memory foam. They mold to your feet when you put them on. Soooo awesome! We also got Harri 2 new pairs of shoes at the Stride Rite store. His fat feet make him darn near impossible to buy shoes for. SR has W and XW for kids which is great and we took advantage of the buy one get one 1/2 off sale :O) For lunch we went to T-Rex. It's like Rainforest Cafe, but with a dinosaur/Jurassic theme. It was pretty neat and the kids loved it. I still prefer RC, but I'm glad we went. It was fun and the food was great. After the Legends we went to the Apple store or as my Grampy calls it...the mothership. Jason has been trying to decide between a used motorcycle or a mac. Praise the Lord he came to senses and decided on a mac(can you tell I'm not a fan of motorcycles?) We got a Mac Book Pro with iwork(like office) and a printer. They offer an education discount so we saved $100 on the computer(which is awesome b/c Apple doesn't have sales), and $30 on the iwork disc, and the printer was free, with a rebate of course. Jason got a new rockin' Hurley bag for school too. Overall an expensive trip to the apple store, but I think it will be so worth it in the end. Saturday evening we hung out at the hotel and vegged while the big kids swam.

This morning Harri woke up bright and early at 6:30! What was that boy thinking?? So he snuggled in bed with us and watched TV. I got sucked into ordering some make up from Lezza Gibbons. I'm really not a make up person, but I'd like to be. I've been spoiled by my husband telling me all the time how beautiful I am, so I don't feel the need to get all gussied up. Bad, I know. I should do it for me, but I don't really care. I'm trying to be more girly though(kinda late in life I know). So I have been buying more girly tops instead of just v-neck t-shirts(my default favorite!) and I've been trying to look for cute shoes. Something more feminine than just a pair of black flats(again, my default fave). Anyway, I digress, I didn't stay on the Bare Minerals bandwagon, so we'll see how this goes.

This morning we headed home and back to real life. The kiddos are in bed and ready for the first day of school( I think). Jason's classes start on Thursday, so he'll be home with Harri most of the week then Grammie duty will kick back in. I'm ready for school to be in session and for life to be back to normal. Oh, and I start seeing the trainer again on Tuesday! Whoo-hoo!

I'm so pissed I could scream!

Remember a few months back when I said that my dad's girlfriend called me, but my dad didn't? Guess who called me today? My dad, asking me to talk to his girlfriend!! He's left 2 messages telling me he loves me and misses me and "please talk to to Tanya.' What the fuck? WHY???? I don't know this woman and I have nothing to say!! What makes me more angry is that she called my Grammie and asked Grammie to call me and ask me to call her. Double WTF? Now my Grammie is upset with me b/c I said I didn't want to talk to her(the girlfriend). I know she only wants me to talk to her b/c it's the only time we get information on Dad. The thing is, I'm done with my parents. I only want information that he WANTS to give him. I'm not desperate enough for information to get it from his girlfriend.

I'm livid with all of them. With my father for not calling(ever!), with Tanya for thinking I have anything to say to her, and with my Grammie for making me feel bad about not wanting to talk to Tanya.

So much to blog, so little patience for typing!

Oh where to begin?? I suppose I should start with my current frustration. Jason's job. Yes, Jason has a job now. He received a call out of the blue last Monday to interview for the position of Director of Accounting for a local accounting firm. It's really flattering how it all came about. Someone from his old job(yes, the one he left a year ago) recommended him for the position. So they called, he interviewed, they offered the job, he countered their offer, he accepted. Oh, but wait! What about Harri! Who's going to care for him? That's my job to figure out in one day....Grrrrr. So Jason will be missing the last 2 weeks of his summer lit class to go to work and of course he'll only be taking his night class in the fall. No more full time student status. :O( One of my favorite quotes is this: The chief pang of most trials is not so much the actual suffering itself as our own spirit of resistance to it. I used to be very flexible and willing to change I was an Army wife and up for whatever the Army threw at us. Well, I must have had my fill, b/c I hate change now. I had a plan, a vision for our lives over the next 2 years. Now it's all different, not a bad different, just different. Well, kind of a bad different. One of the reasons I was OK with going back to work while Jason went to school was that Harri would be with my Grammie and his Daddy during the day, no daycare. I liked that. Well, my Grammie is awesome, and 71 years old. She can't really be caring for a 2 year old 10 hours a day 5 days a week. It's too much. So daycare it is :O( I THOUGHT I had found a place that would take him part time and Grammie could still keep him part time. I called them back today(after speaking with them on Friday) and the girl I spoke too was incorrect. They don't accept 2 year olds part-time. Bastards. It pretty much pissed me off and ruined my day. It looks like Harri is going to spend his time being bounced around to 2-3 different Mother's day out programs. I don't know what else to do. Most home daycare's won't take a part time child and it looks like neither will a corporate daycare. So frustrated and upset. I want to be home with my Harri...

On a happy note: Tara came to visit! We had an awesome weekend. We ran on Friday morning and went swimming Friday afternoon. Then hung out Friday night. Saturday we got up ran a 5k and then took the girls bowling and to Starbucks, while the boys golfed. It was great to just lay around and be lazy with an old friend. We played cards, watched TV(to include Veggie Tales!) and had an awesome time! I was sad to see them pull out of the driveway, but I'm super excited to see them over labor day weekend :O)

I have alot to saying about running too, but I'll post that on the other blog.

Bad day, Good month....

So today was pretty crappy. I went into work and all was well for a while, until I found out some stuff about a transaction, that now will not close. I won't bore you with the details, but it's not going to close and I don't like it when my transactions don't close. Grrr...... Then our stupid, pig headed, sexist landlord refuses to come fix our sink with out charging us. He says "women" put to much stuff down the disposal and that's why it's clogged. Then on the way home I hit a dip, and something flies off my car. OR at least clanks, and sounds like it's flying off my car. I looked back and saw a long shiny screw looking thing. I can't imagine anything on our car still being that shiny, but I also can't imagine that it was something on the road. I drive home, and later we went to Grammie's and the car is running with no problems. So let's pray it stays that way!!

Justyne and Tara are both visiting this month! I'm so excited! I haven't seen Tara since 2004 and Justyne since 2006. It's going to be so fun to spend time with friends from back in the day. I can't wait!!

20 Questions

1. On a typical day if you were not heard from, at what time would someone start to worry? Who would notice first?

Not including Jason? Josh, my boss, he'd want to know why I wasn't at work!

2. My favorite guilty pleasures are:

I don't think I have any "guilty" pleasures. Right now I don't do anything for myself but work out. However, I try very hard to make sure I do that, no matter what.

3. The one thing I want to do before I die that I haven't done yet is:

Play with my grandchildren

4. My worst vice is:

Pepsi

5. Name three things you would do with the money if you won the lottery? (PLEASE don't be pompous and say I would go to work the very next day and not do anything differently )

1. Buy land and build our dream home

2. Buy Jason a 1972 C-10 in orange and white

3. Make sure my extended family is comfortable

6. Are you living the life you always thought you would live? If not, why?

Pretty much, the life itself is what I imagined. Just minor details that I didn't

7. What food(s) do you just HATE?

Nothing I can think of, I like all foods

8. Who's life would you like to experience for a day? (again, please no pompous "no one, I only want to be me" stuff. )

Could I make changes in their life while I'm them....LOL :O)

9. What material item is on the top of your wish list right now? (a wish list means you can *want* anything, no matter how expensive or selfish )

A new car

10 Favorite candy:

3 musketeers and twix

11. One thing that you would never guess about me is:

I have a secret fear of falling on ice and busting out my front teeth

12. I wouldn't be caught dead ________?

in a bikini

13. My favorite color is:

Orange, and if you didn't know that, don't ever return to this blog :O)

14. What was your favorite childhood memory?

Getting the She-ra fountain/castle thing when I was in 2nd grade


15. Your best body part:

My eyes

16. Dream job:

Counselor(only after stay at home mom and wife, that'll always be my #1 choice)

17.What is the bravest thing you have ever done?

Listened to God and followed his direction when I didn't really want to, but I'm so glad I did :O)

18. Favorite movie:

Grease, Grease 2, Forest Gump, Shawshank Redemption


19. Give yourself a compliment:

I'm pretty awesome. I'm a loyal friend and wife, a great listener, I give good advice, I am able to look at things from different points of view and still remain true to myself. I am fun to be around, I love God and know that he can work miracles and I'm a kick as runner too!!

20. Something you love that other people probably don't know about...... a food, music group, TV show, vacation spot, clothing line, cleaning tip ANYTHING that you think is worth sharing that others most likely have never heard of.

I honestly don't know. I'm a pretty open book, and share lot... Hmmm....I LOVE quotes, reading quotes, sharing quotes, finding quotes that apply to my or a situation. A great can can get you through a bad spot.

Seriously, so busy...

Jason and my grandmother have both mentioned the last few days that I haven't seemed myself. I feel great, I feel blessed and happy with all that God has given me. The only thing I can figure...I'm exhausted. Straight up tired, all the time. I don't sleep enough. Athletes(sounds so bizarre calling myself that!) require no less than 8 hours per night. I rarely ever get that. According to my runners mag, it should a non negotiable subject. Sleep at least 8 hours. That's when your body recovers. Lord knows I need recovery, but I'm lucky to get in 7 hours. Between getting up to run, work, baseball, softball, trainer, house work, running around, yoga, I feel like I don't have time to do anything! Tuesday is Savannah's last game. I'm so thankful for this! Tuesdays and Thursdays are a beating. Up at 6, run to the gym, trainer from 6:30-7, Home to shower and get everyone ready, out the door at 8:15. Work from 9-5, Home at 5:30, load up the car, game at 6, game at 7:30, home at 9. Drop dead. Notice there's no dinner in there? Normally it's drive thru or nothing. Then at 9 everybody is sweaty, tired, and cranky from being at the ball fields. By the time all the showers have been taken, dinner has been eaten, and everyone is in bed it's 10:30. Then I'm back up at 4;45 the next morning to run.

I'm not complaining, I love my life. I'm just stating facts. We are busy. Multiple kids, in multiple activities, make for one tired mama. Then when the mama decides to have multiple activities too, well then it becomes a whirl wind! I'm not giving up my stuff though. I see to many woman sacrifice for their husbands and children. Which isn't always a bad thing, but some people take it to extreme. You don't have to give up everything for your family. Let's me honest here, would they give up everything for you? Probably not. So, I'm keeping my busy schedule. I'm just gonna do my best to slip in more sleep.