Three Thing Thursday

1. Just a week and half a day and summer will be here! I have already started planning what all we can do...everything from the library, the farmer's market, and summer movies to church events and camps. And house projects! I know I will never get it all done, but I'm hoping a little planning will help me enjoy the summer. 2. My baby graduated from preschool this week...so cute! I can't believe how fast time flies. We were blessed with an amazing preschool experience and a wonderful teacher this year. 3. Tonight my mom, sister and I went to our church's Movie with a Mission night. We each brought fleece to make blankets for Faith Refuge, a women's and children's facility. It was neat to see all of us working on our blankets and enjoying time together serving others. We watched The Help; however, watching a movie and working didn't go well. I'll have to watch it again.

Mother's Day Recap

I have to resign myself to the fact that I am permanently behind. So, here's my Mother's Day recap.

The Mother's Day fun began on Thursday with a tea at my son's preschool. I took the whole day off to be able to enjoy this time without rushing. It was really neat. We went to chapel with the class where we sang songs and listened to Mrs. Lori read some books about moms. Then the kids got on stage and said a verse they memorized with motions and sang us the "bushel and a peck" song. It was so cute! Then we had tea and snacks where we got all sorts of handmade goodies. Ryan was so proud and so excited...and I loved every minute of it!



Mother's Day Tea at Learn and Grow



Then, on Friday morning, I was able to get my first class covered so I could go to breakfast with Sarah Beth. She was happy to have me with her, and I was so glad I could go. We got our picture taken there, but I don't have a copy of it yet.

That night, my sister came over so we could put together "swag bags" for the kids for Saturday. We put shoelaces, fruit chews for kids, granola bars, visors, and headbands or sweatbands in bags for them. She and I had a couple of glasses of wine and just got to enjoy some time together baking scones and muffins for Saturday.

Saturday brought around our Mother's Day fun for my mom. She had requested (and I'm pretty sure my mom, sister and I came up with this idea on a run together) a family fun run. After having a hard time finding time to do it, we settled on early Saturday morning followed by brunch. Unfortunately, between planning it and actually doing it, my mom was injured and was only allowed to run a mile. We all ran the first mile together and then five of us peeled off to finish out a 5K. I ran behind my sister, her stepdaughter, and my sister-in-law with my dad. It was a great day! We got back and joined the rest of the crew for breakfast of muffins, scones, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit and breakfast casserole...so good...but not nearly as good as having the whole crew together!



Start line!



My Momma

The logo my hubby designed...the irises and owl are reminders of my Gomie

After the morning fun, my hubby had to leave to umpire high school baseball. We weren't sure the rain would stay away, but we ended up having SB's last soccer game after all. Her team played a really good game, and she even scored her only goal of the season! She was quick to point out that the other team scored while she was goalie though...that's something I need to work on with her. I'm sure she has picked up the justifying or disqualifying of compliments from me. Isn't having a little mirror hard? 



Last Soccer Game

And then my sister made these for me...they are necklaces using my kids' fingerprints in clay. I can't even tell you how thoughtful this was! 



The necklaces my sister made for me using my kids' fingerprints

On Sunday, I got to have my favorite breakfast, migas from Fuzzy's Taco, before church. We had dinner at our house with Chad's family. All in all, I feel very blessed.

Try It Tuesday

This weekend, we had a great family fun run and brunch...and I ended up with lots of leftover oatmeal. So, yesterday, I turned the leftovers into muffins. Here's what I did...

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. brown sugar (could have been more)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
A dash of salt
1/2 an apple, diced
1 container (snack size) unsweetened applesauce
1 cup leftover cooked oatmeal
1 egg

I mixed all of this together and made it into 11 muffins. I cooked it at 350 for about 20 minutes. I think these should freeze well and make an easy breakfast for me. The texture is pretty hearty. I can think of lots of ways to change these up too...bananas, pumpkin, blueberries, etc.

Challenge 52

Obviously this is one thing that went by the wayside last week, but here's another challenge for the week. Yes, they are starting to sound the same. Obviously, I have issues. Deal with it. :)

This week's challenge is to find a way to make one thing easier on yourself. For example, this weekend I wanted to have homemade granola for our Mother's Day brunch. I was already in a time crunch...so I just bought some (and I have to say, it is really good!). Another example, I've been beating myself up over some dresses I've been meaning to make SB...for about two years now. I feel guilty that I haven't gotten around to it yet...so I am paying my sister to make them for me. I'm not done trying to make things easier on myself either.

Look for ways to help yourself out this week.

Who am I kidding?

If I had really taken today off as a Mother's Day gift to myself, I'd be gearing up for a run in the cooler temps outside.

My dream to-do list for the day would look something like this:
-have an awesome run outside
-come home, shower and go back to bed
-nap!
-pedicure and maybe a massage
-read a book or some magazines
-and while I'm still dreaming, I'd come home to a sparkling clean house

Instead, today's to-do list looks more like a checklist for a NASA space launch:
-get daughter to school
-get gas
-take son to school
-run errands for Mother's Day gifts
-Mother's Day tea at preschool....this is one I'm excited about!
-Social Security office for a replacement card
-groceries
-make appointments
-deal with health insurance claims
-clean house...which is a whole other list of its own
-do some cooking
-make yogurt

Yes, that is the real life of a mom. I know I'm blessed to even have these things to do...and that is how I'm going to make it through this day. Tie the cape a little tighter and get going.

Back burner

Things have been super busy this spring, and my mind has been super cluttered (but at least it matches my house). Some things have just had to give...and sadly, one of those things is my blog...and now running. Both of these are outlets for me, but they are all I have left to give up at this point. I've had multiple people tell me to give myself a break from running, so I finally caved in. I haven't run since Saturday's race. That means an extra hour of sleep a couple of mornings this week...although my body didn't get the memo.

I'm giving myself a Mother's Day gift tomorrow. I took the day off so I can go to a Mother's Day tea at my son's preschool. I'm also going to use the day to give myself a clean house and some time in the kitchen making some of my favorite things (breakfast cookies and iced coffee, anyone). Of course, I also have to do a jillion other tasks, but at least I'll have some time to do it (like I'm going to finish the list I have going).

This weekend is busy, busy with a Mother's Day family fun run and brunch, per my Mom's request (and I'm thrilled about!), on Saturday. Then Sunday, I'm guessing (real organized, let me tell you) we will have lunch to honor my 95-year-old Granny and dinner with my in-laws. That leaves very little time for anything else, so tomorrow is it for me (even though I can not for the life of me figure out a way to squeeze in a run...and yes, I realize I said I was taking a break from it, but it is hard to resist an outdoor run when we are having cooler temps).

I really do enjoy hosting and organizing events, so I am looking forward to this weekend's fun run and brunch. We even have "race" shirts and swag bags for the kids. I'm making an oatmeal bar and a yogurt bar for after the run, and we will have fruit, breakfast casserole, and other breakfast goodies.

What I started this post to even say was that in pushing my blog to the back burner, I totally neglected to celebrate my third runniversary May 2. It's hard to believe that I've been running for three years. It has truly been life-changing, but just like anything, it has had its ups and downs. Right now might be one of the downs, but that just means I know there will be an up. It's still not something I want to give up. Maybe it's fitting that my runniversary is also the anniversary of my husband's proposal to me...another life-changing event that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Weekend Check-In

This has been a rough week. Nothing major...but I don't want to hide the fact that I'm struggling. I feel like I've got a lot of mental clutter...to-do lists, comparisons, should have's, should do's, pity parties and the like. Not a good place to be.

It's no surprise then that yesterday's race didn't go as I'd hoped. As in, I finshed next to last. It was hot and windy, but that's no excuse. Everyone had to battle the same conditions. I, however, had to battle my head. Not easy. And not fun.

My sister ran the 5K with her friend then came back out on the course to find me. I'm so glad she did. I needed to run with someone and not feel so alone.

I'm proud of my husband! He has been super busy lately and hasn't had time to train, but he did the 5K anyway!

This week's mileage:
Weekly: 16.8 miles
YTD: 264 miles (in an effort to save time, I'm just going with what Daily Mile says)

Try It Tuesday

Better late than never... Maybe I'm the last one to realize this, but Subway makes a good breakfast. It doesn't hurt that it's a one-stop shop where I can pick up lunch at the same time. I'm really liking the Mornin' Flatbread Sandwich with the egg white, black forest ham, cheese, tomatoes, and bell peppers. At about 180 calories, it's a great start to the day. If you haven't tried it yer, you really should.