Things I hate about exercise classes...

So I've been taking a couple classes at the Y.  One is a kickboxing class, the other PHAAT class.  PHAAT stands for Pretty Hips, Abs, Arms, and Thighs.  Dumb name?  Yep, you bet.  But it's actually a really good class.  Think Pilates on smack.  The instructors rotate so there's always something a little different each class.  There's Kathryn, the nazi.  Seriously one of the hardest instructors I've EVER had.
Then there's Heidi, the compact drill sergeant.  The first time I saw her, I thought "she's short and plump.  How hard can this be?"  Uh...she would show us an exercise then run around the room yelling at us to pick up the pace.  She had a big smile though.  Probably because she is a narcissist.
Next would be Jill, the Barbie doll.  Think large chest, tiny waist, tiny hips.  Hate her on principle.  Good teacher though.
There are a few others but I don't remember them quite as well.  So in all my classes, here's what I hate.

•  When class starts, I like to look around and see who's less "physically inclined" than me.  Sadly, there are days I'm the worst, and that includes the old blue hairs.
• Occasionally Frequently I find myself doing the exact opposite of the teacher.  Face the left wall?  Nope, I'm facing the right and looking like a fool until I figure it out.  Last week it was a good 3 minutes until I realized I was seeing everyone's faces when I should have been seeing their butts.  I'm smart.
• I refuse to be the one lagging behind.  So I will just about kill myself to keep up.  Luckily, since I'm getting more in shape, this isn't so hard.  Still, there are days I just want to sit down!  
• Sometimes the instructor will look in the mirror at everyone then mention something not to do.  Inevitably the last person she looked at was me.  
• The instructors don't seem to remember that not all of us have A cup boobs.  For those who have nursed 2 babies and are carrying around some extra weight, our boobs flop around.  Think of a fish out of water, flopping around on the ground.  Sad and a tad disgusting yet, like a bad accident, impossible to look away.  I'm sure I've scared some of these poor high school girls with my post-nursing knockers.  Maybe I'll scare them into keeping their legs closed until they're good and ready for the consequences to the boobage. 

Even though there are many things I hate about the classes, it's still fun to go.  And at least I can make fun of myself.  Isn't that the goal in life?  Well, maybe just mine.  

Hannah's Christmas Program

Today Hannah had her 1st ever Preschool Christmas Program.  Let me just say that my daughter is amazing.  Granted, I am her mother.  However, she did SUCH a great job.  Before I became a mommy I would've thought the program was the cheesiest, silliest thing in the world.  But now that I have a child up there, I think it's awesome.  It's still cheesy and corny but if you look at all the parents/grandparents in the crowd, we're all just eating it up.  I had a dorky grin on my face from the moment Hannah walked in the door to the moment we got back in the car to leave.  I'm so proud of her.

Hannah in her new Christmas dress

Mommy and Hannah

Noah really wanted to be in the picture.  I think Hannah was sick of smiling!

My little reindeer girl

I don't remember what song they were singing but Hannah was really into it!

What a cutie!

She is holding the "R".  I was the proudest mother there

She did such a good job with her prop

She's been hanging out with Aunt Salli a little too much.  She's starting to pose

Proud daddy with his little angel

Proud mommy.

Vinegar...the Windex of remedies

Remember the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"?  In it, the father would swear that Windex could cure anything.  Have a zit?  Windex it!  Sore joints?  Windex!  I've never tried Windex on anything but windows.  Maybe it works great on other things, I don't know.  However, I recently discovered something that's been around since Jesus was a child, yet I had never used it except in recipes...White Vinegar!  Seriously, it's my new favorite thing.  Why?  Because it works as so much more than a nasty smelling ingredient!

Whenever I'd go to the chiropractor, I'd let my kids play in the kids' room.  I'd always see a spray bottle of "homemade" disinfectant.  What was in it?  Vinegar!  I never really thought about vinegar being a disinfectant.  I always just used Lysol.  Recently we bought a cool mist humidifier for each of the kids' bedrooms.  While looking at the cleaning instructions, it recommended using VINEGAR to clean it!  Really?  Not bleach or some other super expensive cleaner?  Nope, good ol' cheep white vinegar.  Dilute with warm water and let sit.  It was that easy!  Hmmm....vinegar is looking like a good product.

Noah's been pretty cranky lately.  He had croup a few times, plus the classic drippy, snotty nose grossness.  I started to wonder if he had an ear infection because he just seemed to cry at the randomest of times.  But no fever, sleeping pretty well, eating ok.  I really didn't want to take him to the doctor if he didn't have any other symptoms except fussiness.  I had a feeling I'd be labeled as "that mom".  So a few days ago I used my mommy secret weapon...google.  I figured there would have to be other moms who had fussy children and thought perhaps ears were the culprit but didn't want to go to the doctor quite yet.  Yep, there were about 9 million sites that came up (perhaps a huge slight exaggeration there).  Guess what many moms suggested putting in the child's ears?????  (If you don't have an answer, you're not paying attention).  VINEGAR!

SO I decided to try it.  The website said to warm up the vinegar in the microwave just a smidge then put a few drops in the child's ears and let it soak in.  Ok, easy enough.  I thought I'd better try it on myself first just in case there was searing pain or something.  (well, let's be honest...if Joel had been here, he'd be the guinea pig.  But he was already gone for the day).  I tipped my head to the side and dropped a little in there.  Weird. Even though it was warm vinegar, it felt cold.  It kinda stung for a few seconds then felt pretty good.  It's like my ear got a good cleaning.  I figure if vinegar can disinfect toys and humidifiers, it's not too bad for my ear.  Ok, now for Noah.  He was a little confused why I was tipping him sideways but stayed pretty still for me.  After a few seconds, he cried.  That was probably when the stinging sensation hit.  After a split second of crying, he stopped and stared at me.  I waited a few minutes then did the other side.  Same thing.  A second of crying then fine.  Within a few minutes, he was up and playing again.  So far, he's acting like his old self!  Now, granted...I don't claim that vinegar can cure cancer or something.  If Noah had signs of an ear infection, we'd be going to the doctor for sure.  But since I suspect he just had ear pain, not infection...a home remedy works just fine!

Everything's coming up...pink

Noah has been fighting a cold, just like every other child in America right now.  He has croup again.  We first noticed that tell-tale bark sound the day after Thanksgiving while we were in Minnesota at that awesome waterpark.  So off I went to an urgent care clinic thinking Noah needed a steroid, since that's what has happened the 2 other times he's had croup.  The doctor exams Noah and says "Yes, he has croup but we don't treat croup".  Excuse me, what?  I promptly pulled mama bear out of my coat  asked kindly why not.  His response was that croup is a virus and Noah would get better on his own.  I'm sure he could see the bear claws frustration in my face because he then said that giving Noah a steroid would be treating him "prophylactic ally" and that's not how he does things.  Basically it was a wasted trip.  My barky son and I left sans steroids.

Fast forward to last night.  I picked up Noah from day care and almost fell over when I saw him.  His eyes were completely swollen and covered in that nasty matty stuff.  My first thought was "allergic reaction!  Save the airway!".  Then I backed off the freak out train and figured he's fighting a cold.  It's probably clogged tear ducts. No big deal.  Joel was working late so I got the kids home and fed, all the while wiping that nasty snot stuff off Noah's eyes.  The 3 of us started watching a movie and snuggling when Joel got home.  He took one look at Noah and said  "He's got pink eye!".  Huh?  Really?  Now let me just say this.  I've never had pink eye.  Hannah has never had pink eye.  I've never been around anyone with pink eye, probably because it's uber contagious so whoever had it was quarantined.  So upon learning that Noah may have pink eye, I did what any mother would do.  I googled  it.  Let me say something else.  I hate eyeballs.  Of all the gross things I do with my job, nothing grosses me out like eyeballs.  I can stick contact in my eyes every morning but the thought of anything else pertaining to the eyeball makes me cringe.  I learned very quickly last night that while google is great for many things, it's best at seeing close up pictures of nasty pink eye infested eyeballs.  Sure enough, Noah's eyes looked quite similar to many of those suffering from bacterial pink eye.  So I called the pediatrician's office.  They're open until 8pm and it was just after 7.  Surely they'd still be able to see Noah.  Nope.  The way-too-chipper-for-her-own-good secretary told me that yes, Noah should be seen tonight but no, they can't possibly see him.  Thanks.  That was helpful.  So off to urgent care I went.  Within a few minutes of being there we were ushered into a room and in came the doctor.  Yep, it was pink eye.  Then I thought...hmmm...I'm here with a doctor.  I'm going to mention the croup thing.  He listened to my tale of woe and right on cue, Noah barked.  I couldn't have planned it any better.  The doctor agreed that Noah also has croup.  But would he give us the beloved steroids?  Sure did!  According to this amazing urgent care doctor who is quickly becoming my new best friend, steroids aren't going to hurt a child.  Children don't build up immunity to steroids like they do antibiotics.  And if it helps Noah to breathe a little easier, what the problem? Yep, new best friend right there.  In came the nurse with the meds and I grinned from ear to ear.  She probably thought I was crazy.  The doctor also gave us a script for eye drops which has helped Noah immensely.  Since pink eye is so contagious, I'm fully expecting 1, if not all of us to end up with it before the weekend is over.  At least I know what urgent care doctor I would like to see :)

A Non-Traditional Thanksgiving

I have much many things for which to be thankful.  My husband, my kids, my family, my health, diet mountain dew...truly the list is endless.  Even though I consider myself a very thankful person, I dread holidays.  Why you ask?  Well, because there's always so much to do!  Remember the days of old when we just sat around and let our parents do everything?  Now we're the parents!  Dang it! So when it comes to holidays, I'm all about the easiest possible solution.  This Thanksgiving was with my family.  With a sister and brother living in Minnesota, it was easier for us to head up there.  Every time we get together with family, there's the problem of space.  With a million kids, no one seems to have enough room in their house.  So my mom had the brilliant idea of going to a hotel for the night.  Seriously, it's like we had never considered this thought before.  We're all on the cheap frugal side!  So there's a Holiday Inn right next to Cabela's in Owatonna, MN that has a waterpark.  Truly one of the best investments in the world.  So while many others in America were scrunched together in a small living room eating Aunt Thelma's green bean casserole and falling asleep enjoying all the anecdotes and general togetherness, we were swimming and having a great time.  Probably one of my favorite Thanksgivings to date.  That may make me a Thanksgiving hater but I look at it this way...I was with my family and isn't that what the day it all about?  I'm sure at some point during the day I told someone I was thankful for them.  It may have been the hotel staff guy who brought Noah's crib to the room but I made the effort to be a thankful person.  Here are some pictures from the hotel.  Enjoy and be jealous that my family is cool and yours is still suffering the effects of family drama and Aunt Gertrude's bean dip...

Noah is a little water baby.  He LOVES being in the pool!

Going up to the top of the slide

Hannah thrilled about something.  Probably being in the pool with her cousins

Joel was dipping Noah backwards into the water.  He loved it!

Just taking a stroll with daddy

At the bottom of the slide.  He went up and down that thing so many times!

Noah, Hannah, Natalie, and Jack decorating the train rice krispie treat.  

Hannah and Natalie's train (aka. the GIRL'S train!)

Jack decorating the boy's train.  Noah tried to help but ended up just eating the frosting instead.  

My Love Affair...

...with my Crane humidifier

Yes, it sounds completely ridiculous, I realize that.  However, this humidifier is wonderful!  In years past, we've had one humidifier or another that consisted of a bulky base, filter, and big fan with a vent on it.  Within days, the filter was gross and mildewy looking and the vent started to get dirty.  It's not like you can wash the vent (hello, motor attached!) and even if you wash the filter, it's still gross.  While filters aren't super pricey by themselves, if you have to buy one every few weeks, the cost adds up.

So, when we pulled out the old humidifier to put in Noah's room and noticed how gross it was, we decided it was time to investigate something new.  So we bought 2 of the Crane humidifiers for the kids' room.  Love them!

The thing I love the most about this particular humidifier is that there's no filter!  So no mildewy grossness!  That's awesome.  All you need to clean it is some warm water and vinegar.  It takes about 10 minutes to clean and you're done!  Because it's so easy I clean them every few days.  And you barely have to turn the thing on and it shoots mist out through the little nozzle.  If you turn it on full blast all night, the entire room will be wet by morning.  :)

So there you have it.  I love my humidifier.  My kids breathe easier so then I do too.

I have no title for this post because it's just pictures!

 Here are some new-ish pictures of my kiddos.  I'm going through my photo files and picking out pictures for the Christmas cards *gasp!*  Seriously, where did this year go??!!  Enjoy...

Noah playing hide-n-seek while eating chocolate cake.
For results: see below

HA!  

Going down the slide at a local park

Driving a "boat"

seriously?

So, Noah has a heart murmur.  Seriously?  What the heck??  I took him to his 18-month well baby check-up today.  He's had croup twice in the last month so as the doctor listened to Noah in different positions, I thought he was checking Noah's lungs.  Nope.  Apparently if a murmur is heard, changing positions will cause the murmur to either go away or stay.  Noah's stayed.  So that means it's worth checking into.  Really?  *sigh*  This was not on my radar.  Noah's never had a murmur before so the fact that he does now raised enough of a red flag for further testing.  

I had a heart murmur as a child.  I grew out of it.  The doctors did some tests on me but everything was fine.  I know heart murmurs aren't exactly rare.  I totally get that.  But this is my son.  He's my little bubba.   I can't even imagine the cardiologist saying there's something seriously wrong with him.  My brain can't comprehend it.  Somewhere in the shadows of my brain, I realize that our appointment with the cardiologist could be the worst day of my life.  I left the pediatricians office today thinking "hey, it's fine.  No big deal.  This is why there are pediatric cardiologists around."  I had to call Joel and give him the news.  He didn't take it quite as calmly.  So that started me freaking out a little. We see a pediatric cardiologist next Wednesday, 11/10.  It's some random doctor with a million letters in his name.  Noah will have his heart listened to for a longer period of time then an ultrasound will be done to visualize the chambers and valves.  Even though I'm an ultrasound tech, I'm not trained in cardiac ultrasound so I will have no clue what's on the screen.  I'm kinda hoping I know the tech (ultrasound is a small world) so I can terrorize ask nicely for results.

The boring and senseless...

I used to hate football.  I thought it was the most boring and senseless game in the entire world.  Why would men want to run around and tackle each other, all to get a little ball to their end zone?  Seriously?  What's the point?  Then I had a son.  Noah will run around, tackle his sister, giggle like a girl, the run around again...all for no other reason than he loves it!  It's amazing to watch.  I don't think that's the reason I now enjoy watching football.  I guess I just enjoy watching the strategy of a well-executed play, the iron will to push through a crowd to gain one yard.  I don't have a favorite team.  I usually just go for the underdog.  Or whoever has the saddest story.  I'm a shmuck for a sob story.

Friday night, we went to a Fall Carnival at a local church.  It was so much fun.  There were inflatables (aka. bouncy castles), hay bale mazes, face painting, games, and lots of snacks and drinks.  And it was all free!  Joel even won a $25 gift certificate to a really good seafood restaurant here in Ankeny.  The fire department brought a fire engine for a little while for the kids to look at.  Hannah thought that was the best thing in the entire world.  Why is that?  Because it's red and shiny?  She was fascinated.

I wish our church did something like that.  I'm torn.  Joel and I really like our church but the kids programs are somewhat lacking.  There are a ton of kids in our church.  Seriously, more than adults.  And most are pretty young.  Yet it seems like there are more programs for the older kids and adults than for the little kids.  Maybe I notice it more because my kids are so little and there's nothing to be offered to them.  Then there are other churches that have amazing kids' programs and do lots of community outreaches to show how great their kids' programs are but their pastor isn't as good as ours.  So what's more important?  Ugh.  It's too much for my brain to comprehend so I will just watch football on TV and Noah tackling Hannah in our living room. :)

Black Bean Soup

For all those who love black bean soup, here's my recipe.  I found this in an America's Test Kitchen Healthy Cookbook (I LOVE America's test kitchen stuff!)  I've made many black bean soups before but this is by far the best.  It tastes very similar to Panera's black bean soup, which I could eat all day/every day.  Enjoy...

Black Bean Soup
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 oz bacon (about 2 slices), minced (this needs to be raw.  I made the mistake of cooking it first so I had to start over...oops)
1 large onion, minced
3 celery ribs, chopped fine (my kids hate all things green so I minced these too)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (or mince it if you have veggie-haters)
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I like spicier soup so I was liberal with this measurement)
4 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tsp fresh lime juice (I didn't have a fresh lime so I used the canned stuff...couldn't tell the difference)
salt and pepper


1.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the bacon and cook until rendered and crisp, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the onions, celery, and carrot and cook until the vegetables are soft, 10-15 minutes. 
2.  Stir in the garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the beans and chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until the beans are very tender and the broth is flavorful, about 30 minutes.  
3.  Puree 1 1/2 cups of the beans and 2 cups of the broth in a blender until smooth, then return it to the pot.  (I thought this was the weirdest thing to do but it really made a difference!  You'll get veggies in there too but it's fine)Stir in the lime juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.


To make ahead:
The soup can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.  Thaw (if frozen) and reheat over low heat (do not boil).

That's all, folks!

Hannah being a little cheeseball.   I had to add a picture of my kiddos even though this post has absolutely nothing to do with them :)

Seriously, cutest boy ever!

I ran my 4th and final 5K over the weekend.  I did the Des Moines Race for the Cure.  I pulled a muscle in my leg earlier in the week so it wasn't the best run but it wasn't terrible.  And at least I finished!  One thing I learned about downtown Des Moines...it's super hilly!  My word!  Even Joel and my sister said this was one of the hardest courses they've had to run.  In order to get to the finish line, you had to walk/run up a pretty steep hill.  Not cool.  Plus there were a lot of little enormous HUGE hills all throughout the course.

I really wanted this race to be my best in honor of my friend Aimee who died of breast cancer earlier this year.  Between the hills and the leg, it wasn't my best.  Still...it was better than I could have done 6 months ago!  I'll keep running through the winter and start running 5Ks again next year when it's warm again.  My sister and husband seem to think we can run the DSM Marathon relay next year.  It's always nice to dream...

Joel, me, and Salli post-race.  We didn't die!

Croup, Croup, and more Croup

Hannah had croup last week.  It was miserable.  She had a temp of 103 and was coughing like crazy.  I really thought she had strep throat.  So off to urgent care we went.  After shoving a swab down her throat (she did NOT like that), listening to her lungs, and looking in her ears, the doctor heard her cough and immediately said she had croup.  I was shocked.  I didn't think it sounded that "barky" but apparently I don't know what a seal sounds like.  She had to drink some prednisone and she was good to go.  That stuff was awesome!  Within an hour her cough sounded more dry but she was talking like a smoker.  Apparently croup also causes hoarseness. Who knew?  Well, google did but I didn't look that up until later.

Her fever continued on Friday but by Saturday she was much better.  No more fever, just coughing.  Pretty soon Noah started coughing too.  I read online that croup hits kids from 18months-5 years old.  Guess how old Noah is?  Yep, he JUST turned 18months.  After a few days of his coughing, he started to bark.  And I noticed stridor in his breathing (that's when he breaths in and it sounds like he's struggling a bit.   Kinda like trying to get a full breath through a straw).  I really didn't want to make another trip to urgent care since the wait is eternal so I called one of those grocery store quick care clinics.  They're supposed to be able to treat all the easy stuff, right?  Apparently croup isn't as easy as a diagnosis as one would have thought.  When I asked the nurse if she could diagnose and treat croup, she laughed and said no.  OK...a simple no would have been just fine!!  At least I called first!  Then as I was looking for other places I could take him at 7pm on a Thursday, I saw that our pediatrician's office is open until 8pm during the week.  When did this happen??  I must have missed that memo.  So I called and Noah could be seen still that night.  Maybe the fact that I basically told the secretary Noah needed to be seen and didn't give her much of a choice.  When my kids are sick, mama bear comes out to play.

Of course when we're waiting for the doctor, Noah's acting completely fine and laughing at everything.  The secretary kept shooting me mean looks.  I ignored her like a good mother does.  Finally the doctor came to see Noah.  Yep, he had croup.  So more prednisone for him.  The doctor asked if I'd rather Noah had the liquid form to drink or a shot.  Uh...liquid please!  Who wants to give their child pain!?  I understand his point that Noah may just throw the medicine back up but hello!  Let's try the liquid first.  He did fine.  Just sucked it down then giggled.

He's doing much better now.  Both kids still have a cough but we've had the cool mist humidifiers cranked up in their rooms so they can breath easier.  I think there will be mold soon from all the moisture :)

However, I do want to know who chose the name "croup"?  It seriously sounds like an STD.  Like, "my croup is acting up again".  I feel like I need to whisper when I tell people my kids had croup.  It makes me feel dirty.

Random thoughts going through my head...

Sometimes I have the strangest thoughts going through my head.  Here are some from the past few days.  Enjoy:

• Why is croup called "croup"?  It sounds like an STD.
• Desitin does not taste good
• There's a reason pathologists sit alone in small rooms.  Their social skills are seriously lacking.
• Why are boys so excited about running around naked?  
• My daughter has lots of hair
• I think some little monster is eating all the food in the house at night.  That's why I can't make dinner
• I love Hannah's preschool
• "Cancer Sucks" is not a good breast cancer motto.  Seriously?  How dumb
• I'm going to be running tomorrow in a race while wearing a purple shirt with a picture of toilet paper on it.  I'm going to look like Barney just came out of the bathroom.  
• Lady Gaga's songs make no sense
• Why does Noah eat so well for other people?
• I think the dryer ate some socks
• I think my Diet Mountain Dew had some baby backwash in it.  Nasty.
• I don't like it when my patient faints on me.  It's not a good time.  
• I have no time to watch TV and it really doesn't bother me.  
• Why can I never find a AA battery when I need one!?
• I really like the new picture of my kids that I posted on my blog but Noah looks like he has a mustache.  
• I need to wipe Noah's face a little better so he doesn't look like he has a mustache

And that concludes my thoughts.  I have no more.  

Pumpkins and Fire

I love going to the Pumpkin Patch in the fall.  We've gone every year since Hannah was born.  Last year Noah was only 6 months old so he didn't get to do much.  This year however, he was all over the place!  That boy is such an active one.  The pumpkin patch we go to is a couple miles away from us and it's all free!  They have a corn pit, petting zoo, hay bale maze, and other little activities for the kids.  And of course there are lots of pumpkins.  We went with Joel's parents and 3 of his nieces so we had lots of people in our group.  The kids loved it.  Noah would have stayed in that corn pit all day if we'd have let him!

Noah loved being buried in the corn pit!

Hannah needed in on the burying action

Noah almost strangled himself trying to get in the cage with the animals!

We also went to the Ankeny fire station to check out their open house.  Both kids LOVE fire trucks.  Probably more Hannah than Noah right now but since Noah loves to explore...it was a win/win.  I thought they'd just have the fire engines out front for us to look at then we could wander the station.  Nope, it was all decked out in kid-friendly activities.  There were fire trucks and ambulances to look at and climb in but there was also a "stop, drop and roll" mat, a puppet show, a pretend house with a fire so kids could practice getting out safely.  They also let the kids use a fire hose and fire extinguisher.  There was way more activities than we could do!  I thought Noah would get into everything.  He did but it was ok.   Apparently this wasn't the first open house Ankeny has done.  Who knew?  So all the dangerous stuff was taken off the trucks and the electronics were disabled.  It's like the firemen knew Noah was coming!  :)  

Hannah showing off her fireman's helmet

Noah thought the ambulance was the best thing ever!

Trying on the jacket and helmet

Noah was absolutely mesmerized by the fire hose demonstration.  He stood and watched it for such a long time!

Hannah loved using the hose

The fireman even let Noah try.  Then Noah did not want to stop.  He wasn't too happy when mommy came and grabbed him.  He'll get over it.

  

Ponderings...

One of my closest, dearest friends is divorced.  I was maid of honor in her wedding in 1999.  I remember when she and her now-ex-husband were just starting to date.  He was the youth pastor and she was a senior in high school when she started liking him.  But it was super frowned upon so nothing happened until after she graduated.  They told each other how they felt over IM.  HA!  I happened to be spending the night at her house on that fateful night so she woke me up at 2am to tell me "he feels the same way".  I remember having no blessed clue what she was talking about until she said she was still IM-ing her guy.  And so they dated and eventually got married.  Then got divorced.  

It occurred to me recently that marriage is such a gamble.  You are trusting this other person with your life, not to mention your heart.  At the beginning of every relationship, there are all these feelings.  Love, lust, attraction, admiration...the list goes on.  Then reality starts to set in.  What used to be cute and endearing is now annoying as hell.  Working late used to show dedication to a job.  Now it's just a way to avoid going home.  You add kids to the mix and all sorts of new problems show up.  

So what makes a marriage last?  

I used to think that I had the best marriage in the world.  Most days I still think that.  But there are days...days I think there's no way in the world I can live with this man for one more second.  Days I think I'd be better off alone.  I'm not a perfect person.  I will never claim to be one.  I don't know of any perfect people in this world.  So for 2 imperfect people to come together and live in harmony?  Hard to believe.  There are going to be conflicts.  There are going to be days when one or both of you want to throw in the towel.  There will even be days when one or both of you throw down the gauntlet and say "enough!!"  I've had those days.  It wasn't long ago that my husband and I were considering divorce.  Neither of us were happy.  We had slipped into complacency and accepted that things would never change.  Finally one day, I said I was done.  I couldn't live like that anymore.  I cried, I yelled, I cried some more.  How could my life have taken such a drastic turn?  On our wedding day I loved my husband with such a fierceness I never thought we'd grow apart.  But that's exactly what happened.  There was no abuse, there was no affair, just simply...stoic indifference.  I looked at this man who I had loved with every fiber of my being and I saw a stranger.  He looked at me and saw the same.  We had become two completely different people living two separate lives.  So what to do?  The easy answer would be to throw in the towel.  For some, that's the only answer.   

We weren't ready to make that break.  For all our faults, we knew that love was the basis of our relationship.  We had to work...we had to work hard to make it back from the brink.  But we did.  Our marriage is stronger now than they day we were married.  There are still hard days.  We fight, we get angry.  But we don't allow ourselves to become indifferent.  

I wish in our pre-marital counseling, our pastor would have said "you will want to end this marriage at some point".  Of course no engaged couple wants to hear that!  Still, it'd be nice to hear that we're normal.  But we fought for us.  We made a commitment and we stuck to it.  

I don't know why this was on my mind today.  It just was.  Maybe I need to cut back on the sugar...  

My Second 5K Experience

I have now completed my 2nd 5K.  Was is everything I had ever hoped for?  That and more.  Why, you ask?  Well, let me just give you a run-down of the events.  
Weeks ago, I saw an advertisement at the YMCA for a 5K at Grandview College.  It was on a weekend I was actually in town and it was cheap.  But the best part is that I would get a t-shirt.  I'm all about the free t-shirts.  
So I signed up and coerced a co-worker to go with me.  It was going to be her first 5K and she was convinced she'd be walking by the end of the first block.  Hey, I thought, it'd make me feel better about my slogging (slow+jogging=slogging).  The morning of the race was pretty cloudy and looked like it could rain.  I had said the night before that if it was raining, I wasn't running.  I'm a fair weather runner.  I hate that damp feeling when you're a bit wet but not quite drenched.  Yuck!  So, the weather people said it wasn't going to rain until the afternoon so I figured I was good.  I met my co-worker, Sherry at the starting line and we waited for the start.  As we looked around at all the other runners, we realized that most were college students.  Yep, we were the old ones.  Granted, it was Homecoming weekend at Grandview so there were a few random white-hairs but for the most part, it was young people in their spandex.  Lovely.  The gun went off and off we went.  


The first mile went well.  We were running through residential streets which was somewhat pretty except that that part of town is a little ghetto.  I will remind you that Sherry was sure she'd be too tired to run past the first block.  Uhh...no.  She was slogging right along with me, sometimes getting ahead of me!  Little twerp.  By mile 2, we were starting to get some raindrops.  A minutes later the skies opened up and it was a downpour.  Great.  Now I could get that miserable damp feeling as I slog along.  Somehow I was able to finish the race.  I was done in 37 minutes, which surprised me!  That's 4 minutes faster than my first 5K.  Very nice.  
OH...speaking of that free t-shirt, here's a funny story.  I picked up the shirt and race packet over my lunch break on Friday.  When I got back to work and looked at the shirt, I was appalled to see it was a bright red long-sleeve shirt with a giant Viking on the front.  Really?  Who designs these things?  So as I was looking at it, I made a comment to a few co-workers that it could double as a Superman cape if I put it behind me.  I proceeded to do just that and started to flutter down the hallway.  As I turned the corner, I ran smack into the radiologist.  Yep, I'm the epitome of gracefulness.  My face turned the same shade as the red shirt and he looked away really quickly as he was trying not to laugh.  The rest of the afternoon, every time I had to go talk to him, he'd start laughing and I would turn red.  *sigh*   At least I don't work with him for a few more weeks.  Maybe he'll forget about it.  

Things I never thought I'd say...

Being a mother is an adventure, to say the least!  Over the years, I've heard things come out of my mouth that I SWORE I'd never say.  Or things I never thought I'd say in my adult life.  Here are a few samplings...

~"Did you wipe?", quickly followed by "did you flush?"
~"Don't put that in your mouth/ear/nose/any orifice"
~"Did you just push your brother off the bed?"
~"Don't touch your poop"
~"Spread your legs so I can wash your bottom"
~"Hannah, that's Noah's boy bottom.  Leave it alone"
~"That is the difference between boys and girls.  Let's just leave it at that."
~"Flies can't hurt you."
~"You're a lion, huh?  Well, bring your lion self on over to the table"
~"Don't eat the Desitin!"
~"No you can't play with a real sword.  They're very dangerous"
~"When your father gets home, you can explain to him why you did ___________"
~"Honey, George is a pretend monkey.  He can't actually do these things"

There are so many more that I can't think of right now.  Life became much more interesting when we brought Noah into the family.  Hannah and Noah love playing with each other but it does make for some stressful days.  I wouldn't change them for anything though.

Day at the Lake

Joel's boss owns some land on a lake in southern Iowa.  Her house hasn't been built yet so she literally owns land only.  But it buts right up to the lake so she had a beach put in.  Yes, you read that correctly.  She put in a beach.  Funny.  So this past Saturday, she invited all her employees (there's only a dozen or so) so her land for the day.  She also has a boat and a 2-person tube to pull behind.  It's about a 2 hour drive to get there so I knew Noah wouldn't do well with the distance (that boy HATES to be strapped in his car seat for more than a few minutes!) so we left him at home for the day and just planned on taking Hannah.  It ended up working out that Salli and her kids came down for the weekend too.  So we brought Natalie and Jack along with us and left Salli at home with Noah and Katie.

It was an awesome day to be at the lake!  It was warm and sunny so the water felt great.  Jack had a great time rolling around in the sand.  Literally...rolling...in...the...sand.  His scalp was plastered with sand by the end of the day!  After a while, we all went out on the boat.  Natalie was the first to ride on the tube. She had such a great time.  She had the biggest smile on her face.  Poor Joel had to lay down practically on top of her and hold on tight to make sure she didn't go flying off.  They both had life jackets on but still...

Joel took a little breather to rest his biceps while another few kids had a turn then Hannah wanted to go.  She got on the tube...and that was about it.  It's one thing to watch, another to actually do.  But she got to sit on it so fine.

Jack wanted to go too.  He did pretty well.  He had a huge grin on his face for the first few minutes.  After that, it was time to be done.

By the time we got home that night, all of us were sunburned, filthy, and exhausted but had a great time.  Hopefully next year we can get Hannah on the tube and actually pull her around.

The 5K Experience

I did it! I actually ran a 5K. I amaze myself sometimes. I was doubting myself the few days leading up to the run. I hesitate to call is a "race" because it's not like I'm trying to win. Let's face it, just finishing the race is enough for me.

So the day was perfect. My run started at 7:15am so it was still cool and low humidity. I had been worried that it was going to be super hot and super humid even that early. Running in humidity isn't fun. I feel like I can't breathe! Not a good feeling. I was planning on getting to the race about 6:30 so I'd have time to go pee and stretch. However, after getting lost in downtown Minneapolis after dropping off Joel, Aaron, and Salli at their 1/2 marathon starting spot, I didn't get to the starting line until 7:00am. Luckily, I still had time to pee. Stretching, not so much. I made sure to be near the back of the crowd so I wouldn't get trampled too early on. And off I went. The first 1/2 mile wasn't too fun because my muscles were a tad tight. After that it was pretty good. Until mile 2.5. Someone moved Mt Everest to Minneapolis. I turned a corner and WHAM. There's it was. Mt. Everest. And who should be there squatting at the bottom of the mountain? A photographer. Seriously? Who wants to be photographed while hot and sweaty. It was like a bad paparazzi. He wasn't even trying to hide. As I was contemplating the best way to scale the mountain, the guy snapped my picture. (I was e-mailed the picture later. I look annoyed. However, I was wearing my super comfy ESPRIT t-shirt circa 1994 so that was pretty awesome to see) About 1/2 way up the mountain/hill I realized my feet were moving but I wasn't going anywhere! So I had to walk up the dumb thing. Once I got past that, it was just another 1/2 mile or so to the finish line.

My time was pretty good, for my first race. I had a goal in my head of what my time would be. I beat it by 3 minutes. My next run is in October but I'm going to try to run another one in September. There's always random 5K races going on every weekend. I still can't say I love running. I don't, nor do I think I ever will. However, I'm getting a little better at it. I ran 3.5 miles the other day and I didn't die. That's quite an accomplishment for me! :)

Iowa State Fair

Let's just get this out in the open. I hate the State Fair. To me, it's a bunch of smelly rednecks and smellier animals thrown together in the August heat to ferment and cause even more smelliness. And the fried food? What the heck? Does America really need more obesity? Ok...I'm off my rant. This year my employer gave all of us free admission tickets to the fair as well as some free activity tickets. In years past when they've done this, I've given my tickets away. Joel and I hate going to the fair (see above rant for reasons why). This year however, Hannah is 4 and loves animals so we thought we'd give it a try. Even Noah being 1 is a trooper and will tag along anywhere as long as there's food involved. The day started out a little rocky. Our camera batteries died so we had to buy some there. $3.50 for 2 batteries! Had to be done though. Then my flip flop broke. Seriously, the strap that goes between your toes just came right through the shoe. Darn cheap Old Navy flip-flops. Of course I had had them for eons so I guess they'd done pretty well for a $2 shoe. So what to do when your shoe breaks? Go do the medical tent! Yep, I walked right in and asked if I could have some medical tape to fix my shoe. They didn't even blink. Just went to a drawer and pulled it out. I made a joke about using their medical training to fix a flip flop and he said he's fixed many shoes since the fair started! Seriously!? In the mean time, Joel scored some duct tape from the general store so between the 2 tapes, I was back in business. After that the day got much better. The kids absolutely LOVED everything we did which made it so much more enjoyable for me. The weather was really nice so it wasn't too smelly :) I don't know if we'll go every year but this was definitely the first year I've not wanted to bring scissors and cut off a mullet. :) Here are some pictures from the fun...

You can just see Noah's brain working. He's trying to figure out how to grab the butterfly and put it in his mouth...or demolish it.

She riding the pony. She seriously thought this was the best thing ever

Hannah riding the pony.

I seriously thought the camel was going to spit on us. He had disgusting teeth! Good thing Noah was keeping an eye on the situation.

Hannah and Noah kept running through the shooting water thing. They both got soaked but had a great time.

Attempting to get a good family picture. This is actually the best one. Poor Hannah was a smidge too short

Joel and Hannah going down the giant slide. She LOVED it!

Grandma and Hannah riding the sky glider.

Noah was tuckered out by the time we left