Growing up Mo'

Three on the Third

2012-02-03T23:16:00.000-05:00

I've committed to post a picture of my three kids on the third of each month.

I know what you are thinking

Wow, she takes such *great* pictures

I KNOW

Don't be a hater

And YES, it was warm enough for my kids to be out

in shorts and T-shirts

barefoot

sweating

riding scooters, bikes and running crazy

Don't be a hater

Also, someone give me a good caption for this picture

Please

I'll give you a hint

There was something more interesting to them

than my camera lens.

Dear Me- I have lots to tell you

2012-01-26T07:37:00.000-05:00

Dear 2012 Me,

Ah Lisa, here we sit again. You've done this exercise before and now it's time to do it again. Do you have it in you to hear about all of the wonderful things you did in 2012? Good, because I am going to tell you, but this year, I'm going to break it down a little differently.

Physical
You are still a running fool and you have gotten to know your body SO well. You know the familiar aches and pains associated with running, what to do to alleviate those aches and pains, how to strengthen your body and when to call the doctor, although that last one is happening less and less- bravo!

Internally, you have committed to running a race per month but haven't really told anyone about that goal....until now! You will complete a few 5k's, the Capital 10K, a half marathon or two and maybe, just maybe, you will conquer the full marathon. I know this is your 2013 self writing you but even I don't know if that's in the cards for you *this* year. With your current living situation, the never-ending stress of building a house (which will be done sometime this year- promise!), living with your MIL, taking care of the three kids mainly by yourself, only your current self really knows if a full marathon in 2012 is in the cards for you. Let me know how that goes : ).

Regardless, you will train your daughter Sophie to run her own kid race and will have the time of your life doing it. Also, your 3 yr old son will shock you by running too and beating everyone on the course (the little guy never stops!).

You will mentor a newbie runner for the Zooma Half Marathon in March and will rekindle your love for running. Although you didn't quite believe you had what it took to be a mentor to someone else, you will surprise yourself, and enjoy it immensely too.

You will conquer the triathlon this year, competing in several triathlon races over the summer. You will build up the necessary strength in your legs to power you through biking on to running. You will conquer the slight fear you have of open water swims (fear isn't really the right word but you know what I mean) and will glide through the water powerfully and with purpose, as if you are one with the water.

Mental
You have become SO strong and patient over the last year. You will continue to grow in this area, not only with your family but with yourself. Remember, you can only control your behaviors and actions/reactions. Be kind. Be strong. Show grace. Show forgiveness. You are so much more than you think you are. You can do so much more than you think you can. When the times get tough, and they will, remember this- regardless of what stresses are going on with your extended family, you can handle it. You may not like it, but you can handle it. There is so much love and kindness and affection and caring and really, isn't THAT what life is really all about?

You're turning 40 years old this year. According to your kids, you are OLD. I am here to tell you Lisa, you are not old. I don't think you think that, anyway. You will accept this new age like it's any other age with the exception of proving everyone wrong of what they think the typical 40 year old should be. You are beautiful, smart, loving, supportive, funny and sometimes- a little crazy. I know you want to hit Las Vegas with your bestest friends to celebrate this momentous year- I'm here to tell you that ya'll made it happen and had the time of your lives. Take care of that wondrous body you have, it is yours to keep, forever and ever.

Other
Allright Lisa, these are just some tidbit reminders that have been nagging at you to do/not do. It's my job as your future self to bring them to your attention, again.

Be present for your children. Turn off your computer, put down your phone, turn off your TV, don't make any phone calls and be present for THEM.
Pay attention to your husband and his needs. You and he are the role models of what a marriage should be for your children.
Get your shit organized. Write it down, put it on the calender, clean it out and JUST DO. 'Nuff said about that one.
Make time for scrapbooking. Remember when you were in the garage the other day and you ran across the older scrapbooks you had done? Remember that feeling of happiness that you had captured your family on paper? Return to it and get those pictures on paper. Pinkie-promise?
Network, network, network. Don't forget that all important conversation you had with Anthony about future job opportunities in the next few years. You know what I am talking about (this could be several blog posts in itself). You have a lot to offer to others, you have an idea of what you want to do, and now, you need to find where that job exists or create it yourself. You know how to do this and you are good at it. There is no hurry just yet since the youngest is still a few years away from elementary school, but these things take time.

OK my dear woman. It's time for you to go to bed and get some precious sleep. There is so much life out there for you to experience. LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE.

Love Always,

Your 2013 Self

This was written in response to the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans *Dear Me* project.

New Year's Resolution Run 5K Race Report- a PR, a Fist Pump and a Gangsta Sign

2012-01-22T22:35:00.001-05:00

Well, well, well.

I had my first race of the 2012 season- The New Year's Resolution Run 5k.

For the first time ever, I decided to *race*. You might be wondering what the difference is between *running* a race and *racing* a race. Until this past Saturday, I didn't really think there was a difference and I didn't really care. I've read various posts from runner blogs that I look up to about the art of *racing*- coming up with a race strategy, pushing yourself to go a bit faster than normal, and leaving it ALL on the course by the time you are done.

me and Kim

My previous race strategy was this- just get to the finish line without keeling over, passing out or throwing up. I did not have the mental capacity nor the confidence to actually *race*. I didn't think it really mattered because I knew I was not even close to fast enough to placing, so I just didn't do it, I just didn't push myself to race and now, I think I was just copping out.

Whatever. I am still proud of each and every race I've done but now, I've been bitten by the racing bug.

I decided to give it my ALL and to JUST RUN and NOT STOP unless I thought my heart was going to explode. Ya'll know that I run/walk and I love run/walk and will tell everyone I meet that I run/walk, BUT for this race, I just wanted to fly and NOT stop. I just wanted to see what I could do if I didn't hold myself back.

I flew and it felt awesome. Also, towards the end when I was getting tired and I had about 0.5 miles to go, I let the old doubts creep back in and I walked. No big deal but when I crossed the finish line, I realized I still had some gas in the tank and I should have never slowed down, especially at the end. I should have kicked it into high gear and left it all out on the course.

You runners know EXACTLY what I am talking about.

Next time, I won't slow down. I will leave it all out on the course.

This 5k race was a PR for me (personal record). Fist pump!

32:23 min with an average pace of 10:25 m/m. (my normal, every day pace is typically 11-12 m/m), placing 7th (out of 32) in the Athena category.

So happy to be done and acting silly

Shut the front door.

Shut the freaking front door.

I PLACED?! I mean, I always get a place but I never pay attention to that stuff because well, you know. But yeah, this time I placed 7th in my category and I just cannot believe it (if I hadn't walked right there at the second half of the race and pushed it instead, I would have placed 4th/5th because not much time separated us- SMFD).

Still- happy clap, woot woot, and a double FIST PUMP!!!!!

Lastly, I have to give a huge shout-out to my friend Kim, who ran her first 5K ever and did fantastically awesome- I am so freaking proud of her. We started the race together and I really think we pushed one another the first half- push push push! We separated on the second half of the course but I'm now thinking we should have stayed together and kept that PUSH momentum going : ).

We're such bad-asses and so proud ~~happy to be done~~ of ourselves!

Also, we like to throw gangsta signs around.

Lastly, lastly, this race was the FIRST time my family met me at the finish line (and before the finish line, too). It was SO awesome to round a corner and see my husband and three monkeys jumping up and down and yelling my name, even better when my son ran with me to the finish line. No picture of that but it will be forever be etched on my memory. I think it made an impression on them as well, because now Sophie is begging me to sign her up for a Kids Run AND she wants to actually *train* for it!

Never think for one minute that we don't influence our children.

Mine and Kim's families together- damn, that's a lot of kiddos between us, lol!

LOVE LOVE LOVE.

An intense debate raging through my head

2012-01-19T14:47:00.002-05:00

There are some intense debates going on in my head right now.

Should I change the name of this blog?

The first three years of this blog were all about the family, the kids, motherhood and whatnot. However, in the past two years and especially the last year, more and more of my posts have turned to my other favorite topic- running (and that brief Summer affair with triathlons. Don't worry- the triathlon circuit will be returning again in just a few months- ha!).

Anyhoo, if I had more time to devote to this, I think I would have changed my blog already to maybe something like:

-Just Another Runner
-Running Mo' (Mo' as in *More*, Mo' as in *a shortened version of our last name*, Mo' as in (Mommy))
-Running MoJo
-Run Mom Run
-See Mom Run
-And Then There Was A Mom Running

I could go on and on. Also, I don't just write about running (see above). It's a quandary, I tell you.
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There is also another debate raging through my head.

If you run-walk-run-walk-run-walk to complete your mileage, do you consider yourself a runner or do you identify yourself as a run/walker? See, I've done both but NOW I am a committed run/walker but I say I am a runner and I consider myself a runner.

I figure I get the job done while giving my body short (very much needed walk breaks) and my pace is still 11-12 minutes, even with those walk breaks. Sometimes, like this morning, I can crank out a 10:25 min mile even with walk breaks- yes, it is possible. And yes, I can run the entire mile (or whatever) but why would I want to?!!!!! I love my walk breaks and a lot of times, I use the thought of an upcoming walk break to push myself harder on the running portions. Make sense?

Plus, if it's good enough for Jeff Galloway, then it's good enough for me.

Others might see it differently though. What do you think? Do you consider those who run/walk to be runners?

***********************************************************

Furthermore, I am doing a 5K Resolution Run this weekend (and tacking on an additional 3 miles because I am in the midst of half marathon training and my long run for Saturday needs to be a total of 6 miles). When registering, the form asked if I would be competing in the Athena category- Female over 150 lbs.

So my choices were Females age 31-39 or Athena Female, over 150 lbs.

I'm not sure exactly how I feel about being separated into a different category due to my weight. I mean, I get it- I certainly don't want to compete with the chicks that are 100lbs wet, but really, over 150 lbs is considered *different and necessary of its' own category*? A part of me doesn't give a flying hoot and want every advantage I can partake in. Let's be honest, I haven't weighed 150 lbs in a very long time and I'm not sure I'll ever reach 150 again. Another part of me doesn't like being categorized by weight.

Then, a very smart Brooke asked me *how I would feel if I won an Athena award*?

The answer- Freaking Ecstatic, Jumping For Joy, Fist-Pumping BOO-YAH.

I have never won a running award (except in my heart) and seriously, I never expect to because *cue honesty*, my average pace is not quite on the same skill level as the elite runner. I couldn't even type that last sentence without chuckling because comparing my pace to an elite runner pace- F'ILARIOUS.

What do you think about having a separate category for those of us who weigh more than 150 lbs?

***************************************************************

I assume everyone knows what F'ILARIOUS means, right?

Chime in- give me your deep thoughts (or not).

Peace out!

Three on three

2012-01-16T22:27:00.000-05:00

Except that it's really three on sixteen. What the heck am I talking about? Several lovely blogs that I read have jumped on the movement that Steph from Adventures in Babywearing unintentionally started and well, I love this idea so much that I want to participate as well.

Steph takes a picture of her four kids on the fourth of the month, every single month. When December rolls around, she has a minimum of 12 pictures of her brood. I so need to do the same because I am finding that as life gets busier and busier, I take out my camera less and less and my kids are growing up right before my eyes and I am NOT capturing it.

Bad mom.

So, I bring to you three on three (picture of my three kids on the third of every month). I am forcing myself to take their pictures again (and they are pretty cute, aren't they) before they turn into teenagers overnight.

Miraculously, I did take their picture on the third of this month but it's with my camera phone and they are laying down. They had decided to all sleep together on the floor and they looked so freaking cute that I quickly grabbed my smartphone and snapped their picture. I totally got lucky : ).

I hope I don't forget to snap their chops on February 3rd, lol!!!!

Also, my youngest can now say *I love you, mama* (he's been in speech therapy since November) and let me tell you, my heart bursts into a million pieces every single time he says it.

Furthermore, the middle child verbally competes with me as to who loves whom more. There is no contest sweet child- I love YOU more. For true.

Lastly, my oldest quizzed me last week about her brother, wondering why his skin is darker than hers and the other brother and why they don't look alike (in her mind). I assured her that yes, indeed it is possible for kids to have the same parents but not look exactly alike and have different skin color, that the color of our skin is not what makes us a family. I said that *Sam is part of our family.....that he is and will always be your brother*. She responded with *Are you SUURRREEEEE, Mama?*. She said it so emphatically and with just the right amount of a teasing, loving tone that I immediately burst out laughing.

Also, she is the tallest 8 year old I know, measuring around 4 ft 6 inches tall : ).

BOOM. SHATTER. CRASH.

That's the sound of my heart exploding out of my chest and hitting the floor, splattering into a million pieces of love for these kids of mine.

Measuring Up

2012-01-10T13:03:00.000-05:00

Pacing.

It's about the journey to your results, not how fast you get there.

The first year or so I was a runner, I was so concerned about my pace. Like it would make me anxious and nervous every time I went out for a run. I was constantly worried about how fast I was going (or not) and how it measured up to my runner friends. I felt so slow compared to every single other runner I know.

It took me a long time to accept that I might never measure up to them in actual time pace, but in other ways, I measure up just fine. The only one I need to be pacing is myself. So I let go of trying to measure up to everyone else's measures and instead, just focused on my own measures.

It was freeing.

And check it out, this morning I went for a little run and all I wanted was to have a good run because let's face it, my runs since returning from our 11 day vacation have been anything but stellar. I put my mind in charge of this run, ignoring everything except the voice in my head chanting *just run just run just run*. I needed a solid run to boost my confidence and to remind myself that yes, I CAN DO THIS and I WILL DO THIS.

Now I notice other newer runners comparing themselves to me and I want to yell at them *stop the comparison game*. The only one who matters is you, you, YOU. I am so proud of the mentees of the HEB/Zooma Texas Girlfriend Program of which I am a mentor.

Squeeechhhhh. HOLD UP.

Me, a mentor?

I can barely run faster than a walk and now I get to mentor someone who is new to running? I hesitated from even applying to this program because 1) I'm SLOW. 2) I feel like I bitch a lot about running. ~~I'm old. My muscles creak. My back is ache-y and I have to do yoga~~. 3) What could I possibly offer to others?

Ahhhh Lisa, my dear Lisa. You have a lot to offer and need to stop comparing yourself to other, more seasoned/faster/skinnier/prettier blah blah blah runners.

You are smart enough. You are good enough. And gosh darned, people like you.

To all of the new runners out there, I want to say the same- you are smart enough, you are good enough, and gosh darned, people like you.

I like you.

Now get out there and run.

The big surprise

2012-01-08T15:32:00.000-05:00

Last night we finally celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary.

If you follow me on Facebook,

then you already know what surprise

my husband had in store for me

We had dinner at Pirahna Killer Sushi

by far, the absolute BEST sushi I have ever had.....

IN MY LIFE

we will be going back often

Then, in typical Anthony-fashion
he surprised me with the biggest, best gift that he has ever given me
~~we're not big gift-givers to begin with~~

He gave me the smallest gift with the best words

Then, I burst into tears.
This ring is absolutely
beautiful
perfect
mine.
LOVE.

13 years and counting

2012-01-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

In 1994
a 22 year old girl met a 21 year old boy
in a club
on 5th Street in Austin, TX

Their first date was at the Hula Hut Restaurant

Her name was Lisa

She had just graduated college

and was working her first job

His name was Anthony

He was in the Army

He drove a crazy-colored car

Together, they had TONS of fashion sense- ha!

They dated for years

Enjoying the outdoors

Going out on the town

Dressing up for Halloween

And making each other laugh, A LOT.

Anthony kept on with his fashion style.

On January 2, 1999
they tied the knot
at the Salt Lick BBQ
in Dripping Springs, TX

Since then, they have traveled

and expanded the family
with first Sophie
then Sam
and finally Little Anthony

They're a little older
a little wiser
more patient and forgiving and ever-loving

They are passionate
enthusiastic
affectionate
prone to loudness
and busyness
and activity

as they show their children
what love and marriage is all about

Happy 13th Anniversary babe.
Here's to many more.

Does this outfit make my butt look fat?

2011-12-31T16:36:00.000-05:00

Made you look.

OK, I have no outfit for you to comment on but I wanted a catchier title than *Looking Back*, but really, looking back is really what this post is all about. I've decided to go through the blog posts for each month of 2011 and make some kind of ~~witty asinine wise thought-provoking~~ comment.

But really, as I go back through my old posts, I've realized that I write about three things.

Food. Family. Running.

Are they related? Separate but equal? Where do I spend my most time? ~~my mid-section says food~~

Hold on tight. Here we go- wheeeee!!!!!

In January, I wrote a Dear Self letter. Reading back through that letter I wrote from my future self to my present self of 2011 was eye-opening. I accomplished some of the things I mentioned and had some detours on others. I ran the Sisterhood Virtual 5K. The post that got the most comments was the one was I asked folks to de-lurk and announce themselves. According to that post, I have 26 readers, lol. My favorite post was the one where I talk about how my bald spot was growing back in but that I looked like a rooster. It's worth the click-over, pinkie promise swear.

Oh hell. I'll re-post that *look* for you right now. Your welcome.
In February, Sophie and I went for our first run together- the best mile I have ever run. She proclaimed it *harder than she thought it would be*. I announced that I had been chosen to be a Zooma Ambassador for the Zooma Women's Half Marathon and I talked about whether running is really worth it....it is.
March was a super-busy month for us. We sold our house after 2.5 weeks on the market, Anthony's grandma unexpectedly died, I wrote of the village that supports and lifts me up (in bloggy-land and IRL), and I decided to run the Capitol 10K at the very last minute, after 12+ hours of packing/moving and only 4 hours of sleep. I ~~complained~~ lamented about my race time and ya'll in turn, bitched-slapped for my bitching.

Thank you.
In April, I ran the Zooma Women's Half Marathon with Christy. It was by far my favorite race that I've ever done, mainly because I had my best friend by my side.

In May, I attended Fitbloggin. I partied like a rockstar, ran a 5K in a tutu and hung out with the lovely ladies of Shrinking Jeans. Pure bliss. Also, I turned 39 years old.....that means I turn 40 in 2012, EEK!

June was boring, and in July I decided to race a sprint triathlon that was only 4.5 weeks away and we took a beach vacation. In August, I completed the TriGirl Sports ~~Triathlon~~ Duathlon and

September was more of the same. October was the month that Anthony and I dressed up as woopie cushions for Halloween

and I ran the Sisterhood Virtual 5K (again). November was the month that I decided to run the Zooma Half Marathon in 2012 and December was almost non-existent for blog posts!

There you have it- 2011 in review. Was it all you imagined it to be?!I'm looking forward to 2012- building our new house and moving into it, doing multiple running races AND some triathlons and mainly, living life in the present.Thank you so much for continuing to come back to read my drivel- believe me, I know it's drivel at times!

Happy New Year and I really do hope this outfit doesn't make my butt look fat.

Blessings Beyond This World

2011-12-14T14:24:00.000-05:00

Do they know how much they mean to me
how much they complete my life
how much they make me want to be the bext person that I can be
what a blessing they are to me?

Over a month ago
we took family pictures with
Celina from siLove Photography
I would venture to say that we were a ~~nightmare~~ dream family
for her to photograph

We aren't your typical serious, *pose for a shot* family
That would be impossible anyway given the nature of our children
Regardless, Celina captured our family
exactly the way I see them

Monkeying around

Expressive

Prone to dramatics

Life is too short to conform
so we don't
Don't worry
we did get a few "normal" shots

Minus the karate chop from the toddler

This is us
so very much
hand in hand
doing our thing
blessings beyond this world

photos courtesy of siLove Photography

May you count your blessings and enjoy them every day.

Throwing it all in, including the kitchen sink

2011-12-08T20:49:00.001-05:00

So much happening, so much going on, life is moving at warp speed.

I upgraded my super-old Motorola back-flip phone to the Samsung Galaxy SII Skyrocket phone. What a freakin' dream this phone is. I knew I was missing out on a lot with my ancient dinosaur of a phone, but really I had no idea what I was truly missing. I am in love with my new phone. Also, I am becoming addicted to Words with Friends and getting my ass whooped by everyone I play. That's OK- I'm slowly figuring out the strategy to winning this game!

Also, while we were out shopping for my new phone, we also picked up a Samsung Galaxy tablet. No, it's not an iPad but who cares?! It's a tablet and it's way cool and I wished I had more freakin' time in the day to explore all the cool things I know it can do. Sophie and I have enjoyed playing Sparkle (yes- another game!) on it and she is quickly learning how to master the touchscreen.

I'm still running and lifting weights and I'm even contemplating running the 3M half marathon on January 29th, 2012. I'm not exactly wholly committed to it yet because um, well, I have been so busy that I haven't even had time to map out my training to see if I have enough time to ramp up my running to be prepared for 13.1 7 weeks from now. I did do a 5 miler one week ago and felt good....not great, but OK. We shall see. I'm just going to keep running, increasing my mileage week by week and see how I feel.

I'm definitely running the Zooma Half Marathon on March 31, 2012 ~~and I just might be a mentor for the new Texas Girlfriends Program that they put together- shhhhh, more on that later~~.

Next week alone, between school and church school and adult fun, we have six Christmas parties- eek!

Also, because this seems to be the post where I throw everything in including the kitchen sink, I wanted to let ya'll know that in my spare time (HA!), I am hosting cooking shows for The Pampered Chef. I know, I know, I don't have time for this BUT I love the kitchen, I love kitchen stuff, I love cooking and I love The Pampered Chef. It was a no brainer for me and no, noone twisted my arm to sign on the dotted line- I did it on my own accord and have already made back all the money I put into it plus some.

So who wants to buy something?!!!! I have lots of great gift ideas for the holidays : ).

Lastly, remember this blurb from a recent post of mine:

So where are we in this long home building process?

Phase 1- design a floor plan
Phase 2- design outside elevation
Phase 3- securing construction loan financing
Phase 4- break ground and let the builder run with it

Well, we closed on our construction loan this morning- praise the Lord! We got the floor plan done, we got the exterior design done and now we have the money to finance the darn thing. Once we get the final building permits from the county, our builder can start building our house.

You cannot even imagine the joy I have to be moving along in this process. Soon enough, we will be able to actually SEE some actual progress. As my girl Christy said today- you have a light at the end of the tunnel. More like a freakin' spotlight- a beacon of fresh air. Yippee!!!!

So yeah, that is what's been going on around here and then some- you know, that whole *taking care of 3 kids* thing and whatnot.

What's going on with ya'll? Anyone else have the Xmas crazies or all-around crazies?

CRY IT OUT

2011-11-29T22:24:00.001-05:00

I slept 9+ hours last night, probably closer to 10. Completely unheard of because I stay up late most nights.....well you know, late when you know you have to get up at 6:20am so that you can be ready to get the kids up and out the door by 7:25am for school.

I hit the trail for a run that I know will hurt. It's been a week since I've done any kind of exercise, I've eaten lots of yummy food and partaken in some wine-drinking a night here, there, and everywhere. The sun is shining, the sky a bright blue, the temperature warming up quickly.

My feet start moving faster than a walk....barely.....but whatever. I know today is going to hurt and it does. I feel heavy and sluggish and like I've fed my body with complete crap lately. Oh wait, I HAVE.

My thoughts are all over the place. I think about running a marathon, about honoring my body in the year I turn 40 (in 2012), about how far I've come, that even on my crappy run days, I can crank out 3....barely.

I think about music and food and my family and my friends.

But mostly I think about running being my outlet for my emotions.

There is so much going on in my life right now, things I can't and won't write about here, but once again, as I am running, I think to myself: 2011 has been one of the most stressful years of my life. Moving, new job/long commute, new living situation, building a new house (that is taking freakin' forever), a unexpected death in the family, and other family stresses.

I hate whining and I try to stay positive because I do know that things are going to get better and they just have to, they just have to, they just have to. I remind myself that my marriage is going strong, my kids are healthy, and we have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.

But man, have I been hit with some doozies in other ways and some days, the stress level is so high that I'm surprised that I haven't spontaneously combusted.

I keep running and then, right around mile 2.75, I LOST IT. IT, as in, I completely broke down in tears and sobbing and heaving and I had to stop running because I have not finessed the art of running and crying uncontrollably at the same time. I walk for a few minutes and then finally sat off to the side of the trail and let myself CRY IT OUT. Completely, until there were more tears for WHAT IS NOT.

Apparently, I've been holding in those tears and emotion for way too long and I needed to get it out.

I got it out and then some.

And this, THIS, is why I will keep running, even a crappy 3 mile run has a huge impact on my mental well-being.

Written as part of Heather of the Extraordinary Ordinary's Just Write Series.

Just dance!

2011-11-21T21:38:00.001-05:00

I'm watching Dancing with the Stars right now.

I love this show so very much.

The music, the dances, the costumes, the shiny, the glitter, the beat-beat-beat of the Latin music, the hips swaying, the quick footwork, the emotion.

This show brings me so much joy.

Dancing brings me so much joy.

Maybe this is why I like Zumba so much- it's like a dance party of the gym floor.

I miss the yesteryear's of going to a salsa club and dancing the night away, weekend after weekend after weekend. Anthony and I have talked about talking lessons together but we've never made the time to do it. There are always so many other things competing for our time and attention.

I want to make time to learn how to partner dance with my husband.

I want to feel the beat again.

I want to dance until I'm one hot sweaty mess.

I want to wear pretty clothes and costumes and shoes and make-up.

I wonder if we could learn to partner together and not work against one another?!!!!

Could we ever get good enough to compete?!!!! That actually makes me giggle typing that.

We both have rhythm for the most part and the times we do dance (like, at weddings!), we have a great time. I am lucky that I have a husband who likes to dance and likes to get the crowd hopping- we're both extroverts and like to have a good time on the dance floor.

We just have to make the time to have a good time.

Does that even make sense?

I think I am moving into rambling territory now.

Maybe it's time that I don't wait any longer and just dance- whether it's at home, in the car, while running, or GASP- whisk my honey away to a dance club and go for it.

Hmmmm........

This post was written in response to Heather of The Extraordinary Ordinary's Just Write prompt.

Girlfriends and Running

2011-11-17T22:29:00.001-05:00

Running has been difficult lately.

The never-ending heat has just sucked the life out of my running journey. Don't get me wrong- I'm still running, but I sweat a ton, have to take walk breaks (a lot) and it just hasn't been very much fun. I have been doing shorter runs of 2-3 miles, struggling to maintain and not lose what I've worked so hard to achieve over the last two years. I was nervous that I might be losing my running mojo.

Luckily, the weather is slowly cooling off and I'm beginning to enjoy my runs again, somewhat, and I think I might be finding my running mojo again.

I cranked out a 4 miler this morning and it wasn't too bad ~~I hardly sweated, ha ha~~. The funny thing is that I didn't want to do it initially. I was coming up with every reason in the book NOT to run. However, I knew that I had to run 4 miles, whether it was today, tomorrow or the next day, because I am supposed to be doing the Turkey Trot 5 Miler next Thursday. I needed to make sure that I could crank out a run longer than 2 miles.

Anyhoo, for the first time in months, I spent some time looking into future races, meaning that I will most likely do future races which means that I will keep running and very soon here, will put together a true training plan for those races.

One race that I know for sure will hit the calender is the Zooma 1/2 Marathon. I did it last year with my girl Christy (Ann came down and did the 5k race, too) and we've talked about doing it again in 2012. It was by far one of my favorite races and the only *women's* race I've ever done. Great support, camraderie, beautiful country roads to run, awesome locations, and on and on and on. It is held at the Hyatt Regency's Lost Pines Resort.

Scratch that - I am DOING the Zooma 1/2 Marathon on March 31, 2012.

I was a Zooma Ambassador last year and thoroughly enjoyed being part of such an awesome group of women runners. This year, Zooma is launching a new program called the Texas Girlfriend's Program. Basically, Zooma is looking for beginner runners or those who have *fallen off the running wagon* and want to get back on to be part of 15 week training program. Each person will be paired with a mentor/buddy who will be there to support and motivate you along the way. You can train for the 5k race or the 1/2 marathon- you choose.

How freakin' cool is this?

I can think of so many of you lovely lady friends of mine that I would love love love to share this with. Go ahead, check out the Zooma Texas Girlfriend's Program. There is an application deadline of November 30th so don't file this away to be *done later*. Also, there are all kinds of perks for those selected for this program.

So yeah, I'm going to train for Zooma. I'm not an Ambassador or Mentor (yet) but I am already pounding the pavement with these trustworthy running shoes of mine.

Any of my running friends from the North, East, South, or West want to join me? We could totally make it a Girls Weekend!

IJS.

Bari, Tiffany, Kirsten, Beki, Brooke, Christie, Melissa, Thea, Renee?

Elaine, Christy, Amanda, Kim, Nicole, Tracey, Heather?

Lauren, Chris, Maria, Cheryl, Stephanie, Tanya, Paula, Jessica, Patsy, Celeste, Rebecca, Rhonda, Julie M., Heather?

One Day

2011-11-07T10:05:00.000-05:00

I keep waiting and hoping, delaying a post here because I want my next post to be that we've broken ground on our new house.

We have NOT broken ground on our new house.

The waiting, waiting, and more waiting has tested my patience to a new level.

This is the first time ~~(maybe only time)~~ that we've built a custom home and I really had no idea how LONG the entire process from start to finish would take. I mean, I heard the builder when he said the design process could take xxxx amount of time, the loan process takes blah blah blah time, and the building process ~~takes way too freakin' long~~ xxxx time.

But really, I had NO clue. ~~Naive.~~

So where are we in this long process?

Phase 1- design a floor plan (DONE- woot woot!)
Phase 2- design outside elevation (DONE- woot woot!)
Phase 3- securing construction loan financing (we've turned everything in and now we're WAITING on a closing date, so almost done, fingers and toes crossed)
Phase 4- break ground and let the builder run with it (NOT DONE AT ALL)

The husband and I talk longingly of all the things we can't wait to do/decorate/build/accessorize/socialize, etc in our new house.

I'm super excited to have the kitchen of my dreams and I'm already planning meals and kitchen escapades in my head. I can't wait for the kids to have a dedicated play space and their own bedrooms. I can't wait to have a bad-ass backyard with a wraparound porch, outdoor kitchen and the best play area our brains can dream up. I can't wait to have windows all the way around, letting in precious light all day long. I can't wait to pick out flooring, paint, hardware, countertops and the like. I can't wait to see how our furniture looks in our new house.

Our house is our home and we love to share it with those we care and love.

I can't wait to resume our normal *invite everyone over at the last minute for a BBQ* lives, hosting every single family birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day celebrations and everything in between.

That's what we did at our last house and we'll do it again in our new house.

One day.

Sneak Peek

2011-11-02T17:24:00.000-04:00

We took some family pictures this weekend.

The kids were CRAZY. WILD. HUNGRY.

We were definitely colorful as we strolled South Congress, making those passing by stop as we took shot. after shot. after shot.Anytime we take professional pictures as a family Anthony and I are certain that the photographer could not have possibly captured anything worthy of our *easily distracted, non-conformist, independent* brood.

But I do believe that siLove Photography did just that.I don't have the digital files just yet to share but I can direct you here to catch a sneak peek of our wonderfully busy family.

Make sure to leave some comment love, m'kay?!Thanks- mwah!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Woopie

2011-10-31T13:12:00.001-04:00

Who said Halloween is only for the young kids to dress up?

Meet Mr. Woopie......

And Mrs. Woopie......

Together, we make all kinds of woopie, lol!

We are THAT couple.

Take a wild guess who picked out our costumes this year?!

Happy Halloween!

Menu Plan Your Butt Off (10/24)

2011-10-24T16:42:00.002-04:00

I don't do it every week but the weeks I do menu plan, I am SO glad I did because it makes me pull out recipes that I've bookmarked or pinned on Pinterest and actually MAKE THEM. I know, shocking! I try to keep it healthy as possible but sometimes it's not possible- ha ha.

The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans are the ones ~~making~~ inspiring me to menu plan my butt off.

Sunday 10/23- spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, salad

Monday 10/24- honey garlic chicken (slow cooker), my own version of lo mein made with spaghetti noodles and sauteed broccoli, red bell pepper, onion, mushroom, and sauce from the chicken (Update: So how was it, you wonder? It was freakin' awesome! I shredded the chicken and then mixed it all together -didn't need all the sauce- and it was delicious, almost like an Asian Chicken Stir-Fry Spaghetti Fusion. The kids gobbled up two plates each, leaving NOT enough for leftovers tomorrow night. This was definitely a success!).

Tuesday 10/25- leftovers

Wednesday 10/26- cheese ravioli with pumpkin alfredo sauce, garlic bread, salad

Thursday 10/27- hearty beef stew (slow cooker), cornbread

Friday 10/28- out to eat, baby!

Saturday 10/29- Haunted Halloween Chili Party

Other yummy recipes that I hope to whip up this week:

Do you see a theme here? I hope my family likes pumpkin : ). Happy eating!!!!

Running the 'Hood- A Vehicle to Finding Myself

2011-10-22T23:39:00.000-04:00

The very first 5K I ever did was the Inaugural Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans Virtual 5K in 2009. Those were the days when I was a very newbie runner where every single run was an ~~painful~~ enlightening experience for me. Ya'll already know that I like to run most of the times ~~except when I don't~~ and today was no exception.

The ONLY 5K's I have ever done have been the virtual ones with The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. You see, it typically takes me a good 1-2 miles to actually feel like I am running, to work out the kinks of my 39 year old, still 15lbs overweight body. My favorite miles to run are 4-5-6, so yeah, I just don't do 5k's.

Except with Shrinking Jeans. I love my girls over there- heck, a lot of them are the ones who kept me running when my body was resisting me the entire way during my Team in Training-1/2 marathon days in 2010. If it wasn't for this lovely, wonderful, supportive group of women, I am positive I would have thrown in the towel then and been done with running once and for all.

This morning I did the Run the 'Hood Virtual 5K with Shrinking Jeans. My third year to do it. 2009- time of 39 minutes. 2010- I was worn down and taking a break from running, so I purposely did not record my time but completed the mileage anyway.

2011- I wanted to involve my family this time and the only way for us to make it work was for my husband and I to take turns running 1 mile sprints while the other stayed with the kids at the playground. So that's what we did and it worked for us. Granted, I had long rest periods between each mile and so my time is a cumulative time and not a consecutive time, but WHATEVER. I got that 5K done and IN THE BANK. (And so did my husband).

Total time of 32.02 min. 1st mile- 10:25min, 2nd mile- 10:20min, 3rd mile- 10:17min and change for that .1 mile. Negative splits. PR- Personal Record.

Yeah, I know that I kinda cheated with those breaks between each mile but I'm claiming this as victory anyway because ya'll, I normally run 11-12 minute miles. I don't run 10-11min miles and when I do, it's not back to back miles.

I am freaking pumped about my times! And look, I can and did run consistent 10-ish minute miles. Could I really do it consecutively, like all at one time?! I don't know but I think so and wow- ya'll don't even know what a breakthrough this is for me.

I have ALWAYS considered myself as a slow runner and had finally come to terms with that this past year. I would get ~~annoyed~~ jealous when my faster runner friends would complain about *their* slow runs of 9/10/11 min miles. When I started my running journey, I was squeaking out 13 minute miles so yeah, I was completely envious of those who could crank out 9/10/11 minute miles, mile after mile after mile.

But look, I think I just might be the *little engine that could*. I have not given up on running, through all the aches and pains and self-discovery, I have kept at it. Through heat, humidity, cold, and rain- I have kept at it. Through logistical nightmares of coordinating runs with the hubby, and the kids and juggling life- I have kept at it. Through feeling awkward and slow and bumbling and slow again, I have kept at it.

I am so damn proud of myself, I can't even stand it.

Thank you Shrinking Jeans, for giving me this gift of running, for giving me the vehicle of finding myself.

A Recipe for a Successful Day

2011-10-17T11:42:00.002-04:00

I must get a minimum of 6 hours of sleep per day and preferably 7 hours.

I must have a cup of very strong coffee within the first hour of being awake.

I must take off my PJ's and put on real clothes for the day.

I must do some sort of exercise because for me, exercise supplies my brain with the necessary endorphins to relax.

I must run a few times a week because once again, running is my emotional outlet. There is no question about it- when I don't exercise or run for several days in a row, I will and do end up having a craptastic day. I have to exercise, I have to get my heart pumping, I have to sweat. Exercising and running gives my brain the reminder that *hey you, you can handle anything thrown at you- just keep exercising so that you can be reminded of this*.

I must take my vitamins and probiotics. What do I take, you ask? Calcium and Magnesium (for strong bones and mental health- that's an entirely separate post of it's own), Glucosamine (for healthy joints and flexibility), and Probiotics (to keep my insides happy). I'm thinking of adding in Vitamin D, too.

I must have a plan for the day.

I must give and receive lots of hugs and kisses to/from my kids.

I must get out of the house and interact with other adults.

I must have a clean kitchen when I go to bed. I know, I'm a weirdo.

What about you? Are there certain things that you do to ensure a good day?

You made me a mama the first time

2011-10-08T10:48:00.002-04:00

You made me a mama the first time.

You made us parents for the first time.

You were all things baby, personified.

(Photo courtesy of ChubbyFoot Photography)

I knew about love, but your birth taught me about unconditional love.

(Photo courtesy of ChubbyFoot Photography)

Today, we celebrate your 8th birthday.

You are absolutely beautiful. Smart. Funny. Serious. Focused. Fun. Friendly.

You love the beach, riding every ride that you can at Disneyland, and playing tricks on your little brothers.

You love karate, wearing earrings, and playing math games on the computer.

You love dance, moving your body in ballet moves, funky hip-hop moves, and everything in between.

You love your brothers fiercely, going from being their playmate to *mothering* them in a split second.

Ya'll can get silly......real silly.

Photo courtesy of Amanda Wintenburg Photography

Ya'll laugh, play, and create chaos in the house.

I love you SO much, Sophie.

I cannot put into words how very much.

You are my girl, my only girl, the ONLY granddaughter on both sides of the family.

You make me proud to be your mama.

Happy Birthday sweet girl.

The Nook vs The Kindle Fire

2011-10-06T23:06:00.000-04:00

I love to read. Always have, always will. However, although I love the crisp pages of a new book, I do not like the amount of space books take up. Granted, I usually pass my books along to friends for their reading pleasure, but they are doing the same to me and folks, I just don't have anywhere to put all these darn books.

Plus, it would be so nice to have MANY books at my fingertips, with me, at all times, for whenever the reading urge strikes.

In that vain......

I'm getting an e-reader but can't decide which one.

The Contenders

1. The Nook Color (Barnes and Noble)

$249, available immediately
7 inch full color touchscreen
2 million books, newspapers, magazines, and interactive kids' books
Popular apps, games, music and fun social features
Email and web with video via Adobe Flash Player
Share with Nook Friends (this is a big bonus because my girl Christy has a Nook- we always traded books)

2. The Kindle Fire (Amazon)

$199, available for pre-order, release date of Nov 15th.
7 inch full color touchscreen
18 million shows, songs, magazines, and books
Amazon Appstore - thousands of popular apps and games
Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content
Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle
Fast, powerful dual-core processor
Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows

They are very similar products, virtually doing the same thing. I am leaning towards one, but I wanted to get your input. Do you have an e-reader? If so, which one and what do you like or dislike about it? And while I'm at it, tell me your favorite book so that I can have a whole stash of book titles to look up for purchase : ).

One, Two, Punch

2011-10-02T23:27:00.000-04:00

One, Two, Punch

We spent the weekend with one of my favorite people in the world and her two kids- BJ and Mia.

Christy and I have known each other since we both only had one child, less than one year old and only a few weeks apart in age. Our friendship has grown, just as the size of our families have grown. I am so incredibly thankful that our kids have one another, it's like an extended family. They play amazingly well together, given the age range.

Boy-girl-boy-girl-boy.

Our time together always passes too quickly and the kids are always asking me *can we stay just one more day*? Or Mia will ask me (like she did today)- Lisa, when are you guys coming back to visit? We spend so much time with this family that each child is used to either *mama* disciplining them, asking them to do things, with enough hugs and kisses to go all around.

I wonder if Christy knows how much my heart melted when her kids ran up to me for one last hug- I was already in the car with kids loaded up and they insisted on *one more time*. O-M-G.

I love them so much.

Thank you Christy, once again, for sharing the magic of the Hill Country with us. Here's to many more visits!

Also- these two kiddos? Sophie and BJ?

January 2006

When the hell did they get so big and grown-up?!

October 2011

It's hard being a grown-up

2011-09-29T20:42:00.000-04:00

Torn.

Into a million pieces.

That's what my life feels like lately.

I hate the *woe is me* tone that has been going on around here.

If I'm tired of it, then you must be tired of it, too.

Lol. Kind of.

I was all set to come to this space and admit that I had spoken too soon, that I was sitting this one out, that sometimes you just can't do everything. What am I referring to?

Running a half marathon in December. Just a short while ago, I had proclaimed all these great and wonderful physical things I had planned for the next few months and hey *look at me*, I'm a badass because I can juggle it all AND train AND race, too.

Apparently, I cannot.

Two weeks ago Friday, my body handed itself it's ass in the form of a NASTY stomach virus. Let's just say that it flattened me out that particular day, in ways so horrible and gross, of the *oh my aching butt* kind. I was feeling better by that Saturday and then by Sunday, I had resumed my normal running 3 days a week regimen.

O. M. G. Running was NOT what my stomach needed and I guess, looking back, it had not fully recovered from the physical trauma of the virus. The next 8 days I continued with uck and grossness and an achey, sore, hurting stomach. Running made it worse. I literally had to force myself to eat because my stomach hurt for so bad for so long. When I did run, I was terrified that my insides would come to the outside, if you get what I mean.

Added into the mix was the general life stuff and stress and most importantly, all the bigger STRESSES of building our home and all that includes. One day, I will share with you some of the details that come along with building a custom home but not today. So many decisions, so many delays- for one reason or another. Disappointment here, excitement there- lots and lots and lots of patience necessary.

I'm glossing over the home thing, but it's really a big deal and it's been so much harder to manage than I thought it would be.

So, back in the midst of my crap-fest and the stress of changing our home design once again delaying the actual securing of our home loan once again delaying the actual start of building said home once again, I came to the conclusion that *I just don't think I have it in me to train for a half marathon right now*.

I cried like a baby because I felt like I was letting myself down and because I thought I might be letting some of you down. However, once the emotional release was over and done with, I also felt relief. There are so many things I can't control but I do have control over some portions of my time.

Training for a half takes a lot of time, too much for me right now. By telling myself that it's OK NOT to run the December race, by reminding myself that there are plenty more races to choose from that occur in the Spring, by telling myself that I am not giving up running, that I am just giving up that particular race, I felt so much better.

I gave myself the gift of time, a gift so precious and immeasurable by money.

I will continue to run.

I am doing the Sisterhood Virtual 5K on October 22nd and I'm doing the Turkey Trot 5 Miler on Thanksgiving Day and I'm going to look for a 10K to do in December. I've added strength training to my weekly regimen, twice a week. I'm going to continue finding joy in swimming, Zumba, yoga, and spinning.

You know what's funny?

I've said I'm not running a December half marathon and I probably won't, BUT I reserve the right to change my mind at the last minute. I have been know to sign up for races with a short lead time : ).

We'll just see how it goes. For now, I am reveling in the relief I feel, the maturity at making a hard decision (for me), looking forward to enjoying fitness and figuring out all this *building a home* stuff.

In related news, I am in desperate need of a Girls Weekend. If money and time weren't a factor, who would join me and where would we go? Let the dreaming commence!

Bringing up the rear

2011-09-25T14:21:00.001-04:00

Dear Anthony,

Today is your birthday. You are three years old, going on 6. You have no concept of your age- at times you act like a baby, snuggling in my arms all day long. At other times, you try your best to keep up with your brother and sister.

You are independent, except when you are not.

You are stubborn, strong-willed, and opinionated.

You thrive on trying new things and there is not much that scares you.

You are loving, affectionate, energetic, and enthusiastic.

You are a pro on the scooter. Once, you did 40 somersaults in a row and you would have kept going if I hadn't stopped you. You love basketball, football and soccer. You are a fish in the water and a super-ninja on land, regularly causing your mommy to clutch her heart with fear for your safety. You have a high tolerance for pain- shouting *I OK* when other kids would collapse in tears.

You love your sister.....

....and your brother.....

....and they love you.

At church this morning, the choir sang *Amazing Grace*. You were snuggling in my arms at the time with your head on my shoulder. Tears sprung to my eyes as I contemplated how lucky I am to be your mommy, how very much you complete our family of five.

Happy birthday little boy. May today, and every day, be the very best.

Love,
Your Mommy

Nowhere to escape

2011-09-22T14:29:00.000-04:00

I'm not sleeping very well lately. I have so much on my mind and it's so hard to shut it off at the end of the day.

My husband works a lot and travels sometimes and well, the majority of the care of the kids (and all that entails) falls on me. We're building a house and why that is so exciting, it's also so overwhelming and stressful and a test of our patience every single day, not only because we're building a house from the ground up, but because we are living with my MIL in her 3 BR/2BA house. There is little privacy and I almost always have children up/on/around/under me from 6:30am-8:30pm. The noise is constant all of the time.

It is exhausting to not have anywhere to go to be by yourself. To think, make decisions, plan, research, etc. Nowhere to go. My brain is always on and there is no escaping and I'm so tired.....so very tired.

Throw into the mix is the kids' after-school activities, my training runs for the 1/2 marathon that I say I am running in December but have yet to register for, the birthday parties to be planned, the meals to be cooked, the cleaning, the laundry, the folding, the bills to be paid, the dr/dentist appointments to be made, the phone calls to be done, the searching for cooler clothes in our 10x20 storage unit.

The list is endless and there are never enough hours in the day.

My kids aren't sleeping the best either. The boys are sharing a room now and well, it's not going well because of the toddler (who turns 3 this weekend). He must be going through a phase or feeding off my *sleepless* energy because now he doesn't want to sleep, he doesn't want to nap, he doesn't want to go to bed at night, he doesn't want to stay in bed, he doesn't want to sleep in.

Some nights, more than one child is waking me for something.....anything.....crawling into bed with, sleeping on the floor in my room, or just standing there staring at me.

When I was a new mom three times over, the hardest part for me each time was the broken sleep those first few months. I don't do well AT ALL with too little sleep. I think lack of sleep is a form of torture and I'm being *tortured* right now.

I'm tired, have nowhere to escape and I'm thinking about NOT publishing this post because it sounds like a big ole whine-fest, but, it's where I am right now. We're in transition, in limbo, unsettled. I feel like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz- I'm clicking my red ruby heels three times, chanting: I just wanna go home, I just wanna go home, I just wanna go home.

You take the good, you take the bad, you take it all, and there you have- the facts of life. These are my facts. Today.

A menu, a recipe, a random kitchen tip and a question

2011-09-19T21:34:00.000-04:00

I got a menu, a recipe, a random kitchen tip and a question for you in this post. Read on, my friends......

Here's the menu for the week, subject to change at any given time : ).

Sunday
Healthified Chicken Tortilla Casserole- another homerun in this household! Everyone loved this one and we'll be making it again. I did my own rotisserie chicken in the crock pot and it was freakin' awesome. Will share the recipe one day, lol. Served with spanish rice and a big green salad.

Monday
Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Dijon Sauce (thank you Christy for sharing this one with me!)
served over angel hair pasta with broccoli on the side
I doubled the sauce for the chicken and tossed it with the pasta
Kids declared it the best.dish. EVER. Both older kids asked to take it for school lunch tomorrow. One child asked if we could eat it everyday, lol.

Tuesday
leftovers

Wednesday
Beef Enchiladas (no recipe- sorry!), spanish rice, salad

Thursday
pizza night at kids' school

Friday
leftovers for the kids and hopefully, the husband is taking his H-A-W-T wife (that would be me) out for dinner!

Saturday
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (crock pot), corn, homemade mashed potatoes, green salad

Desserts/Fun Things for the kids
Ice Cream in a Baggie
Bobby Deen's Lighter Lemon Bars- I never got to make these last week.
However, I did make this Low Fat Banana Nut Bread (substituting 3-4 oz of mini chocolate chips for the walnuts)- it was awesome! we chowed down and finished off the two loaves in one week's time!

OK, real quick. I will share with you the homemade salad dressing recipe that I use every single week. It is so easy and delicious and seriously, we ALWAYS have it on hand. I use a salad carafe to make and store it in- it does just the trick.

Homemade Vinaigrette Recipe
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup + 4T olive oil
1/3 cup water
4 t dijon mustard
salt/pepper to your liking
Throw it all in the carafe, shake and chill!

Random Kitchen Tip
To cut more juice out of a lemon or lime, cut in half and microwave for 30 seconds. You will be amazed at the amount of juice that you can get out of it but be careful- it will be hot!

Misc.
Also, is my toddler the only child that spills his cup of water at dinner a few times a week? It drives me crazy. He knows how to use a cup but it never fails- when I am at my most busy ~~frazzled,~~ he spills his water. Is this a conspiracy to push me over the edge on those particular days?!!!!

Oh Mexico, How I Miss Thee

2011-09-16T08:21:00.000-04:00

BK (before kids), the husband and I traveled quite bit to all the usual places- Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, France and all points in between. However, our favorite place to travel forever and always has been Mexico.

Well, it's my favorite place to visit and I can only assume that because the husband agreed to travel there so many times with me for vacation that he likes it, too.

Cancun (twice). Cozumel (twice). Acapulco (once). Cabo San Lucas (four times).

Can you tell which place was our favorite?

We went to Cabo the first time as a married couple, no kids.

We went to Cabo again when I was 5 months pregnant with Sophie. One of the best trips E-V-E-R.

We forgo a trip to Hawaii to return to Cabo when Sophie was 14 months old.

We went back AGAIN when Sophie was 3.5 years old and Sam was 14 months old.

And we have not been back since.

You know, cuz after that last trip to Cabo, we got pregnant with Little Anthony and well, there have been ZERO trips alone since he's been born!

Now the kids are almost 8, 5.5 and almost 3. The thought of traveling with them isn't so daunting anymore.

When discussing family vacations this past year, we both brought up the idea of going to Cabo with the kids. We so badly want to return and to show them what we love about that city, what we love about Mexico. ~~Plus, we bought a timeshare there that we have yet to use~~.

BUT, two things held up back from booking that trip.

One, holy moly- the expense of buying FIVE international plane tickets plus getting the kids their passports and then, just how expensive it is to feed 5 people eating out three times per day for 7 days. Add in the excursions and activities and snacks ~~adult beverages~~.

Then, we would of course have to bring my mom with us because she is so wonderful with the kids and they love her and she is awesome and patient and a pre-school teacher by trade so she gets them and all of their quirks and they never try to pull one over her because she doesn't let them and they know that.

No, you cannot have my mom. She is mine, all mine.

So yeah, the expense stopped us in our tracks.

And let's not forget all the crazy stuff happening in Mexico right now. Although the hubby and I felt fairly safe putting ourselves in the resort-way, fully believing that we would be just fine, we weren't sure that we wanted to drag our kids to another country that is experiencing some major security issues. From those we know that have gone to Mexico during this time, they tell us it's *just fine* for tourists, that the problems are far away from the resort areas that we like to visit.

Either way, we decided to table Mexico for now, until the kids can appreciate the gift we are giving them ~~when we can afford it better and hopefully, the security issues are a thing of the past~~.

I miss our trips to Mexico, oh how I do. I know we will return one day, of that I am sure.

Have you ever been to Mexico? If so, where and did you have yourselves a good time? Do you want to go back?

Self-doubt

2011-09-13T12:52:00.003-04:00

My hands stare at the keyboard.

My mind races with thoughts, but is unable to settle on one.

My eyes are teary.

What do I want to say in this space of mine?

There are a few things weighing me down of late, but which one of those things gets to be written about today?

Today, it will be running.

I ran this morning.

I have run three half marathons and one duathlon. I've also done a 5 miler race and a 10k race.

The Summer has been brutal in Texas, as in 100+degree temperatures for over 100 days, or something like that. I am not a fan of running in the heat but whatever. Actually, it sucks ass.

I lace up my shoes and hit the trail at 9:30am. I wanted to go earlier but I had to wait until all three children were in their respective schools. The run did not go well.

Self doubt has crept back in. Can I run another half marathon in December? Jessica has already registered as well as Jennifer and Erika. I've told Elaine that I am doing it and does she want to do it as well?

But I have not registered for the race and the only one holding me back is ME.

I feel so cliche. I also feel like a poser-runner, especially on those days when my hip is hurting and my calves are screaming for rest and every foot strike is an effort to just keep going. I'm drenched in sweat, my throat is parched because I forgot my water bottle at home, and I should have turned off my timer so that I wouldn't be reminded of how slow I am going.

Today was one of those days where I question why I run and will I keep running.

However, just typing that sentence makes my heart seize up with emotion and the tears fall down my face and my brain is screaming at me- OH HELL YES, YOU WILL KEEP RUNNING.

Running is my therapy. It helps me keep life manageable, it give me time to myself, it makes me push my body even when everything aches, it's made my mental game stronger, it's given me so much in the last two years.

I have to. I just have to. I have to run so that my brain doesn't explode all over this computer screen.

But the doubt, it can be a powerful thing some days.

Menu Planning is Not a Dirty Word!

2011-09-12T07:23:00.000-04:00

Menu planning.

It almost sounds like a dirty word.

I have menu planned a week here, a week there and when I do it, it's really awesome. The problem is that I have not fully committed to doing it consistently. But it's really awesome.....you know, the two times I've done it before. Most days, by lunch time, I know exactly what we are having for dinner, but some days, I am scrambling at dinnertime and kids are yammering for food right. this. very. second.

Also, I am a cookbook wh$re, recipe collector and all-around foodie wanna-be that doesn't really have time to be a true foodie. Regardless, I collect recipes that I want to try like some people collect rocks, or pennies, or shoes or books or whatever it is you people collect too much of.

Menu planning will allow me to know the *what for* ahead of dinner time AND will give me time to figure out which new recipes I might want to try in any given week.

Now enough with the rambling, which I seem to do a lot of. All of the time.

Monday 9/12
Yeah, you will this one. No name. No title. I'm kinda making it up, based on something Kirsten made for us at Hooker Retreat (it's not as bad as it sounds- in fact, it was an awesome weekend!). It's going to be a hamburger meat, poblano chile, diced potato and onion concoction. I'm gonna slap it on corn tortillas, salsa it up with the best homemade salsa around and call it a day. Served with a big green salad with once again, yummy homemade dressing. If you want the recipe for the salad dressing, then give me a shout out in the comments- I ALWAYS have this stuff whipped up and chilling in the fridge because my entire family loves it.

Tuesday 9/13
Chicken fajitas
Spanish rice (I wrote this post- it is our family recipe for Spanish rice and it is the hot diggity bomb)
Big green salad

Wednesday 9/14
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Salad
Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary Rolls

Thursday 9/15
Will use leftover chicken fajitas to make *Healthified* Chicken Tortilla Casserole
More spanish rice
More salad : ). I love love love this salad dressing- it truly is divine. (Also, I once again wrote this post)
Can you tell that we like the Spanish flavor in this household? It's in the blood, lol.

Friday 9/16
Huli Huli Chicken (this is not the recipe I used as I did mine in a crock pot and this calls for grilling. However, the ingredient list is almost identical- the preparation is different, obviously. Maybe if you are very nice to me or enough of you ask for the crock pot version, then I will type it out for you : ). Either way- it's freakin' awesome!
Steamed rice
broccoli

Saturday 9/17
out and about!

Extras for the week:
Bobby's Lighter Lemon Bars
Low-Fat Banana Nut Bread

After-School Snacks
pretzels and hummus
cucumbers with chile limon
trail mix
cracker/cheese/ham mini sandwiches
fruit medley
veggie tray with dill dip

Peeps, this ended up being a monster post and now I'm hungry! I gotta give props to the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans for encouraging me to menu plan my butt off. I am all set now and SO excited about what we will be eating this week.

As always when I write a foodie post, I wanna know who's coming for dinner and who's bringing the wine?!!!!

An Anniversary I Wish Our Country Never Had

2011-09-09T09:56:00.000-04:00

Yeah, you know what I am talking about.

The 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Even 10 years later, it's still unthinkable to me that something like this happened on US soil, but it did.

It cannot be undone. All of those lives lost cannot be brought back. All of those firemen, police officers and other people *just like you and me* who woke up that morning thinking it would be just like any other morning and soon realizing it would be a morning unlike any other (and night and many days and months afterwards).

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing and will always remember that moment, as well as the entire next 24 hours. I am pretty sure I did not sleep and I am 100% certain I cried more than I ever had in my life.

I was driving on my way to work, at that time, only a 10 min drive. I was distracted, fiddling with my clothes, watching the traffic stop and go, not really paying attention to the deejay until the deejay yelled: OMG! OMG! A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center. OMG! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My ears perked up, not really understanding what I was hearing- did anyone really understand in the beginning? I still don't understand. I pulled into my parking garage and high-tailed into my high-rise office building in downtown Houston. My co-workers and I huddled around a TV in the conference room- a broken TV where we couldn't see any picture but we could hear the sound. We sat there for the next 2 hours, listening only- as the 2nd plane hit the WTC, as a 3rd plane crashed into the Pentagon, and as a 4th plane crashed in PA.

Incomprehensible.

And scary as shit.

We were all crying......soon thereafter, everyone headed home. I was glued to the TV all day and all night. I shed so many tears of all the lives lost, the heartbreak for so many families and for our country. During those next few days, I felt paralyzed to do anything. I didn't do what to do. I was driving home from work a few days later, and without thinking about it, my hands steered me to the nearest Catholic Church. By then, I almost felt numb to the feelings, the horror, the images scorched on my brain.

I walked into that church (and there were many people there), kneeled in a pew, and I started to pray. I prayed HARD. For peace, for understanding, for grace......for everyone affected by 9/11....which is in essence everyone. While I thought I had no more tears left in me from the last 96 hours, it turns out that I still had some left in me and I sobbed in that church pew in the Houston Heights. I cried and cried and cried.

My tears and sniffles and sobs were not alone.

I collected myself finally and headed home to my husband.

Wow, typing this 10 years later can still bring up the emotion and feelings of those days.

What about you? Where were you *when the world literally changed*? What do you remember seeing, hearing, feeling?

Edited: September 11th is my mom's birthday. It was her birthday before 2001 and it is still her birthday today. I debated whether or not to put that in here. When I wrote this post originally, I couldn't find an adequate way to make my thoughts and words about September 11th (the day the world changed as we know it) to match up to mirror my feelings about the beauty of my mom (and her birthday). I hate that she shares a birthday with a tragic event, her birthday is an event to be celebrated. She is the epitome of motherhood to me- caring, kind, patient, loving, and all over awesome and she means the world to me.

I love you mom- Happy Birthday.

I am pretty sure that he doesn't miss them

2011-09-07T21:28:00.001-04:00

For the first time in over 5 years, I find myself at home during the day with only ONE child.

I have not been home alone with only one kid since February 2006.

That's a long time, ya'll.

For his entire life, Little Dude has had the company of his brother and/or sister all day long.

But a few weeks ago, Sam started kindergarten and Sophie started 2nd grade.

I thought for sure that Anthony would miss his sister and brother while they were away at school all day long.

It turns out that I was wrong.

He is relishing the undivided attention of his mama and Grandma (we're still living with G-ma while we build our house, a seemingly very slow process but that's a post for another day).

He has become even more cuddly and snuggly and wants to kiss and hug me all day long.

I'm only too happy to oblige.

Because the rest of the time, he is doing stuff like this.

Be still my beating heart.

Little F#$%-er.

PS- I realize the spacing is messed up but blogger is being a butthole and I can't seem to get it fixed without messing up other stuff. Maybe one of these days, I can get on board with everyone else and move my blog over to wordpress. One day......

Rest, Relax, & Restore at Travaasa-Austin

2011-09-04T23:28:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I had the extreme pleasure of leaving my family behind for a few hours to rest, relax and restore.

Where you ask?

Here.

I live pretty close to this place, maybe only 20 minutes away, yet, I had no idea that it existed.

Now I do and I am trying to find a way to get back....and soon.

Travaasa-Austin is located at the top of a huge hill. It is peaceful, secluded and has stunning views.

While I did not stay overnight (wish I had!), I did get to check out one of the rooms and wowsers! The beds, the windows and natural light, the roominess, the understated elegance, the balcony. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.

I checked out the spa while I was there and had a facial. Can we all say HEAVEN together? I loved the smell of the spa and the tinkling sound of water that you could hear throughout. So incredibly peaceful and millions of miles away from the normal hub bub of my life. The Spa at Travaasa offers every treatment imaginable and a few more.

After I was done with my treatment, I asked the ladies that worked the front desk for the coolest room in the house, to chill out and relax. They pointed me to the Tea Room. The view from the Tea Room was perfect.

Also, the infinity edge pool at the pool boasts another incredible view.

Travaasa-Austin not only has beautiful rooms and a state of the art spa, they also have on-sight activities for guests, the majority included in the cost of the overnight stay. Activities include (but not limited to)- yoga, pilates, Zumba and mechanical bull riding classes, a challenge course, culinary demos, texas two-step dance lessons, harmonica playing and more.

If you ever find yourself traveling to Austin or if you live here and are looking for a close getaway, then you should definitely check out Travaasa-Austin. It's perfect for couples, anniversaries, special occasions, a girls only weekend, a retreat, and even a corporate teambuilding event. As you leave the grounds and head back to the main road, yet another view greets you, as if saying- thank you for visiting, please come again.

I most certainly want to visit again (and overnight this time), it's too awesome not to.

Now who wants to go back with me?!

A big thank-you to Travaasa-Austin for inviting me to experience all that they have to offer. I was blown away with your hospitality, the beauty of your grounds, the spa, and the extensive variety of activities on property.

There are other reasons, too.

2011-09-01T23:31:00.001-04:00

I run because it keeps me sane.

Sure, running has toned up my legs, my arms and points in between.

Sure, running has given me all kinds of confidence and a boost in my self-esteem.

Sure, running has taught me that I can go way beyond what my mind thinks I am capable of.

I run slow. I run awkward. Sometimes ~~a lot of times~~ I walk. I'm not graceful. It's not effortless. My legs are sore most days. I am heavy-footed. My back is old and creaky and ache-y. I have a short stride, more like a shuffle. I am not a Kenyan.

But really, I run so that I don't go freaking crazy or worse, pull out a can of whoop-ass on some poor, unsuspecting soul ~~my husband~~.

Why do you run?

And will you join me in this most fantastic event that The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans is hosting?

I'll be doing it for sure, along with Anthony, the kids, and all the friends that I can ~~force~~ get to register. Got questions? Then post then int he comments below; otherwise, tell me that you are signing up or already registered!

I am really not this trivial.....maybe

2011-08-23T23:05:00.000-04:00

Damsel in distress.

That is me.

The woe?

The motherfucking gray hairs that are popping up everywhere with way more frequency than I would like.

For realz, ya'll.

It's beginning to stress me out.

I mean, I might have to *color* or *highlight* or wear a plastic bag over my hair.

I've never colored or highlighted before. From friends that do, I know that stuff costs a lot of money.

What's a girl to do?

Pluck the grays? Too many.

Ignore the grays? Too many.

Get familiar with Clairol or Revlon or whomever makes the hair dye stuff?

OMG.

It's almost too much to handle.

All I know is that the grays are taking over and I don't like it one bit.

I can't be alone on this one, am I? Do you *cut and color*? How poor are you afterwards?

A phone, a laptop, and school

2011-08-18T13:35:00.000-04:00

My cell phone died on Sunday. I'm not eligible for an upgrade until November/December so I am using my husband's old phone. I haven't had a chance to delete his apps and add my apps so that means I can't check my email, twitter or Facebook from my phone right now. That also means I don't have any of my contacts' home numbers unless I already have it memorized..... so call me, friends.

Suck.

Tuesday night, my laptop got infected with the very nasty *Vista Antivirus 2012* rogue virus/scam/hoax. I got suckered by a pop-up window that said my computer might be infected with a virus and to just *click here*. I am here to tell all of you- DO NOT *CLICK HERE*. With the help of the wonderful Mel, I thought I was on my way to ridding my computer from this virus, but I got stuck somewhere along the way and well, my computer is...stuck. It has now been sent on to my BFF's husband who is going to try and work his magic. If the magic doesn't happen, then it looks like I will be forking over some money to the Geek Squad. I want to officially kick the ass of the fucker who came up with this virus (any and all viruses).

Suck suck.

My oldest child and middle child both start school on Monday. This has been the first Summer that I have thoroughly enjoyed having my kids home with me, coordinating our own schedule and having so much fun in the sun- it's been the BEST. I'm not ready to send Sam off to kindergarten. I'm not ready to send Sophie off to 2nd grade. I'm not ready to be home with Little Anthony, just the two of us. I have not had only one child at home with me since February 2006. I know it's not a big deal in the big scheme of things, but I am going to miss them while they are at school. This is a new feeling for me as I'm usually so ready for school to start, lol.

Suck suck suck.

Race Report- Tri Girl Sports Triathlon

2011-08-14T17:58:00.002-04:00

Except that it was really a duathlon.

Triathlon- run, bike, swim

Duathlon- run, bike, run

ready to go and already drenched in sweat BEFORE the race began

The switch was made due to super low lake levels preventing a safe swim course for us, the ATHLETES.

Did you see that? I called myself an athlete!

I think I just might believe that after today's race. I mean, who in their right mind would pay a race fee, train for only 4 weeks, and travel from Austin to Houston, to run 1 mile- bike 11 miles- run 3.1 miles in 85 degree heat and 100% humidity?

You're either crazy or maybe you are an athlete, like me : ).

I have no deep thoughts or tears resulting from this race. I just wanted to get the job done and feel good about myself. Mission accomplished. I learned quite a bit- um, like, maybe I should have practiced my transitions at home or during training, where all the race stickers go, how to *rack* my bike, and that maybe I should buy some of those elastic shoe tie thingies so that I don't waste so much time untying my knotted running shoes only to rety them- that took forever.

fiddling with my race bib at bike to run transtion,

you know right after I fiddled forever with my running shoes- doh!

Also, I did much better on the bike portion than I thought I would- gotta love the flatness of Houston roads when you have been training on Austin hills- woot woot! AND, my first mile was done at an 11 min clip- an awesome pace for me given the heat and the fact that usually my first mile sucks ass. And while I am still rambling, I want to get better at the bike so badly so that I can yell at other riders *on the left! on the left* as I pass them right and left (ha ha).

Here are my stats:
Run Mile 1: 11:00 min
T1 (transition from run to bike)- 3:42 min (good gawd I am slow at transitions compared to others)
Bike 11 miles: 45:50min with an average pace of 14.4mph (my fastest yet- yippee!)
T2 (transition from bike to run)- 4:09min (even slower than the first transition, I didn't think it was even possible, lol)
Run 3.1 miles: 39:30min with an average pace of 13:10min/mile (and while this might seem slow, I am still freakin' proud of it because by this time, I was taking cups of ice water and dumping it over my head to cool off my very heated body, plus the sun was brightly shining on me by then)
Total Time: 1:44:13.5 woot woot! OK, I'll say it again- woot woot!!!!
71 out of 78 in my age group (35-39)- hey, I wasn't last right (although last would have been fine, too)?!!!!

I want to end with two things.

1. I will most definitely be signing up for a triathlon for September or October.
2. When commenting about my race time on Facebook, my husband said this: Babe. I'm so proud of you. Remember, we don't care about the time. We care that this is a great accomplishment considering you would have never thought about doing this last year, and would've never run 2 yrs ago. And the kids get to see you do this, and give them another reason as to why moms (along with dads) are the best role models for our children.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Hi, my name is Lisa and I am a duathlete.

P.S. Tri Girl Sports put on a fantastic race- well organized and women-friendly! Check out their other races if you are in Texas or close by- I'm eyeing that half marathon in December : ). Elaine? Nicole? Christy?!

Let's try this post one more time

2011-08-12T12:38:00.002-04:00

When you take 45 minutes to write a long post about all that is going on in your life and then blogger eats that post, you really don't feel like re-writing the whole damn thing again.

Here's a summary of my forever gone post:

My toddler is sucking at sleeping this week.
We're moving into Phase 2 of our home build process. Phase 1 was designing the floor plan (we're almost done with that). Phase 2 is working with the designer on elevation. Exciting and scary all at once- what if we get it wrong?
My triathlon is Sunday. I have lots to do before then, mainly packing my shit and the kids' shit, driving to Houston, picking up my race packet, eating a pasta dinner, and hopefully getting some sleep Saturday night. Oh yeah, I need to make sure I don't forget anything for race day and OMFG, there is so much stuff just for the race itself. I will take pictures, promise. EDITED: I just checked the race site and they have cancelled the swim portion of the race due to extremely low lake levels, as in, not deep enough to swim in. I am sure a lot of folks might be relieved that the swim has been cancelled, but I am so disappointed! They are replacing the swim with a 1 mile run. So now, the race will be a 1 mile run- 11 mile bike- 3.1 mile run. Although I can run and I will still finish the race, I am not a super-fast runner and have not been focusing my training on running. The swim was to be my strongest portion of the race (I think). Now, I will be a duathlete instead of a triathlete. I need to wrap my brain around this turn in events. I am about to cuss, so brace yourself. F$% ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My kids start school a week from Monday and this makes me sad. I've thoroughly enjoyed our Summer and the kids and I am going to miss them being gone so much. I may be in the minority on this one, but I really wish we had one more month of Summer.

Yep, that's it. The bulleted version because blogger sucks. The next post you see from me will be a race report. Wish me luck!

Which rockin' hairdo is for me?

2011-08-08T23:44:00.001-04:00

It's come to my attention that I need a haircut in a bad way.

You see, once I get to being able to pull my hair back in a ponytail for months on end, then I know it's time for a cut and trim. I've been pulling my hair back in a ponytail for 2.5 months. Sometimes it's because I am lazy/pressed for time/just don't want to blow dry, and other times it's because of the activity that I am doing- exercising/pooltime/running errands.

Wait a minute. I just described my every day during the Summer ~~Fall/Winter/Spring~~. Add in the never ending heat and of course I want my freakin' hair up off my neck and out of my face. Duh.

However, once in a blue moon, I get to play dress up at being something other than a mom and go out to dinner or for drinks or well, not much else, lol. During those rare moments when I actually take a second look at my appearance and take more than 30 seconds to do my hair ~~so sad but so very true~~, well, it just isn't looking the way I want it to look. Although I LOVE my hair color and texture, it too needs a good chop every now and then.

So that's where we are today. I have an appointment scheduled for Wednesday, assuming that I am able to find childcare for the three monkies. I refuse to bring them with me because that would not be fun. Really. I speak the truth.

So tell me. What celebrity hairstyle should I rock?

Jennifer Aniston? Btw, this photo does not flatter my friend Jen at all.

Victoria Beckham? ~~I wonder if this girl ever eats bacon or grease?~~

Jenny McCarthy?

Rihanna?

My own rock star roots of 2 years ago ~~2009~~?

Or how about one of my favorite hairstyles of all time? My own from a few years back ~~2003~~? I absolutely loved this hairstyle and rocked it for several years. I still love it. It was a layered bob with a flip at the ends. Look how freakin' young the hubby and I look in this picture. I feel old now.

So what do ya'll think? Which rock star should I imitate? Or does art imitate real life and I should go with my own rock star style? Pony up your opinion, pretty please!

PS- I have really really really thick hair and lots of body. I know, wah wahhhhhhh!

Loaded Questions That I Need Answers To

2011-08-04T15:27:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year. The start of school is quickly approaching, we're signing the kids up for Fall activities and we're lapping up our last weeks of Summer freedom.

Sam is signed up for karate. He started in May, has continued through the Summer and is going on through the Fall. He absolutely loves it and we've definitely seen a change in his attitude with regards to courtesy and respect towards us. I am amazed at his ability to focus during class and he really seems to be "getting it". He comes home and teaches his brother and sister what he has learned.

Enter Sophie. For the last 3 years, Sophie has taken ballet dance classes. This past year it has started clicking for her. She pays attention in class, enjoys herself, points her toes, picks up choreography, and her extensions are beautiful. She memorized her class routine, danced in the recital and was so girly-girly. Previous years around this time, she has chimed loud and clear- I wanna do dance again!

Not so this year.

Sam's karate master is allowing Sophie to participate with Sam's class for the month of August to see if she likes it. She went to the first class on Tuesday and loved it. We've told her that she can only choose one activity for the Fall- karate OR dance. We told her that she can make her decision at the end of the month. She said she has already decided- she wants to take karate.

With all the logic of a 7.5 year old, she proclaims- I've already taken dance for 3 years. I want to try something new. Can I do both, Mommy? If I have to pick one, then I pick karate.......then I can do dance the next year.

A part of me want to let her do both. Karate on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Church RE (Religious Education) on Wednesday. Dance on Monday or Friday.

We can afford it.

But uhhhhhh, NO.

We like to have some down days. Days where we don't HAVE to be somewhere after school. Days that we can choose to relax at home or meet friends at the park. She will be in 2nd grade and the homework load will only be more than it was in 1st grade.

I know it isn't a big deal. I shouldn't care so much that she wants to take karate instead of dance. I should just sign her up already and be done with it. Lord knows that logistically, life will be easier if she and Sam are in the same class at the same place at the same time.

So why am I having such a hard time with this?

What about you? What activities do your kids do? How do you handle the request of a child for one particular activity vs what you want as the parent (I feel so absurd of typing and re-reading that sentence but whatever)? How do you balance the schoolwork, the activities, the homework and just being a family?

What loaded questions, huh?

Mind Over Matter

2011-08-01T20:33:00.000-04:00

I have to admit that I have been in "panic" mode for my upcoming triathlon. 12 days and counting.

When I registered for the race, I really was under the impression that it would be no big deal to add the biking into my fitness mix of swimming and running. I mean, I was already working my body in 2/3 of the triathlon events- how hard could it be to add in biking?

How ~~stupid~~ naive I was.

I really thought I could ramp up for a sprint triathlon in 4.5 weeks given my fitness level. Well, if the race was just comprised of swimming and running, then yeah, I could have blown it out of the water. However, a triathlon is made up of swimming, BIKING, and running. I took it for granted that I would pick up biking easily and quickly- I mean, I know how to ride a bike for goodness sake.

However, there is way more to biking than meets the eye and I am quickly finding out that although I know how to ride a bike in general, I do not know much about racing a road bike. The learning curve is steep when doing something new. So yeah, I would go out to ride and my confidence would plummet, plummet, plummet.

And then, I would try to do a short run AFTER riding the bike and my confidence would plummet so more.

AND THEN, doing these training workouts day after day after day, directly using my calf muscles one day and indirectly using them another day and the same with all of my major leg muscles and core muscles and upper body muscles and SHITMOTHERFUCKERDAMN, I felt myself spiraling into despair!

I quickly changed my mindset to survival mode- I registered for the damn race and I will finish it but it might not be pretty. I was having a huge ole pity party for myself, wrapping one leg in Arctic Ease, spending my evenings reading triathlon books and worrying over every single thing that could go wrong on race day and believe me, there is a list as long as my arm of things that could go wrong.

However, today, I had a little talk with myself. It went like this:

Lisa, stop beating yourself up about the lack of training weeks you have left to prepare. Make your remaining workouts just as good as you can, learn as much as you can between now and race day, and cut yourself some slack, girl. You are doing a great job given the circumstances and look how far you have come in just a few weeks.

Instead of focusing on what your body CAN'T do at this moment in time, focus on what it CAN do, because baby, it can already do so much. What can your glorious body already do, what has it already done?

Run three half marathons
Participate in Masters swim class where you regularly swim 2000+ yds at a time
Ride 9.5 miles on your bike without keeling over
Given birth to three beautiful children, two of those births un-medicated and "au natural"
Can lift children 35+lbs, heavy bags of rice, and toss luggage in and out of the car during all those Summer road trips. I know, what does rice have to do with anything?!
A strong core that allows me to laugh with my whole body, hug with my entire being and love with all my heart has to give.
A powerful mind that can and does tell itself to shut the f$%k up and just get on with it already, to stop being a whiny baby and to do the best that I can do on August 14th.

Today I had a training run on the treadmill and while it was not my fastest run by far, it was my most important run of this training season because of the inner dialogue. I pushed myself mentally to let go of all the baggage weighing me down in regards to this race and TO JUST RUN to the best of my ability......today. I can always get faster, I can always get stronger but today, I just needed to feel and be in tune with my body and my mind.

With each step.......

I let go of the fear and the doubt and the unknown.

Today, my physical body ran a training run.

Today, my mental well-being hit a homerun.

Up, down, up, down

2011-07-28T14:45:00.000-04:00

Up, down, up, down

I've added in spin classes to my training regimen for the triathlon. I am weakest in biking and because I don't have someone to watch the kids while I take a REAL bike out for a ride, I make do with spinning classes for that part of my training. I like the music, the instructor yelling out tips to me, the sweat and the burn of my legs.

Truth be told, I like spinning indoors more than I like being on the bike outdoors.

I feel awkward on the bike. I've bruised up my legs with falling on the bike, trying to get used to clipping and unclipping my shoes. I feel heavy and slow and quite frankly, like a beginner on the bike.

I know I am new at this thing called biking. I know I should cut myself some slack and just do the training and ignore the voices in my head. I know that I will get better at it with time. BUT, it is so frustrating right now, especially with a race just 2.5 weeks away.

Up, down, up, down.

I want biking to come to me as easily as swimming does. When I swim, I feel effortless in the water. I don't care how fast I am moving, I just go. I get into my rhythm and I do my thing and I do it confidently. I breathe on both sides, I practice *sighting*, I hear the swim coach in my ear- reach, pull, elbows up, roll the body, roll the body, kick with the whole leg, head down and I just do it. I love it and I love how it makes me feel powerful and strong.

The same goes with running.

Not so with biking.

Up, down, up, down......relax the shoulders. Up pedal down pedal up pedal down pedal, relax the shoulders, grip the bar lightly, look ahead, suck in your abs, sit back in your saddle, push, pull, push, pull.

I feel like I'm cramming for the bike portion of my race. You can't cram for a triathlon.

My emotions are all over the place- from telling myself that I am a rockstar and that of course I can do this TO what. the. hell. were you thinking for signing up for a race with such a short lead training time?!

Today in spin class, I think I may have had an endorphin high. I haven't had one of those for a while and I could feel it building and rushing through my blood, from my toes to my legs, to my torso, through my heart up to my head and exploding out through my legs as they pedalled just as fast as they could.

For that brief moment in time, I felt strong and powerful in my biking, I felt like I could do anything on the bike. Briefly.

Up down up down- physically and mentally.

17 days and counting until my first triathlon race

Crash and Burn

2011-07-17T22:43:00.001-04:00

I got a bike this weekend, courtesy of my friend in Houston. Woot woot!!!!

She saw my post on Facebook about shopping for a bike and a few emails later and several text messages and I was on my way to Houston to check out her road bike. We both ride the same size bike, she was done with her road bike and she was wanting to sell it. It had been sitting in her garage for quite a few years, waiting for the perfect rider.

That rider is me : ).

I got the bike checked out at a local bike shop. My friend handed over a bunch of her biking goodies and then I was back on the road to home.

I couldn't wait to get out and ride it, although I was a little nervous about the clipless pedals. Not about clipping them in, but being able to unclip them at a moment's notice if the situation should arise.

Well of course, less than 8 houses into my ride, a situation arose out of nowhere and I needed to unclip FAST.

What was the situation?

The neighbor was outside with his family AND his big-ass St. Bernard dog (unleashed) who did not take too kindly to me being on a bike. He saw me first, gave his LOUD St. Bernard bark and took off running towards ME. I didn't want to run into him and there was no way to go around him and I thought, "if I can just stop moving and show that I am not a threat, then he will stop" or some stupid shit like that.

I tried and tried in the 3 seconds I had to unclip and I was unsuccessful in unclipping. What does this mean? This meant that because I couldn't put my feet down, I crashed and burned- falling to the side, bruising my leg and scraping my knee. By the time I was on the ground, the owner had stopped his dog, his wife was apologizing profusely, and another neighbor was asking me "did you hit your head? Are you OK? Can I get you an ice pack?"

Awesome.

At least I got that out of the way already.

Hopefully, there will be no more crash and burns!

28 days until my 1st sprint triathlon.....

A measley 4.5 weeks

2011-07-12T22:04:00.000-04:00

I kicked my own ass, finally.

I signed on the dotted line.

I officially registered for my first triathlon race.
Tri Girl Sports Sprint Triathlon
300yd swim/11 mile bike/3 mile run
Humble, TX
August 14th.

That is a measly 4.5 weeks away.

4.5 weeks to get my body accustomed to biking, to building up my strength, stamina and endurance.

4.5 weeks to buy a bike- ha!

4.5 weeks to figure out what a transition is and how to do it successfully.

4.5 weeks to determine what other gear I might need.....or not.

4.5 weeks to squeeze in some open water swims.

4.5 weeks to get used to going from swimming to biking to running. One right after the other.

4.5 weeks to get my mental game together.

I kind of feel like throwing up.

I am also feeling very emotional right now.

Shocking, huh.

Less than 2 years ago, I had an infant, a pre-schooler and a kindergartner. Those kids are now 2.5, a soon-to-be kindergartner, and a soon-to-be 2nd grader. During the last 1.5+ years, I have gone from being a loud-proclaiming, vehemently opposed to running....runner. I have run 3 half marathons within one year- June 2010, Nov 2010 and April 2011.

I started a Master's Swim Class that I absolutely love with all my heart, returning to my roots of swimming of which I had pushed to the side so very long ago.

I haven't been on a REAL bike in forever and strangely enough, this doesn't matter ~~some, but not too much~~.

I don't have much time to prepare BUT I do know that I will finish that race. I'm not doing it to beat any times because hey, this is my first time and I just want to finish......and I will.

Becoming a runner has given me so much confidence and belief in myself. I'm not going to break any records but my own. I am breaking free of all the things I thought I couldn't do and I am doing them and I feel fantastic for it.

More than my physical changes, I have come so freakin' far mentally. I want to scream from the rooftops that "I can do anything". I want to grab every woman that is on their own fitness journey- especially those just starting out- and tell them that "Yes, you can do it, too". "Don't give up". "Start out slow". "You don't have to be fast, you just have to go". "Stop comparing yourself to everyone else and just compare you to YOU". Love yourself enough to give YOU this beautiful gift of mental and physical power and strength and confidence.

Fast- maybe not. Endurance- yes. Heart- yes and lots of it.

I have to thank Christie, Thea, Brooke, Erin (no blog but she's a *friend* on Dailymile and she is a total badass, completing her first FULL Ironman last year), and Sean for answering my myriad of questions about the triathlon sport. They are my heroes and the ones I look up to. Also, my Shrinking Jeans girls have been encouraging me for over a year to "sign up already".

This will be my first triathlon race but I am 100% certain it won't be my last.

Will ya'll take this ride with me? Will you follow my journey and give me support and encouragement and a loud Boo-yah from time to time?

Someone, please kick my ass already

2011-07-05T15:44:00.000-04:00

Why can't I sign on the dotted line and register for a triathlon?

What is holding me back?

I already have a few picked out and if I don't dilly dally too long, I will have adequate time to train for them. I have a decent amount of endurance that I have maintained since my last half marathon. I am swimming a Masters Class once a week (sometimes twice if I can squeeze it in). I run twice a week, sometimes three times a week, with 1-2 of those times being sprints or bursts intervals so that I can better my pace. I have added in strength training 1-2 times a week.

Physically, I feel real good. Strong. Powerful. Cardiovascular fit.

Mentally, not so much.

I mean, I KNOW I can complete a triathlon. I probably could do one tomorrow, even with the limited biking experience thus far. Swimming doesn't phase me nor does running. The bike portion might not be pretty but I know I can complete the distance.

So why haven't I signed up for a race?

Because in my head, I am having difficulties committing to a training plan and logistically planning out how to make the training happen so that I am prepared for a race. Let's cut through the bullshit and let me spell it out for you- I have not committed to a training plan because in my head, I cannot logistically figure out how to train while I have three kids home with me for the Summer and little to zero help in their care.

There. I said it.

On the one hand, I feel like I am making excuses to myself, that if I just ignored my head thoughts and registered, then I would figure out a way to make it happen. Another part of me is feeling selfish with my time. By that I mean that some part of me LIKES not being committed to a race and taking it easy with my Summer fitness. I do exercise 4-5 times a week but I am doing what I enjoy and what I can squeeze in vs what I HAVE to do for a training plan.

I like it being in charge of my schedule.

But then, I also like following a training plan and basically knowing what I will be doing on any given day in regards to exercise.

I know that I am all over the place and my thoughts can be contradictory.

I don't know what to do.

Here's the interesting thing.

I already know for a fact that I will be running 1-2 half marathons this Fall. I am even contemplating a FULL marathon in the Spring, to celebrate turning 40 years old next year. If anyone is interested, I am thinking of doing the Livestrong Austin Marathon in February 2012 ~~my husband doesn't even know I am thinking about this!~~.

But I still have not committed to a triathlon for now.

Can someone help me here? Give me some advice? Tell me that I can do anything I set my mind to? ~~Blow sunshine up my ass?~~ Kick my ass maybe? Register for me and tell me that I will figure it all out?

Pretty please?

Beach Vacay

2011-07-01T23:14:00.002-04:00

First time posting from my phone so I will keep it short.

We've been beaching it the last few days with my mom and brother in tow. It's been fabulous having the extra adult hands and the kids adore the Grandma and Uncle.

We've had such a good time that we're already planning next year's beach vacation. I am so lucky to have the family that I do.

I am so lucky to call these three kids....mine.

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This is what I look like when I run

2011-06-28T08:28:00.004-04:00

I'm all buff and muscular and sweaty and hunched over and totally flexing my muscles.

OK, I don't really run hunched over, scowling, bringing my elbows that high or flexing it all. Check out those arms though- I would like thank my 8 weeks of swimming for giving me those bad boys- pow pow!!!

I like to play around whenever this girl is around.

In a rare opportunity of exercising together (we live in different cities.....well, she technically lives in a town ~~if you can call it that, lol~~), we decided to tackle The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans Boot Camp Challenge.

This was only the 2nd time for me to *do* boot camp and with the #1 boot camp expert on the treadmill next to me, yelling at me to "pick up the pace Lisa, go faster Lisa, see what you can do Lisa, you're not going fast enough Lisa, you shouldn't be able to talk at the end of the burst Lisa"- well, I couldn't let me #1 Sister down, could I?!

After a 10 minute walk/jog warm-up, we did 8 burst intervals of 30 seconds each, going as fast as we could with a 1-1.5 minute walk in between, to bring the heart rate back down ~~and so I wouldn't puke~~. Apparently I wasn't going fast enough on the first few bursts, hence the *motivational encouragement* ~~to get my ass moving faster~~ from Christy (see above).

However, the last 3 bursts, I got up to 8.5mph, 9.0mph and 9.2mph on the treadmill.

Do you guys know how freaking FAST that is?! That's like a 6:40min mile pace- boo yah!!!!!

My previous fastest time on a treadmill was 8.0mph and today, I blew it out of the water ~~I think I still had some gas left in the tank~~.

We didn't stop there, either. With trembling legs and sweat pouring off my body, we went into our strength exercises- mountain climblers, wall squat kicks, v-up straddle (SUCK), squat knees, bridge kicks, and tricep dips. By the time we were done, my abs hurt, my quads were screaming and I was SO glad to be done with the workout.

I felt fantastic, too.

Here, 1 year and 9 months since my running journey began, I am still pushing myself, learning new things and loving it.

I run for so many reasons. I run for the freedom, the pounding of the pavement, the power and strength it gives my body, for the mental stretching of the mind, the social aspect, and most importantly, for pushing me beyond what I think I am capable of.

I run because it is me.

Why do you run? Inquiring minds want to know.

I am woman, hear me ROAR!

2011-06-22T15:52:00.000-04:00

I run ~~slowly~~. I bike ~~some~~ . I swim ~~laps once a week~~.

I am not super-fast at any one of these disciplines but I am committed and I try my hardest to have some bad-ass workouts.

Enter today's Masters Swim Class at the YMCA.

The coach has told me time and time again that I have *very good technique* and all that I lack is *strength*. Yeah, she's right and I'm working on it. I normally share a lane with 1-2 other ladies who go about the same speed I do ~~slow~~.

However, today I shared a lane with a ~~hot~~ young man. In the beginning of our workout, I told him to go ahead of me because I didn't want him to lap me. He said he wouldn't lap me, that he would just try to keep up.

Whatever, I thought. He was young and very muscular without a trace of fat on his body.

The workout was hard and full of new drills, interval work and lots and lots of swimming freestyle.

Like a total of 2050 yds.

1760 yds = 1 mile.

I swam more than 1 mile today and closer to 1.25 miles.

Anyhoo, towards the end, the young man was tiring out on me. At one 15 second break, he chorts that he doesn't know if he can make it. I looked at his very young self and asked him *how old are you*. He replies that he is 20 years old. I replied back that I am almost TWICE his age (I am 39 yrs old) and a mom of three and that he can certainly finish the workout. He retorts that *I have experience*.

No honey. I have endurance. Young man had the power for short distances in our lane, but I had the endurance to go on forever.

The clincher. He is training for the Navy Seals.

Boo-yah for me and I am totally fist-pumping.

Totally.

Also, a huge shout-out of congratulations to my friend Tricia for being chosen for the Nuun Hood-to-Coast Lady Bloggers running team.

Boot Camp, Traiathlons, and Half Marathons- oh my!

2011-06-20T15:03:00.002-04:00

Lately, I have been running on the treadmill 2 days a week, swimming the Masters Swim Class one day a week, and throwing something else in one other day, whether biking, Zumba-ing, doing another run or something else all together.

I feel kind of haphazard with my training (if you could call it that). Translation- I haven't signed up for any races so I'm not really training for anything.....yet. However, now that I have my husband's work/travel schedule and the kids' school schedule, I will be deciding which triathlon races I want to do in the next few months and also what half marathons I want to do in the Fall.

I am leaning towards these races:

Triathlon- PFiveSeries (500m swim + 5K run; July 5th, Aug 5th), Jack's Generic Triathlon Sprint Distance (500m swim + 13.8 mile bike + 5K run; July 31st), Red Licorice Sweet & Twisted Sprint Triathlon (500m swim + 14 mile bike + 5k run; Aug 21st) and/or Trek Women's Sprint Triathlon (1/2 mile swim + 12 mile bike + 5k run,; Oct 2nd).
Half Marathon- See Jane Run on Oct 9th; San Antonio Rock n Roll on Nov 13th; or Spicewood Vineyards 1/2 on Dec 3rd. Maybe all three- HA!!!!
Misc- Galveston Sand Crab 10K Nighttime Run (Aug 13th); Deep Eddy Mile (swim; Aug 20th); Turkey Trot 5 Miler on Thanksgiving Day

Realistically, I cannot do nor afford registration for ALL of these events. I will pick 2 triathlons and 1 half marathon to do for sure between now and the end of the year. Money and time permitting, I will add another race or two.

I love training for races- it gives me a goal to strive towards and keeps me on task with the exercise and fitness. The only problem I have found is that I do not do enough strength training and at this point of the game, I really need to add strength training into the mix so that I am stronger and even more powerful.

Enter The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans Boot Camp.

I have never done a boot camp. EVER. Surprising, I know. So yeah, I thought- let's do boot camp and see if it gives me the burst in strength that my body needs. Today was Day 1 of Boot Camp. Think sprint intervals plus lunges, squats of two varieties, side planks, push-ups, and tricep extensions. I was a huge sweaty, breathing hard mess by the end. OH MY.

Here is what I thought of Boot Camp.

I know it's kind of unnerving that I never look straight into the camera but I blame the glare of the outdoors- I could not see myself at all in the webcam, lol.

Anyhoo, I loved today's boot camp and can't wait for the next installment. Until then, I run and swim and hopefully sign up for some races!

What about you? Are you doing any races in the next 6 months? Which ones and where? Anyone want to do a race with me or tell me to add one to my list to consider?

Held Prisoner

2011-06-17T09:00:00.001-04:00

Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

I beg to differ.

I am a very forgiving person. I give others the benefit of the doubt. I try not to get bent out of shape over words hurled and lobbied. I let things roll of my back quite easily because frankly, it takes too much time and energy to be angry. I am fairly easygoing and relaxed and mature, I like to think.

Time is too precious to hold a grudge.

I can't control other people's behaviors and words. I can only control mine and the way I react.

Hence, my non-confrontational style and desire to just be mother-effing happy. That's why I don't let others get to me.

Typically.

However, once in a blue moon, something happens that I cannot so easily forgive nor forget and/or my reaction to a situation isn't what I wanted it to be. When those occasions occur, I am literally sick to my stomach with stress and anger and hurt and disappointment and not being able to LET IT GO.

Now is one of those times.

I so badly want to forget. I so badly want to forgive. I so badly wish *XYZ* didn't happen/wasn't said. I so badly want to move on already......but I am having a hard time with that. In church this past Sunday, I had tears rolling down my face as I ~~begged~~ prayed to God to give me patience, grace and the ability to forgive.

I want to forgive, I want to forgive, I want to forgive, but I just can't do so right now and it's eating me up inside. It is the rare occasion that I haven't made peace with something/someone that is upsetting me for such a long period of time (it's been less than 2 weeks but I like to take care of my arguments right then and there! I don't like this shit hanging over me.).

I need to go for more runs so that I can use that time to process these feelings that are holding me prisoner. Oh yeah, I run just as much for therapy as I do for fitness and running half marathons. Running allows me to free myself from life, stress, and feelings that I can't seem to express anywhere else but on the running trail.

Running sets me free is so many ways......and now, I am rambling.

Before some of you get all freaked out, NO, this has nothing to do with Anthony- hi babe! If you happen to know the situation, please leave all reference to specifics out of the comments or I will delete your comment. I don't need the 'net to know everything about my personal life, m'kay? Prettypleaseandthankyou!

Dare I Say It? The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie E-V-E-R!

2011-06-10T22:34:00.000-04:00

Oh, how I have missed taking pictures of food.

Yep.

It's been a while since the kids have seen me whip out the camera to snap shots of what we are eating.

Hell, it's been a long while since I have been inspired to try anything new, or for that matter, anything old because let's face it, the last 4.5 months have been C-R-A-Z-Y. Throw in the fact that we are now living with my mother-in-law (while we build our house) and I am having to get used to a kitchen that is not my own and well, I just haven't been in the mood to really COOK.

Until today.

Today screamed at me to make Neiman Marcus Cookies. Neiman Marcus is some hoighty-toighty retail store here that I can't even afford to buy a pair of undies at but whatever. I can afford the cookie, though.

Although truth be told, I have absolutely NO idea where I got this recipe- it was passed on to me, or possibly emailed to me, or maybe I googled it years ago. Who knows?! I do know that when I went to the Neiman Marcus website, they had a link to the Neiman Marcus Cookie recipe and it was NOT the recipe I used to today. I know, who the hell really cares, right?!

Anyhoo, I made Neiman Marcus Cookies but they might not really be Neiman Marcus Cookies but for today's sake, we will call them Neiman Marcus Cookies.

Got that?

These cookies are divine, heavenly, melt-in-your-mouth goodness and just might be the ultimate cookie, and dare I say it- the BEST chocolate chip cookie ever?

For realz, yo.

The Neiman Marcus Cookie...
That Really Isn't a Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe (but damn awesome!)

Ingredients:

2.5 cups blended oatmeal
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate since that's all I had on hand)
1 8oz Hershey Bar, grated (I only had 2oz Hershey and 2oz Mr Goodbar so I used. Imagine how out of this world this cookie would have been with MORE grated chocolate?!)
1.5 cups chopped nuts (optional- I didn't have any nuts in the cupboard so nope, I didn't use any)

Directions

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. In a mixing bowl, combine blended oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate large bowl, cream butter and both sugars. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts.
Roll into balls and place two inches part on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 56 cookies. (I baked mine for 9 minutes because I like them soft and gooey inside).

Whip up a batch of these real quick and grab yourself a glass of cold milk. You can thank me later.

Kirsten, you can thank me in person because I put some aside for your visiting crew!

Of poop and other stuff

2011-06-06T20:37:00.000-04:00

If I had thought about it, I would have taken a picture.

Of the poop and the pee on the floor. The dresser. The wall. The pajamas.

But I was too busy trying to clean it up while keeping the toddler out of the room.

I think he is getting ready to potty train.

I am of the camp that says to do it when the child is ready.

He is getting ready, of that I am sure.

The question is: Am I ready?!!!!!

I do know this.

I have been changing diapers since October 2003.

I have been buying diapers since October 2003.

Continuously. Sometimes for two children at a time.

That would be 7 years and 8 months, but who's counting?
That's a lot of f#$%ing diapers.

He's also into collecting rocks, putting them in his pocket, and then pulling them out and throwing them any and everywhere.

When he farts, he giggles or says: I fart. I find this hilarious.

While I was away at Fitbloggin, my husband moved little dude into a big boy bed. The transition has been rough, but over the last few days, he's almost back to his regular sleeping schedule, thank goodness.

He is teaching himself to swim, just by watching his big brother and big sister at swim lessons. I have done nothing except to try and teach him to wait for me to be ready. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. He can kick, float on his stomach, skydive/jump, glide and hold his breathe for longer than I am comfortable with. He pushes his body to see what it can do, not what it *can't".

Every mom is a mom to him, including the stranger moms. At the playground, at the pool, at birthday parties. He hugs and kisses and climbs into the laps of moms everywhere for a cuddle. It's almost as if he knows that a mom cannot resist a cuddle from a cute toddler boy, even one they just met.

He is in the full throes of being 2.5 and drives me crazy on a daily basis. It can be exhausting on a daily basis.

Then again, at any given time, he can and does grab my face with both of his chubby hands and plants one squarely on my lips.

He is full of life and love and independence and friendliness.

Little Anthony.

More Than Meets the Eye- Fitbloggin

2011-05-23T14:31:00.001-04:00

He asked me: How was it? Tell me about Fitbloggin.

So I did.

I told him of the things I did, like running a 5K in a tutu (I look H-A-W-T, I know),

(photo credit: Carrie Dallhoff)

they made me do it

(photo credit: Carrie Dallhoff)

shaking my moneymaker and sweating up a storm ~~making a fool of myself~~ with an hour of Zumba,

(photo credit: Carrie Dallhoff)

learning about kettlebells and resistance training and trampoline jumping.

I told him some about the humor in blogging and blogger responsibilities and creating an online social community. I spewed facts and phrases and what I had learned.

He called bullshit on me.

He said: You are a blogger. You tell stories. Tell ME a story.

I knew exactly what he was talking about but I didn't know if I was ready to tell him a story. We were driving home from the airport, we had three very excited kids jabbering in the seats behind us, we were all hungry and I was so freakin' tired. Emotionally and physically.

Did I have it in me to tell him a story?

He wouldn't let go of it and dragged the story out of me and once I started telling it, I couldn't stop.

The most important part of Fitbloggin for me was THE story. Not necessarily MY story, but meeting other people and learning THEIR story. Trying to hold back tears as I learned one story, wanting to wrap my arms in a giant bear hug around another story, inspired by this story, and laughing my ass off at creating new stories with new friends and old friends alike (too many of you to link back to but you know who you are!).

I have seriously been lacking in motivation the last three months because life has been so hard. Yeah, I smile and laugh and chatter A LOT, but my heart has been so heavy and stressed out and I seem perpetually behind the eight ball.

I have been letting the LIFE SHIT get in the way and consume my otherwise positive "I can do anything" attitude- run a half marathon, train for a triathlon, consider a marathon, work my ass off in the gym, eat right, sleep enough etc etc etc. I have been making excuses left and right as to why I can't make time to do the things that fuel my soul (like dancing and swimming but this is an entire post of it's own), that make me feel so good about myself (training for races), that challenge me to learn new things (run farther, join a masters swim class, get out of my comfort zone and ride a real bike ON THE ROAD ~~this seriously freaks me out~~).

I've been in a rut and trying to hide it from myself and from all of my fitness bloggy friends.

No more.

This weekend, all the stories I heard and listened, all the words of encouragement and motivation and inspiration, whether directed TO me or overheard said to someone else, moved me beyond words. Do YOU know how powerful YOUR stories were to little old me?

I am telling myself to STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

No more excuses. I know what needs to be done and now I just need to do it. This weekend reminded me that I can do so much and that there is an entire world of support, love, encouragement and motivation out there.

I just need to embrace that world.

This weekend gave me the kick in the ass that I needed to re-focus, re-energize, and re-commit.

I ~~think~~ know I'm ready.

There is more to me than meets the eye and the same holds true for Fitbloggin.

Good news abounds

2011-05-18T13:56:00.000-04:00

Sam is taking swim lessons. His first lesson went horribly wrong, badly enough to where I was *this close* to jumping in the pool and shoving the instructor aside ~~going postal on his ass~~. That particular instructor sucked in a bad way and sent Sam in hysterical fits of crying.

I mean, what kind of instructor repeatedly tests the limits of a kid's trust during his first-ever swim lesson by repeatedly letting go of him, over and over and over. It was obvious that Sam was terrified of not being able to touch the bottom of the pool yet this moron did it again and again. FIRST LESSON. AND, I do think that instructor rolled his eyes at the situation several times. Yeah, Mama Bear almost came unglued at that first lesson and Sam was traumatized. I was freakin' pissed.

Thankfully, with a good talk with the powers that be at the swim place, we have made sure that Sam is never placed with that instructor again. E-V-E-R. It's now been 2 weeks of swim lessons twice a week and he is flourishing. He mastered Station 4 (there are 10 stations) and can now float on his back and kick across the pool. We are SO proud of him!

My MIL made flautas for us for lunch today. Lucky us and YUMMY!

My toddler is napping right now and thank goodness for that.

I leave my husband and children behind tomorrow and take off for Baltimore to attend Fitbloggin for the weekend. Praise. the. Lord. Mama needs a break : ).

My BFF Lauren is making dinner for us tonight AND taking me to the airport tomorrow morning at a very early hour. THANK YOU Lauren!

We are moving ahead with the building design of our custom home in South Austin, finally. It's only the first step but at least we are moving in the right direction. Woot woot!!!!

My dad's cancer scans came back and the cancer has NOT spread....not in his bone marrow, not in his lymph nodes. Although he still has cancer in his body, it is localized to one area and will be treated accordingly. Whew.

Our Summer months are shaping up quite nicely with swim lessons, karate lessons, a trip to Leakey, TX, a trip to Galveston with my mom, a Mo' family trip to Canyon Lake, a trip Dallas to see Minivan Mom, and who knows what else.

Bring it!

8 Random Things on My Birthday Eve

2011-05-15T16:48:00.001-04:00

1. We are celebrating my birthday a day early since Daddy Mo' will be in Ft. Lauderdale this week for work. No cooking dinner for me tonight, nosirree. Instead, we're heading to Central Market where I can grab a glass of wine while the kids play on the awesome playground and someone else can cook dinner for me- score!

2. Man, my kids are cute. However, the little one drives me bonkers on a daily basis. True story.

3. I am attending Fitbloggin' this week. I leave for Baltimore on Thursday and return home on Sunday. I beyond excited. Besides attending conference workshops that are blogging and health related, Friday is dedicated to a 5K run. I may even wear a tutu for this 5K due to peer pressure. Also on the Friday schedule are lots of other fitness activities, like Zumba'ing and doing a kettlebell workout. Some might find it weird to be swooning over a day of exercising but I don't- I think it's super cool. Even better, I will be meeting up with quite a few of my Shrinking Jeans sisters and we will be ~~partying~~ hanging out, laughing ~~drinking~~.

4. Over the last few days, I have been giving serious consideration and thought as to whether I want to run a marathon. I have done three half marathons in the last year and they have been great experiences. I love love love doing the half marathon distance. Do I really want to double the distance and if so, why? Do I have the stamina to go for it, will my body survive, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, do I have the time to dedicate to the training? The biggest hang-up for me right now is TIME. I just don't feel like I have enough of it and I already feel stretched so thin. As supportive as the husband is with my running, it is a HUGE commitment not only for me but for him and our family. I'm not so sure that now is the right time, given all that is going on. But then another part of me chimes in- will there ever be a perfect time? The jury is still out on this one. I do know that another half will be added to my schedule for the Fall though : ).

5. My gray hairs are multiplying quicker than I can pluck them. Damn. I have never colored my hair and hope I don't have to start just yet.

6. I have no pictures of me with my sister at her wedding. How did this happen? I know we must have taken some but they weren't with my camera. This is so wrong! However, here is a picture of her- isn't she beautiful?

7. I'm waiting nervously for my dad's cancer scans results to see if it's spread. We are thinking positively that it has not. We should know sometime this week. Fingers crossed.

8. I am 39 years old (or will be as of Monday). I am now knocking on the door of 40- WOW! I still feel so young in some ways but not in others. Ummmmmm......

cancer is heavy on my mind

2011-05-11T15:02:00.000-04:00

He loves beer, BBQ, and beans.

He laughs from the gut.

Sometimes he has a hard time saying *I love you*, but the older he/we get, the easier it is.

He loves his family, his wife, his children, and his grandchildren.

He doesn't know a stranger.

He willingly gives of himself, even when there isn't much to give.

He loves Mexican/Tejano music and really enjoys live mariachi bands. He's been known to get up and sing with them when the mood strikes.

Some of you have met him. Some of you have not.

He is my dad.

He has/had/has cancer.

We took it for granted that it would never come back.

How ignorant of us.

Tomorrow are a cat scan and a bone density test to see if it has spread.

I am praying and hoping and praying some more that the scans come back clear and that the cancer is localized.

His doctor is already formulating a plan to rid his body of this nasty shit.

Cancer sucks....the big one.

Will you please say a prayer, send good vibes/good thoughts or whatever to the powers that be? I love this man who calls me Lisa-poo poo, tells the same jokes over and over and BBQ's 3 times a week.

I would like him to be around for a long long long time.

Intimate, Beautiful and Amazing

2011-05-05T14:53:00.001-04:00

My friend Kim had a beautiful baby boy last week and I was lucky enough to be there at the birth.

It was my first time to watch a baby being born, outside of my own children's births.

It was my first time to watch another mother go through labor and delivery.

It was my first (and probably only) homebirth to experience.

It was my first time to watch as that mother's contractions got stronger and stronger so quickly.

It was my first time to watch another mother push her baby out into this world.

It was intimate, beautiful and amazing.

I am SO honored that Kim allowed me to be there.

It was an experience I will never forget.

Kim truly is a rock star. That baby is absolutely perfect in every way.

Congrats and lots of love for Prairie Mama's family.

All over the place

2011-05-02T17:05:00.000-04:00

I spend A LOT of time in my car. In fact, there are some days where I feel as if all I am doing is running kids and/or myself here, there, and everywhere. For realz, yo.

I'm tired of the school schedule, of always having to be somewhere at a certain time. Bring on lazy Summer days. Although, if I am truthful, at some point this Summer, I will be longing for the return of the school routine/schedule.  Also, if I am still being truthful, we have a very full Summer schedule, BUT it's OUR schedule and not a school schedule.

Like I said, all over the place.

We went to Houston this weekend. It was an impromptu trip. We bought my husband a used Honda Scion so that his new commute won't suck us dry on gas costs. The huge truck he was driving was just not cutting it for the new commute. Where's he commuting to, you ask?

San Antonio.

Ah yes, the Mo' family just can't sit still, can we?

The husband started a new job with a great company. Promotion, more money, and a better career path. In San Antonio.  We live in Austin. We've devised a plan to make this commute work for us for the time being. We still have that piece of land in South Austin that we are supposed to be building a house on. You know, our pot of gold.

Yeah.

We haven't started building. We haven't even started the design process. Life has been too crazy to get started on all of that. Hopefully, soon. In the meantime, we are living with my MIL and trying not to get underfoot ~~my kids are always underfoot/drive each other crazy~~.

I miss having my own kitchen. There, I said it. I love to cook and the kitchen is one of favorite rooms in a house. I am getting used to my *new* kitchen but it doesn't have my stuff.  I know- wah wah and yes, I'm a big baby. We are going on our 6th week here and just yesterday, I made something in the oven.  Something real ~~and not out of a box~~.

Homemade blueberry sour cream muffins. They are delicious. Food and Wine - I heart you.

Tonight, I make chili ~~because of our crazy Texas weather where it's 93 degrees last week and 50 degrees today~~.

Speaking of food, I am in love love love with HEB's Southwestern Chicken Salad. You get in the refrigerated deli section. I should be banned from buying it anymore because I eat the whole thing within a few sittings. It's that good. The kids like it too, but I don't want to share it with them anymore- that's how much I like it.

Also, since the Zooma half marathon, I have been floundering with my workouts. I am working out, but I don't have a training plan that I am following. It's hard being in between races- I feel lost. I have added biking and swimming to my running schedule and I am loving the mix-up of things, but I really want to set a plan for myself so that I am not just working out for the sake of working out, so that I actually have a goal in mind, whether it be a race, a weight loss goal (ha ha, see above, blueberry muffins), or to build lean muscle.

I need a goal. I need something to work towards.

I have mentioned doing a triathlon race and I have spent quite a bit of time looking up races, when they occur, how much they cost, and if I have enough time to get properly prepared. The thing holding me back from registering is our new schedule ( see above, husband working in San Antonio, need to start the house design/build process, three kids ~~the hubby made me promise not to sign up for anything just yet~~ yada yada yada).

Yep, the training excites me and I have no fear of it whatsoever, but damn, trying to fit in everything I want to do (triathlons, running) plus everything that has to be done (household crap- uck) plus taking care of the kids (wow, three kids take so much of my time especially the toddler) plus husband working away (Lord help me) and well, you see the problem, no?

Also, during the month of May, we have Mother's Day, my birthday- woot woot!, a trip to Dallas to visit friends, a trip to Fayetteville with friends, a field trip for the boys' pre-school, and Fitbloggin.

Like I said, I'm all over the place.

Now it's your turn to ramble to me. Favorite foods? Cooking lately? Training for anything? Ready for Summer? Building a house? Going to Fitbloggin? Are you all over the place, too?

A Moment of Clarity

2011-04-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

I am a slow runner and I am OK with that. My average pace lately has been hovering between 11:30-12:30 minutes, depending on how I feel, what the weather temperature is like, and how far my runs are to last. I am happy with this pace and it doesn't tax me too much, unless I am doing a ten miler or something like that.

I had resigned myself to being a true turtle runner and I was OK with that (finally).

However, today, I had a moment of clarity.

It is exactly this thinking that has been holding me back. Not my legs, not my core muscles, not the various aches and pains. My mind has been holding me back, telling me that "I can't run faster because my body isn't made to run", that "I'm not a natural born runner", that "it's OK to go slower because hey, at least I'm still getting the job done".

Yeah, that's all true.

BUT.

This morning, while the morning was still nice and cool and the sun was shining beautifully, I went for a 4 mile run. I took it nice and easy the first three miles, finding my natural rhythm, not pushing it too much, just enjoying the movement of my legs and warming my body up.

My splits for the first three miles were: Mile 1- 11:30 min, Mile 2- 11:08 min, Mile 3- 11:03 min

I took a short break to bring my heart rate down. As I was cooling off, I thought- why not run this last mile just as fast as you can? Why don't you see what your body can do if you push it? Maybe you will surprise yourself. You can do ANYTHING for one mile. Just go for it. Just do it and see what happens.

So, I did.

I took off running at a faster pace. I didn't stop to walk. Halfway through, I felt my headband starting to fly off my head and I caught it midair.....and kept running. I found a quicker rhythm, my legs moving faster, my breathe coming quicker. I glanced down at the 0.75mile and knew that this mile would be fastest one of the day. I also knew that if I kicked it up a notch, that this mile could be one of my fastest ever.

I clocked Mile 4 at 9:49 min.

9:49 min.

I stopped running and thought, I don't run miles under 10 minutes. I then corrected myself- I can run a mile under 10 minutes and I just did it. Then of course, I got all choked up at the amazing things my body can do if I just push it here and there, that I need to push it out of its' comfort zone from time to time, that YES, it is possible to surprise myself.

I have been walking around all day with a silly grin on my face.

I ran a 9:49 min mile.

I wonder what else I can coax out of this soon-to-be-39-year-old-body?

How the love affair began

2011-04-26T15:12:00.001-04:00

My love affair with the water began back in 3rd grade.

My mom signed me up for swim lessons and my coach was Coach N. I took swim lessons for two years, learning all the stroke basics from my beloved Coach. She taught me how to breathe bilaterally, she taught me the crawl stroke, the breaststroke, the back stroke, the side stroke, and the butterfly. She taught me how to float on my stomach, how to float on my back and how to float with all of my clothes on. She taught me how to be comfortable in the water- confident, carefree, but also respectful.

Coach N. just so happened to also coach the local synchronized swimming team. Synchro was a relatively new sport to the world of sports. It was a true art form, combining ballet, gymnastics and dance....but in the water. I was captivated watching her team practice.

I don't know exactly how it happened, but I ended up joining that synchronized swimming team in 5th grade. I absolutely adored the team practices, the camaraderie, the learning, the pushing my body to do things in the water there aren't normal or natural, learning how to hold my breathe for unnatural amounts of time. We went to local, state, and regional competitions, always seeming to pick up team medals, and individual medals and duet medals.

I can vividly remember my first team competition. Imagine 8 girls, ages 10 or thereabouts, wearing hot pink (with white stripes) bathing suits, white capes with hot pink sequins on our shoulders, hair in a bun, dancing a deck routine, spinning around while ripping our capes off, only to leap into the water all at the same time.

It was magical for a 10 year old.

It's still magical for this 38 year old mom of three.

I only swam for two years with the team. Coach N. was going through some personal difficulties that made it hard for her to continue coaching our team. I was devastated and heartbroken when our team disbanded- that is how much I loved doing what we did, that is how much I loved and honored Coach N.

I am pretty sure I never told Coach N. what she meant to this gangly, pre-pubescent girl who was desperately trying to find her way amongst the junior high crowd. I was too shy and immature to understand myself at that time. As an adult, I look back on those swimming years as some of the BEST of my childhood.

I will forever hold those precious memories near and dear to my heart.

I will forever hold Coach N. in high regards, someone who gave and gave and gave of herself to our large team of girls, aging from 5 years old to 17 years old.

I will forever hold her as the one who taught me to be at one with the water, even to this day.

Today, I signed up for a Masters Swim Class at the local YMCA. It was the first time for me to be coached since 7th grade. Although I have not swam consistently since junior high, it was like I had never stopped. Some are born to run, some are born to bike.....I was born to swim.

Race Report- Zooma Austin Half Marathon

2011-04-17T23:02:00.003-04:00

Normally, I whip out race reports the same day I race ~~like I've done so many races- HA!.~~

This one, I needed to soak in a little more because it was so emotional for me, for lots of reasons. If you've been reading for any amount of time, then you know the last 2 months have been difficult and stressful and my training season has been less than stellar. I have done my runs, but not much else. The few days leading up to the race, my stomach was a mess and I was seriously wondering if I would be able to run the race without shitting my pants.

Yeah, I said it. I know, it's gross, but true. I really thought I was coming down with a stomach virus. I didn't feel like eating (this is a big deal for the girl who loves to eat), my stomach was emptying itself (a lot), and it was so knotted up that it physically hurt. A LOT.

It turns out that I had an awesome case of nervous-ness and anxiety, even though I didn't feel nervous and anxious. Friday night, I took some tums, did some yoga and then I watched this youtube video and I cried. I decided right then and there to let IT ALL GO (IT = everything holding me back in my mind) and to just really enjoy the race, to revel in the marvels of what my body can do, and to be happy that I finally was going to run with my BFF Christy.

I woke up Saturday morning with not one knot in my stomach and a peaceful calm had FINALLY settled over me.

FINALLY.

Before we got started on our 13.1 miles, we said good-bye to Ann. Ann is a fellow Shrinking Jeans Sister and made the trip down from Dallas to run the 5K portion of the race. It was my first time to meet Ann face to face- we had only been friends online thus far. I am pretty sure that she still likes me even after meeting the *real* me, lol.

Ann, Christy, and me

This race was so much more than I thought it would be. It was harder and more challenging than ANY run I have ever done, and I seriously thought at one point- why the hell am I doing this (Christy, that was around mile 5 when we had to walk up that super-steep hill- GAH!).

Play by Play
Miles 1-3: A nice, slow clip, sang to songs, and I made Christy twirl me at one point. We stopped to stretch twice and another stop to re-ty the shoes. I poked her in the arm every so often and yelled- can you believe we are finally running together?!!!! We are running a half marathon and we mother-effing rock!!!!

Miles 4-6: Who the hell signed me up for this race? I should have paid more attention to the elevation because O-M-F-G, the hills are killing my legs. 17 hills in the first 6 miles. Man, this is tiring. Although, this was definitely the most beautiful race course I have ever seen (I wish I had taken pictures of the course but I didn't- I will next year).

don't let the smile fool you- I was only smiling because we were heading downhill!

Miles 7-9: flattest part of the course and I'm so thankful for it by this time. We saw a ton of Team in Training runners and Christy and I cheered for every single one of them, their purple shirts reminding us of our own awesome TnT experience back in San Diego.

Mile 10: Nothing special, just getting it done.

Miles 11-13: Outside of the hills, these miles were the hardest because they were on a golf course path, as in winding up and down, up and down, up and down the course. You could see exactly how far you had to go and how many people were ahead of you. At that point, my legs were so damn tired, I was hot and sweaty and thirsty and I just wanted to be done already.

But then it lead to the finish line and by then, I was over the moon happy to be done running for the day- yippee!!!!

Striking a pose

I cannot speak highly enough about the Zooma Women's Race Series. It was fantastically put together, held in a wonderful location, and promoted and celebrated the beauty within ALL of us. I absolutely loved the feeling of race day- pre, during, and after.

Fellow Zooma Austin Ambassadors- Ashely, me, Tricia, and Erika (Jennifer not pictured- boo!)

Perfection all the way.

I know there will be more half marathons in my future- could there be a full marathon as well?!

For the race junkies:
Overall time- 2hr 44 min 47 seconds with an average pace of 12:34 min/mile (almost a full 5 minutes faster than my San Antonio Half Marathon time in November 2010- woot woot!!!!!). This means I have a new PR for the half : ).

Bring on the 13.1

2011-04-14T11:24:00.000-04:00

Hold on tight. This might be an emotional post. Shocking, I know.

My Zooma half marathon is literally right around the corner, like 2 days around the corner.

In less than 48 hours, I will be running 13.1 miles, for the third time in my life. When I began the training season for this half mary, I had high hopes of beating my San Antonio half marathon time because my training was going SO well. I was running, doing strength training, hill work, and even a little bit of speed work. My pace was getting faster and I felt so freakin' good and strong and powerful.

Then, March hit and my training flew out the window due to life circumstances outside of my control. My training fell off quite a bit because it just had to. I did the bare minimum for weekly runs because that is all I had time for and all that my brain could allow.

The month of March can officially suck it and I am so glad it is over with. Needless to say, due to stress and lack of sleep, my runs have been craptastic and hard and a big fat struggle. I have done them, BUT they haven't been fun for me. I have basically put one foot in front of the other, attempting to quiet the naysayer voices in my head, trying to release the stress that was eating me up and failing miserably.

I am learning that there I can only control certain things and those that I can't control, I have to deal with it, learn to roll with the punches, and be flexible/adaptable and try my best to remain positive.

My last training run was Tuesday morning and it was only 3 miles. During my drive to the trailhead, I repeated over to myself: You will have a good run, you will have a good run, you will have a good run. You NEED this run to be good for so many reasons. Just do it and make it feel good and it will.

I had a great 3 mile run and I owe a large part of it to my mind. The mind is a powerful thing, is it not?

So yes, Saturday morning, you will find me running the hills of Bastrop, completing 13.1 miles. I may or may not beat my last half marathon time. However, I have *let go* of that stress and anxiety of feeling like I have to and I'm instead switching gears to just enjoy my time out there.

Enjoy running with my best friend

Enjoy

running

with my new

Zooma running lady friends.

The Zooma Women's Race Series is all about promoting and celebrating what our bodies can do- not what they can't do. It's about celebrating personal triumphs. Saturday's half marathon may not be what I had envisioned it be, BUT I will celebrate what I can do and I will give it my best shot, fist pumping and probably crying when I cross the finish line.

Bring on the 13.1.

Masterpiece: Dad Love

2011-04-12T22:39:00.001-04:00

Anthony is in Denver for work
Sam wanted to draw him a picture
Here is his masterpiece, titled "Dad Love"

Daddy is on the right, holding a red light saber (I am your father, Luke)
Sam is on the left holding a green/yellow light saber
I love love love how he wrote his d's backwards
This one is a keeper

It's Like Having a Sister Wife But Better

2011-04-06T19:54:00.001-04:00

Because she doesn't sleep with my husband nor compete for his attention.

By she, I am referring to my mother-in-law- Marisa.

We moved our stuff into her house 10 days ago and will be living with her indefinitely.

I have a great relationship with Marisa, but I was still a little nervous about our new living arrangements because c'mon ya'll, I was used to our 1 mile apart relationship- as in, we lived 1 mile apart and not in the same house.

Fast forward to selling our house more quickly than we anticipated and a whole bunch of other stuff, and we now find ourselves living with her. So far, it has been awesome beyond belief.

The highlights:

An extra person to help me get kids dressed in the morning.
She does the laundry- woot woot!!!!
When I cook, she cleans.
She doesn't mind helping me run kids to the various places they have to go.
She will stay with a sleeping toddler so that I can run errands.
She ALWAYS has homemade salsa made and in the fridge. ALWAYS. Pinto beans, too. SCORE!!!!
She's pretty good company during the day.
The kids have even more love heaped upon them.
She gave up her master bedroom and bathroom for me and Anthony, although we argued with her to keep it. She insisted that we have her room. Then, she gave our kids two more bedrooms in her house.
She understands my husband even better than I do : ).

I don't know how long the honeymoon will last, but for now, I am going to enjoy every second of it. We are so lucky to have her and appreciate the home she has so willingly given to us.

It doesn't get much better than this, and no, I am not sharing her.

Race Report- A Slice of Humble Pie

2011-03-27T13:07:00.000-04:00

Capitol 10K, Austin TX

I'm going to put it out there.

I am disappointed in my 10K time.

1 hr 15 min 38 seconds with an average pace of 12:11min/mile.

I was so hoping to swing an 11-11:30min pace per mile.

I know, I know, I should be proud of my accomplishment. I know this and I am, BUT I still wish I had done better. I could bore you with all of my excuses as to why I didn't do better ~~did you know that packing and moving for 12+ hours the day before a race and only getting four hours of sleep is NOT conducive to the best race experience?~~

Before this race, I was all cocky and shit thinking to myself- it's ONLY 6.2 miles and I've already done two half marathons and I'm about to do my third half marathon- this, THIS 6.2 miles will be a piece of cake. Well, it wasn't a piece of cake and I had to fight for this run the entire time.

I had my ass handed to me by Mile 1. Note to self- take it slow at the beginning so that you don't peter out at Mile 1 with a stitch in your side causing you to walk for 5 minutes and drink all of your water. Sidenote- I did run that first mile PRETTY fast, like 10:30 minutes FAST. Woot woot! Also, respect the course and especially the hill portion from Mile 1- Mile 3. SMFD.

Maybe I should have had some kind of strategy for this race instead of just "go run". Eh.

Whatever, I can check this off the list and I'm already thinking about what 10K I can do next, because I just KNOW that I can beat this time. I just KNOW IT.

6.2- here I come!

2011-03-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

On the schedule this weekend:
Packing, packing, and some more packing

Also on the schedule, added today:
Running the Capitol 10K along with 20,000 of my closest runner friends

I made a last minute decision to register for this race. Although I have run 2 half marathons and I'm running my third half on April 16th, I have never run a 5K nor a 10K. On Sunday, this will change. It's kind of funny to me that I can decide 48 hours before race day to register and it actually doesn't daunt me one. single. bit.

At all.

In fact, I am super excited for race day. At this point in half marathon training, my body is tired and weary and yes, I'll say it, a little bored with running. Bored with my running music. Tired of the commitment and discipline necessary to make 13.1 miles happen.

It's true, I have these thoughts and feelings. Plus, the aches and pains that flare up due to higher weekly mileages can get me down sometimes (but less and less often, that's for sure!). Being out on a race course with so many other like-minded people and our *adoring* fans will recharge me as I head in to the last two weeks of half marathon training.

Even better, for the first time ever, my husband and three kids will be waiting for me at the finish line ~~if Daddy can manage to get them out the door and in the car on time, yes honey, that's a challenge~~.

I am running 6.2 miles Sunday morning and I'm going to do it just as fast as my heart can take it- boo yah!!!!

It's beginning to hit me

2011-03-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's beginning to hit me, that we truly are moving.

We close on the sell of our house on April 4th. We have already started to move a crapload of our things to my MIL's house, whom we will be living with for next 8-12 months, until we build our new house. I know, I know, some of you ~~all of you~~ could not fathom living with your MIL for any amount of time, but Marisa and I get along very well and there is lots of love to go around. It will be a tight squeeze for sure, BUT we'll make it work.

So between the packing of the margarita glasses, the pots and pans, and the cookie sheets, I realized that tonight's dinner was the last dinner that was to be cooked in my current home. I will still be cooking but it will be at Marisa's place, using her things. I'm going to miss my kitchen, my house, and what I affectionately call "the loop". I am going to miss my *stuff*.

But most of all, I am going to miss the memories that we created in this place we call home. I found out I was pregnant with Sam just two days after moving into this house. I became a SAHM in this house. I brought two more children into the world while living here. I've nursed, danced, played games, drank myself silly on the back porch, laughed raucously too many times, painted Sophie's toenails, traipsed over to Amanda's for a cup of coffee/hug/vent session/drop off the kids/watch TV/dinner so. many. times. The kids learned how to walk/run/jump here, ride bikes, had sleepovers, playdates and more. We've had so many friends and family visit us.......The memories are numerous and too many to count.

Sure, I know I am taking the memories with me and we will make new memories, regardless of the actual roof over our heads, but right now, tonight, I am feeling nostalgic and a little homesick (and we haven't even left home yet.

I am fairly certain I will have a big boo-hoo session before we are totally moved out. Yeah, I'm sentimental like that- don't judge me.

Our pot of gold

2011-03-18T21:26:00.000-04:00

Today has been one of those days where I have so much to do yet every single thing I do takes me freakin' forever to complete. This morning, the enormity of what we have to accomplish very soon here overwhelmed me and I really had no answer to this question:

How the hell are we going to get our shit packed up, moving some of it to my MIL's and the majority of it into storage while still having to take care of all the normal daily stuff?

Translation: taking care of my kids takes a whole lot of time and G-A-W-D, they are messy all the time and while I don't expect to have a clean house during this process, I need to know what we have and where it is so that I can make a decision as to whether it goes into the "temporary living" box or the "it's going to storage" boxes. The number of decisions that I have to make are freakin' longer than the 13.1 miles I will be running on April 16th and for some unknown reason, I'm having a really really really difficult time making ANY kind of decision.

Calgon, take me away.

Better yet, please let my fairy packing friends descend upon me (and quick) because at the rate I am going, I won't have our house packed up until 2016, which is WAY past our April 4th, 2011 close date.

I hate moving.

I just have to remind myself about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and it is this:

Our newly purchased 1.1 acre lot with 114 trees on the buildable portion of the lot. That's a whole lotta trees and we're going to do our best to keep as many of them as possible! One day there will be a custom-designed house built for us right where we are standing.

One day.......

I just need to make it through the next two weeks without losing my freakin' mind : ).

Rest in Peace

2011-03-08T13:11:00.000-05:00

Affectionately called Bisa Lu Lu by her great grand-kids

Bisa- short for Bisabuela

Which means Great-Grandma in Spanish

Lu Lu- short for Maria Luisa

She loved with her heart

She smiled with her soul

She shared a birthday with this child

Hugging and kissing non-stop

Respected

She loved her family so much

But all of us loved her right back

Her son Lalo

Her daughter Marisa (my MIL)

Her grandkids

Her great-grandkids

Her sisters and brothers and cousins and nieces and nephews

Whether here in the US or back home in Mexico

Her entire family will miss her

Bisa Lu Lu

September 25, 1923- March 7, 2011

The pity party has ended

2011-03-04T14:15:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, when I wrote this post, the trifecta of stress in my life had finally come to a head and I finally had allowed myself to FEEL the feelings that I had been pushing to the side for a while.

Trifecta:

Selling our house fast (meaning we have to get out of house fast, meaning we have to pack and find a place to live blah blah blah)
Building a new house (stress, so many decisions to make)
Great-Grandma falling ill (stroke and being tested for cancer)

Last night, my friend Amanda came over so that I could catch her up on what's going on.

I filled her in on the details and what I'm feeling blah blah and in true Amanda fashion, she cut to the chase with me and she made me see the light on all the GOOD that is occurring around me (selling our house so FAST in this real estate market and having the ability to build our dream house).

She reminded me that I am not in control of the bad (Great-Grandma being so sick). She asked me why I was so freaked out about not knowing exactly where we will be moving for the months of April and May, that regardless of where Grandma is and what care she needs, that we WILL find a place to live because we have to.

Shitmotherfuckerdamn.

She was pretty much telling me to grow a pair, to man up, to stop my bitching and moaning already.

Not in so many words but yeah, she was .

She said all these things with love and care and kindess, because she loves me and because she is way more than my neighbor (soon to be ex-neighbor, BOO HISS), she is my friend, and a really really really good one at that. You know you're good freinds when one can tell the other nicely and firmly to GET A GRIP and MOVE ON and BE THANKFUL.

I'm not really sure she exactly said all these things (probably not!), but that is the message I received.

Amanda gave me the talkin' to that I so desperately needed and she helped me see the positive light in our situation. She took the final piece of the weight of the world that was resting on my shoulders and shoved it to the side. She ended the "woe is me" pity party that I had going on.
That's what ~~good~~ great friends are for, right?

Thank you Amanda. I love you so so so much.

With you and all the other wonderful friends and family we have surrounding us, we'll be able to make it through the next month intact and maybe even happy : ).

As an aside, my husband Anthony sometimes reads my blog. I'm never sure what posts he reads unless he mentions it to me. Last night when he came home, he says to me: I don't want you to quit Zooma. I don't either, babe. I'm not quitting Zooma and I'm certainly not giving up on running. The running is what will help me stay balanced through this process. Thank you for continuing to support me with my running efforts!

It takes a village

2011-03-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

Did she hear it in my voice the other day when I called her and said I can't go home....and what I didn't say be alone with my thoughts....before I could finish talking, before my voice broke and the tears started flowing, she said come over right now for as long as you like. And I did. Thank you Kim, for rescuing me from myself.

It takes a village.

The past week's stresses have made me consider pulling myself from the Zooma Half Marathon, of which I am an Ambassador for. I didn't know if I had it in me to complete the training, to do the training runs, to support and motivate others, to race on race day.

However, during today's 4.2 mile run, when I finally let the emotion of this week's STUFF surface, when I finally admitted to myself that I am grieving and mourning and that I am scared and nervous and anxious and overwhelmed and stressed out to the max, the tears ~~sobs~~ hit me like a ton of bricks and for about three ~~ten~~ minutes I sobbed HARD and just let the emotion come and I let myself FEEL and that's when I knew that I had to keep running, that I had to do Zooma, that running allows me to process feelings and thoughts and LIFE when I can't seem to process it anywhere else.

Running is my saving grace.

My friends have heard the "transactional" details of all that is occurring at a break-neck speed but they haven't heard the emotion behind all of it. I'm afraid if I start talking about the feelings with my friends that I will become a sobbing mess (see above) and then I will make them cry which will make me cry harder and then it will suck for everyone.

My dad called yesterday. At the time he called, he only knew a little of what is going on, and before I could even ask for his and my mom's help, he offered it. He offered them to come to Austin on their free weekends and for Spring Break. I talked to my mom later in the day and she said "we don't know what you need us to do, but we want to support you, so yes, we will come this weekend and do whatever you need us to do". I admitted that there is so much to do that I don't even know where to start. She said they would help us get started on that long LIST of things that need to be done....and of course, love and play and take care of the kids for us so that Anthony and I can do whatever we need to do.

It takes a village.

I shared with some of my bloggy friends the craziness and they came through with flying colors of support and love.

It takes a village.

Luckily, I have a pretty strong village surrounding me.

Under Contract

2011-03-01T17:42:00.000-05:00

After 2.5 weeks on the market, our beautiful, well-loved home has been sold, for almost asking price.

We are grateful beyond belief but also under a great amount of stress, for a variety of reasons, of which my IRL friends have heard about already and of which I will blog about soon enough here, after my stomach unclenches from said stress.

Most of it is good stress (as in O-M-G, we have to pack our shit FAST and find a place to live and get moving on the new home design blah blah blah) and some of it is not so good stress (Great-Grandma has suddenly fallen very ill and there is so much uncertainty surrounding that).

For now, I want to revel in the fact that I don't have to keep my house spic and span any more.

I want to enjoy the process of building our dream house from the ground up. I want to embrace the excitement of THAT, because folks, out of all that is going on, the most fun part is cutting out pictures from home magazines and architecture magazines of the things that we love and like and want in our new-to-be-built-to-our-specifications home.

It almost makes up for the stress : ).

You see the kid on the left?

2011-02-25T21:46:00.001-05:00

He turns 5 this weekend

That cute little impish smirk/smile on his face

perfectly captures his essence

Hilarious

Funny

Smart

Jedi Knight

Spiderman

ABC's

Comedian

Friendly

Loving

Hugger

Kissy

Flower-giver

Hand holder

Heart stealer

Happy Birthday Sam

We love you so very much!

Catch 22

2011-02-23T18:55:00.001-05:00

We have to sell our house.

We already bought a 1.1 acre lot to build our next house on.

We put our house on the market 2 weeks ago today.

We have had 9 showings plus two couples who came back for a second look....making that 11 showings.

This would be in addition to our normally, crazied schedule.

2 of my 3 kids started crying hysterically when I told them yet once again, we needed to get our shoes on FAST and get out the door and to forget about dinner cooking on the stove and forget about the relaxing TV time and forget about chilling out at home, that we have to go go GOOOOOOOO- yeah, they were screaming and NOT happy.

Because yesterday, we had THREE showings and had to keep leaving our house, the last one being from 7pm-8pm. At night.

I get it. I know how this process works. My kids are beginning to get it but they don't like it.

I have to plead with you, my readers though, for two things.

1. If you are currently in the market to buy a house, please give some consideration to the family currently living there and give more lead time than "I'm sitting in your driveway at 5pm, can I show your house right NOW". This is really a note to realtors out there- more lead time than 5 minutes. M'kay?

2. Also, pray for my patience, my kid's patience, my husband's patience and for someone to motherfucking buy our damn house already so that I don't go freaking nuts trying to keep it clean and so that I don't burst a blood vessel trying to get my kids out the door for all these showings.

Really, I am thankful that so many people are looking at our house. I will be even more thankful when the damn thing sells. Of course, once we sell it, we will have a whole new set of stressors and chaos to deal with but whatever.

Peace out, making dinner, and getting ready to leave for a meeting because the fun never ends in the Mo' household. Maybe I'll even squeeze in a run tonight so that I can let some of this "angst" go into the night air.

Or whatever.

It was the best mile ever

2011-02-20T20:41:00.000-05:00

She asked me a few weeks ago and we never got around to it.
Life is busy right now and I just couldn't seem to carve out time for her.
She asked me to do it again this weekend.
I made the time to make it happen.
I am so glad I did.
I will carve out the time to do it with her as often as she likes.

She said that man, this was tiring. That her heart was beating so fast. That her legs hurt.

I told her to take smaller steps, to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth, and that of course her legs hurt because she was doing something new.

We talked almost the entire time.

She said it was her favorite part.

It was my favorite part, too.

I told her how proud I am of her, that she is so awesome and that I can't wait to do this again with her.

Her name is Sophie. She is my 7 year old daughter. Today, she ran her first ever MILE, with me, her ever-loving mommy.

It was the best mile of my life, hopefully to be repeated....soon.

PS- We are giving away a FREE race entry to the Zooma race of your choice over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. For those who can't wait and want to register for the Zooma Austin Half Marathon or 5K, you can use promo code AUSSSJ11 (expires 3/18) to get $10 off the half marathon registration and $5 off the 5K registration (this code is for Austin only). Promo codes for other Zooma races to be posted at a later date.

These kids of mine

2011-02-17T18:00:00.001-05:00

He's not quite 2.5 years old yet I believe
that he has had more shiners and bruises
than his two siblings combined
The mark between his eyes is the scar from
The Great Stocking Holder Accident of 2010

The shiner and cuts on his eye
Were the result of his tripping at the park
His face connecting with a concrete slab- Ouch!
It looks better now than it did two days ago

Snow in Austin, Texas doesn't happen often
When it does, everyone freaks out, especially the kids
We don't own snow gear
Hell, we don't even really have heavy winter coats
I like it that way
The few days of *cold* is way more than enough for me
We had to get creative to simulate *sledding*
Cardboard boxes and cookie sheets all the way, baby!

The kids continue to crack. me. up. on a daily basis

Yesterday, as I was cleaning up dinner

Sam and Sophie crammed stuffed animals under their shirts and said they were having babies

Sam: I am a boy mommy.

Sophie: I am going to poop it out.
I am thinking I might need to clear the air very soon here

The other day Sam was mad at me for not
tying his shoes the way Daddy ties them
He told me that "he wished he had two daddies".
Ummmmmm.....

I have been busy cooking and trying new recipes of late.
Don't these look deliciously yummy?

They were.

Is it all really worth it?

2011-02-15T12:55:00.002-05:00

Since putting our house on the market 5 days ago, my already very very very busy life has skyrocketed into the stratosphere. In addition to having to keep our house clean for all the showings that have occurred in the last five days, we still have to keep on living our lives with the kids. Oh yeah, we have been meeting with architects and builders to get the process started on choosing someone right for us, to build our new house.

Throw in my training for the Zooma Half Marathon in April, Valentine's Day parties times three kids, ballet lessons, soccer practice, planning a Spring Break trip, planning a Summer trip, shuttling everyone where they need to be when they need to be, cooking, cleaning blah blah blah and well, my head is literally spinning.

Every second of every day is accounted for.

By the time the kids are in bed for the evening, I am exhausted.

Fast forward to this morning. After dropping the kids off where they needed to be, I hit the trail and ran 4.25 miles. Good job Lisa. Then I hit the gym to do a short upper body workout. I normally wouldn't lift weights on the same day that I run, but I am so strapped for gym time that I just had to squeeze it in. After lifting weights (oh, my tired arms and shoulders!), I proceeded to stretch and foam roll the legs and my good ole, OLD, aching hips.

I finally switched mental gears from being so FOCUSED on my workout to RELAXING a bit and letting my mind wander. I thought about how much of a time suck training for a half-marathon truly is. It really is. Let's take a look, shall we?

time to prep your gear, water bottles, clothes
drive to where you will run or map out your run
warm up your body and stretch
the actual run
cool-down and stretch some more
drive home
on days you aren't running, cross-train or strength train
for those like me, throw in yoga a few days a week to increase flexibility and strengthen problem areas (that would be my hips- yippee!!!!)
in your down time (HA!), learn all that you can about nutrition, rest and recovery, fartleks, how to run hills, how to increase your speed yada yada yada.

Then, I thought about the sacrifices my family, mainly my husband, has to make so that I can do my long runs on Saturday mornings. He doesn't flip out when I tell him I want to spend MORE money on race entries, new running shoes, cold weather gear, hot weather gear, etc.

You might think- no big deal, he's the daddy, he's the husband, he should step up and support his wife. Yes, that's true and he does completely and wholeheartedly. He never complains about the time my long runs take away from our family. From what I can see, he doesn't resent me for it.

He just tells me "to have a good run and GO already".

I thought: Is it really worth it? All this TIME I dedicate to running? Is it worth the sacrifices?

Guess what? Ya'll have to know what's coming.....do you? I promptly burst into tears. Shocking, I know.

Yes, it is worth it. It is worth it because it is FOR ME and brings me so much joy and continues to allow me to learn new things about myself. When I got in the car, I called my husband and amidst my tears, I thanked him for supporting me and for not complaining. I told him how much I appreciate him for that and that I don't say thank-you often enough.

I think he was happily surprised with my call : ).

Then, I got home and saw this, my Rock Star Bling. For completing two half marathons in the Rock n Roll Series during one calender year (I did San Diego in June and San Antonio in November), they give runners an extra medal. It's pretty freakin' cool, isn't it?

Yeah, it's SO worth it.

Official News

2011-02-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

1. My kids have been out of school since last Thursday. I am not sure who is more ready for them to go back to school tomorrow- me OR them.

2. My middle child is turning 5 at the end of the month. How the hell did that happen?

3. We bought a 1.1 acre piece of land 32 miles from here. It's a done deal. The grand plan is to build a house for us and a "casita" for my MIL and G-MIL to to share, on the same property.

4. We have put our house on the market as of tonight. The thought of keeping my house clean and uncluttered until it sells makes me want to vomit.

5. I got IT- IT being the Zooma Austin Ambassador position. I am one of five Austin ambassadors. I will be co-leading Saturday training runs. This should be interesting and fun as I am so accustomed to running by myself. If I try to run and talk at the same time, I am liable to trip over myself or run out of breathe or both at the same time. I have also designated myself as the Fun-Time ambassador for no other reason than I like to have fun. So, um, anyone interested in running a 5K or half marathon on April 16th with me? You don't have to live in Austin to run the race here- you can live anywhere, really. Tiffany? Christy? Chris? Maria? Lauren? Stephanie? Lavonda? Houston friends? Dallas friends? Facebook friends? Join me that weekend- I promise that we will have fun!!!!

6. I spent the last few days hanging out with Christy. We shared some great memories and our kids were awesome together, as always. Her little Mia is sweet on my Sam and it was so darn cute to watch.

7. The hubs and I are looking to do something fun and not too expensive over Spring Break with the kids. Actually, I would love to do something with just him without the kids but we're both too chicken to ask the grandmas to watch them, lol. So yeah, a family something to do for a few days. Any ideas?

8. Along the same lines, we are planning a family vacation this Summer. At first, we were thinking Denver and Rocky Mountain National Park, but now we are also considering a beach vacation or really, anything that we don't have to buy 5 planes tickets and rent a minivan. But then again, we're really open to anywhere. A few weeks ago we knew exactly what we were doing for vacation and now, not so much. HELP!

9. My sister is getting married in Tucson, Arizona at the beginning of April. The plan is for me and Sophie to go (cuz OMFG, the whole 5 plane tickets for a weekend trip is way too expensive!). I am looking forward to a trip with my daughter- we will have so much fun.

10. Modern Family is the best show E-V-E-R. Last year's Valentine's Day episode was one of the best, however, I think tonight's show might top it. I'll let you know.

I want it so bad

2011-02-02T14:52:00.001-05:00

I debated whether to share this or not.

At first, I told myself "no", "what if you don't get it and you have to come back here with your tail between your legs", or "what if your readers secretly believe that you wouldn't be good at this".....

Then, I thought "yes, share it", "your readers will support you", and "if you don't get it, they will still support you".

I have applied to be a Zooma Austin Ambassador.

Zooma is the name of the next 1/2 marathon race I will be doing, in April. A women's series race.

The race series is looking for women to be local running leaders, or ambassadors, if you will.

As an ambassador, you will. . .Educate friends, co-workers and neighbors about ZOOMA Austin, inspire them to complete a half marathon or 5K, motivate ZOOMA athletes at weekly training runs led by ambassadors, and serve as an ambassador for women’s running in the local Austin community.

Although I am still relatively "new" to running scene, even though I am SO busy it literally makes my head spin at times, I want this so bad. I want to be able to empower women through running as running has empowered me.

I want to tell the newbie runner to ignore the voices in her head that tell her that she can't possibly run a 5K or that she can't possibly run a 1/2 marathon. I want to tell her that yes, she just might have aches and pains along the way. I want to tell her that the logistics of planning out her training runs and keeping the spouse happy can be daunting at times but it can be done. I want to tell her that if she will just commit and be disciplined about her training, that YES- SHE CAN DO IT.

I want to tell her that it doesn't matter if she walks or runs, all that matters is that she goes. I want to tell her that crossing that finish line will give her something so special to be so proud of. I want to tell her to believe in herself. I want to tell her that she will be part of a very small percentage of the population that can actually say "I completed a 5K or "I completed a half marathon".

As part of my "application", I wrote this: ....regardless of the aches and pains I have endured over the 16 months of my running career, I have found a true love for this sport and even more importantly, I have found ME. I may not be the fastest, the strongest, nor the longest distance runner out there, BUT I have so much heart and respect for running. It gives me an outlet that I so desperately need and something that is mine, solely mine.

When asked "what inspires me", I wrote this: Seeing other women begin their own running journey. No two are alike and everyone seems to find something brand new within themselves during it. It is inspiring to see someone embrace something that they think they could never do and actually do it. The smiles, the beauty, and the sheer joy of watching others find belief in themselves is incredibly awesome and makes me want to continue running.

When asked "what are you most proud of", I responded:

My 7 year old daughter asking me a few days ago if she could go on a run with me.
Overhearing my husband quip to a group of friends/family/co-workers that his wife is a runner.
Friends asking me for running advice.

My application had made it through the first round. The second round is a phone interview. My interview is tomorrow morning. I am not sure if there are any more rounds after that but either way, whether I am chosen or not, I know that I have put my best foot forward.

I almost feel like I am being "called" to do this, that THIS is the natural next step for ME.

Either they want me or they don't.

I hope they do.

Surreal

2011-01-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

It has come to my attention in the last 2 months that a lot of real-life friends, Facebook friends, and even family are reading my blog. This should come as no surprise to me since I have my blog listed on FB and I have openly and publicly shared the site address with any and everyone.
Even though I did those things and continue to do those things, I really didn't think anyone READ my blog.

DOH!

I mean, I know strangers read my blog (see that statcounter on the right side bar, scroll down a bit.....it tells me all kinds of good info). I know my online bloggy friends read my blog. I know my mom reads my blog.

I just didn't really consider that people I see face-to-face actually read my blog.

It's kind of weird. It's kind of not weird.

I mean, my "in real life" friends know me, well, you know, IN. REAL. LIFE. They see me, we laugh, we talk, we hug, we have playdates, we exercise, we have dinner, blah blah blah. I write things here that are totally in my brain and let's be honest, when I get together with my friends, I almost ALWAYS have my children with me and they have their children with them and they are a huge distraction and I'm not talking about what's on my mind.

Then, I think back to particular posts and I think O-M-F-G they must think I am a lunatic, crazy mother of three who likes to take pictures of the food she makes and cries every time she runs.

Wait a minute.....that is ME!!!!

Anyhoo, would any and all of you please de-lurk for me? That means, just leave me a comment to let me know that you are reading. Bloggy friend, Facebook friend, in-real-life friend, family or stranger- just give me a shout out, a BOO-YAH, a "hell to the yeah", a "you're the motherfucking best ever" comment.

Yeah, all ya'll. Now, stat, pronto.

Pretty please.

Freeing

2011-01-27T13:04:00.000-05:00

I cannot stop crying.

What is wrong with me?

Actually, nothing is wrong with me.

I just ran 4.3 miles and I feel fantastically awesome.

This run was like an *A-Ha* moment for me.

Christie O. knows exactly what I am talking about.

I suspect quite a few of my runner friends know exactly what I am talking about.

It's a beautiful day. A sunny 60 degrees with a slight breeze.

I had great music pumping through my iPod. I left my sports watch at home because the battery is dead. So that means I wasn't worrying about how fast or not fast I was going.

I just went.

It was freaking awesome to be freed from TIME.

Freed from motherhood, freed from wife-liness, freed from "all that needs to be done", freed from MYSELF.

I thought about my runner friends, especially my new runner friends, my runner friends recovering from injuries, my runner friends trapped by comparing themselves to others.

The last 0.25 miles, this song came on.

My feet took off, it felt like they weren't touching the ground at all.

I felt so FREE.

I never wanted it to end.

YOU are amazing, just the way you are. Runner, Walker, Jogger, Wogger. New to running, old to running. Injured or recovering. You and you and you are amazing, right here, right now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, not sometime in the future.

Right now.

A letter from the future to my present self

2011-01-18T07:56:00.002-05:00

The lovely ladies over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans (hey- I'm one of them, woot woot!!!!) have once again challenged us to write a "Dear Self" letter. Basically, they are asking our future 2012 self to write our present 2011 self to let us know what's going to happen for the year- the good, the bad, the struggles, and any advice that might be pertinent.

I have been putting this off like the plague, or whatever complimentary cliche would seem more right here. 2010 was such a great year for me- physically and mentally. I am kind of scared that 2011 will be a disappointment, or that I won't live up to my own expectations.

This is exactly why I need to write this letter, to myself, today, from my future self. To let me know, to remind me, to tell me, that I WILL BE THE BAD-ASS ATHLETE THAT I SO DESPERATELY WANT TO BE.

Here goes.

January 17, 2012

Dear Self,

You remember that feeling you had when you were running on Sunday? When Katy Perry's song "Firework" song came on? Do you remember? Let me refresh your memory. You were hitting mile 2, going into Mile 3, thinking to yourself how hard running is, even after a year of doing it. This song came on and for once in your life, you listened to the lyrics:

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting throught the wind
Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing

I know you are drowning in the details of putting your house on the market and buying land to build your dream house for your family, on top of all of the normal craziness that life with three children involves, but I am here to tell you that it will all work out- you WILL have that dream house and you will make new friends in a new neighborhood.

I know you are worried that your closest, dearest-to-your-heart friends that live close by will forget about you once you are 30+ miles away, but I am here to tell you that won't happen- they love you too much and cherish your friendship just as much as you do. Your children will adjust to new schools, new friends, and a new neighborhood. Life will be good....no scratch that, life will be great!

Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own

I'm also here to tell you will complete your third half marathon in April and a fourth half marathon in the Fall. I know you are thinking about that fourth one being the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco but really, you seriously need to discuss that with your husband to see if it even makes sense with all that is going on right now. If not San Francisco, go ahead and look for a Texas-based half marathon in the Fall- there are plenty to choose from.

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Guess what? You also have some triathlons in your very near future. I KNOW- squeeeeee!!!!!!!!!! You will complete two sprint triathlons (500m swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1mile run) and then feeling confident, you'll take the plunge and register for an Olympic distance triathlon (1000m swim, 24 mile bike, 6.2mile run).

I'm here to tell you that you will ROCK the swim portion and the running will come naturally since you do it so consistently already. Make sure to get out on a real bike and get comfortable with it- learn the rules of the road (don't want to get hit by a car- doh!). Sign up for a Masters swim class. Hook up with a tri club- the support and knowledge will be invaluable.

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on slet your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

I'm also here to tell you to stop focusing on the number on the scale. Cut yourself a little slack (that doesn't mean to go crazy with the eating). I am here to tell you to just continue to make healthy choices (put down the chips and salsa NOW!), exercise good and hard, and your natural body will follow. Relax, don't get so stressed out and you will be in the coveted Size 10 once and for all- promise.

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on slet your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em goin "Oh, oh, oh!"

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Lastly, but most importantly, I am here to remind you why you cried when listening to this song. "Baby you're a firework, Come on let your colors burst....Come on, show 'em what you're worth"- it was these words that made you teary. You know that you have been holding back a bit. Don't get me wrong, I fully applaud your 2010 self for the wonderful physical strides she made, BUT you have SO much more in you to give. You cried because YOU KNOW IT, TOO.

Lisa, 2011 is the year that you let your colors burst. 2011 is when you show 'em what you're worth....actually, 2011 is when you show YOUR SELF what you are worth.

You are ALREADY the bad-ass athlete that you so desperately want to be- now you just have to believe it.

Love,
Your 2012 Self

A shitty job

2011-01-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

Do you see what I see?

Plop plop fizz fizz

You couldn't pay me enough money in the world

to catch elephant shit at the circus

Sam said that "it smelled like a thousand diapers full of poop"
I am still giggling like a teenaged-boy
Awesome

My bald spot is growing back in but I look like a rooster now

2011-01-12T15:00:00.001-05:00

I love my hair. Well, I did love it.

It's dar-dar-darkest brown, thick, body-liscious, full of volume.

I receive compliments on my hair. A lot.

I am proud of something that I really don't have control over. I pretty much wash, blow dry and go.

I have never highlighted it.

I never use a curling iron.....or a flat iron.

I rarely use hair products like hairspray, gel, or mousse.

Almost never.

I get it cut every 3 months or so.

I love my hair. Yeah, I know this makes me sound vain, but whatever.

However, lately, my hair has been annoying me. Frustrating me. Staring back at me every single time I look in the mirror. Mocking my every turn. Laughing at me. Telling me to stop being so vain and shallow and to be thankful that it's growing back in.

WHAT?! Didn't you know?

I lost some hair last May. OK, a lot of hair. A big, bald circle of hair now gone, front and center of my hairline.

Suck-a-rama.

Thankfully, it is growing back in, BUT I look like I a damn rooster with the tuft of hair that is ever so slowly growing back.

Cock-a-doodle-doo.

Or maybe a Chia Pet. Cha cha cha cha cha chiaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ~~stop laughing Christy~~!

My attempt at a comb-over ~~ignore the dirty mirror~~.

I wish I could hurry this process up.

For now, on the days when it won't cooperate AT ALL, I use a little pommade to force it down but sometimes, it has a mind of it's own, and it can't be forced down.

The ridiculous-ness of this post is cracking me up, and so does my hair.....sometimes.

Don't even get me started on all of the gray hair popping up everywhere.

For the love of God.....

Menu Monday

2011-01-10T14:54:00.000-05:00

Monday: Sweet n Sour Meatloaf, buttered noodles, green salad

Tuesday: Oven Barbecue Chicken, spanish rice, salad

Wednesday: Spaghetti & meatballs at Amanda's house, I'm bringing a salad and The Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary Rolls

Thursday: Shredded pork roast and pinto beans (I didn't get to make this last week due to the stomach virus so I am making it this week instead)

Friday: Nachos or quesadillas using leftover shredded pork

Saturday: Kansas City BBQ at Kim's house (hopefully!)

Sunday: dinner at my MIL's

What's on your menu for the week? If you have anything really good, you just might need to send me the recipe so that I can make it, too!!!!

I just wanted to support them by running in their honor

2011-01-08T21:45:00.001-05:00

Today was the day of the Sisterhood Virtual 5K.

Since I began running with my girls over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, we have gone on to inspire an entire group of non-runners to start running. Hell, I was one of those people. I know for a FACT that I would not be a runner today if it wasn't for the ladies at Shrinking Jeans who challenged me to my first 5K back in November 2009.

I am amazed at what I have been able to accomplish with running and I an even MORE amazed at how many women have taken to running because of our little piece of the internet called Shrinking Jeans. I am SO incredibly proud of these women who have donned running shoes to walk, wog (walk + jog) or run all in the name of getting fit and getting healthy. It makes my heart swell with pride and happiness and joy. I know firsthand how hard it can be to do something new, something that you have always believed you couldn't do, something that your mind has told you that you CAN'T do.

I KNOW.

So yeah, I get choked up with emotion when I read race reports of women of all shapes and sizes, of all ages, at all levels of fitness participating in this sport I love.

This also happens to be the weekend that some of my favorite runner friends are running their FIRST marathon, the Disneyworld Marathon. That is 26.2 miles, my friends.....that they are running, not driving in a car. I know how I feel after running a 1/2 marathon and they are doing twice that mileage. I am in awe of these ladies- they inspire me to no end ~~I have no inclination to run my own marathon, for now~~.

I know I said I was worn down and I have been taking it easy this week with exercising ~~that means I have not been exercising, lol~~, BUT I couldn't leave my girls hanging. I couldn't NOT participate in the Sisterhood Virtual 5K. I couldn't at least TRY to run, or at least "get out there".

So I got out there. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't fast. I only went 3.1 miles. I walked quite a bit. It was cold. But I got it done and I thought about my friends running 26.2 miles this weekend and I thought about all the women now "getting out there", whether for the first time, the 100th time, or the 1,000th time.

It doesn't matter if you are fast or slow, it just matters that you go.

And I went.

Major props, high fives and woot woots to Kirsten, Christie, and Brooke!!!!