A goal for the new year

Ok, here is my plan, thanks for your advice. Instead of running for 365 days, I am going to exercise for 365 days minus 52 days (one day off a week). So, I'll be exercising for at least 30 minutes for 313 days in 2010.

I'll be doing a lot of running to get ready for another marathon in October, but by using the term "exercise" I can do stretching or yoga if I am sick or injured (good idea Lauren).

Do you have any fitness plans for the new year, or fitness plans that work for you now? I'd love some ideas and advice to keep myself motivated. There is a 6 week plan in the Women's Health magazine that I think I'll incorporate at one point, and I'll do the Couch to 5k plan too. I'm thinking that if I keep changing it up, I won't get bored. Also, short term goals are good.

So this is where I am starting... I can always amp it up... but this is my overall goal.

I'm prepping right now by cutting out all of the sweet treats and refined sugar in my diet for a few weeks. December had me addicted to cookies! Seriously, they are THAT good! ;) By the way no sugar for me means real withdrawals, like headaches, grumpiness, and ravishing hunger. Yikes!

Deep thoughts

• It is impossible to bake cookies and not eat any of them... or most of them.
• "Your hands feel like feet. " That's what my mom always told me whenever she touched my hands when they needed lotion. Right now they are so dry from washing them millions of times a day. The skin under my wedding ring is cracking!
• One time I was holding the choir book in middle school and the girl next to me told me that my thumb looked like a big toe. Try holding a book open to share with someone else while hiding your thumbs from view... it is very hard... especially if the book is heavy.
• Also, one time in middle school, it was the first day of school and I went to sit down at a desk in my math class, and a girl whipped around from the desk in front of me, pointed to the other side of the room and said "You and your little friends can sit over there!" I was totally shocked at her tone. It could only mean one thing... I went home and announced to my mother that I had just discovered that "I'M a NERD!" Then my mother responded very matter-of-factly with, "You can't be a nerd. I'm not a nerd. Your father is not a nerd. Therefor, you cannot be a nerd." So there you have it - it is genetically impossible for me to be a nerd - take that you middle school girl!
• Sophie has a little tumor or something on her lower eyelid that is poking her in the eye... apparently the vet wants $550 dollars to remove it... and clean her teeth of course. What the? I said, I'll wait till Sophie starts winking at me because it is bugging her. Is that wrong? After all remember the million dollar procedure (and teeth cleaning, of course) that Kaia had to have a few months ago?
• My family is asleep, my to-do list is a mile long... and yet, I've picked right now to finally write another blog post.
• I like my own sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies better than yours. Don't worry, everything else you make is better than mine... but not these cookies.
• I'm contemplating setting an impossible goal... running 365 days in 2010. This is big, since I've only run three times since April. BUT I really want to run the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco next October, and I don't want to be as crappy as my last marathon... so it'd be nice if I shed some pounds and got my groove on instead of just talking about it. I think I'll start with a Couch to 5K plan and go from there. Also... I was thinking that for everyday I run this December, I'd allow those to be my buffer days next year. Like, if I run 5 days now, then I'll forgive myself for missing up to 5 days next year... I'm still thinking about it. I think my stipulation would be that I have to be run/walking for at least 30 minutes. Then, as soon as I can run for 30 minutes without walking... the stipulation would change to running for at least 30 minutes. Do you think 365 days is too big of a goal for this all-or-nothing chick?

Get in Shape Girl

So, in an attempt to stay sane AND get in shape, I'm getting my groove on. Apparently an hour of exercise every day can possibly be just as effective as medication and/or counseling. As if I actually needed another reason to get my butt in gear... feeling like a crazy lady has given me that last little shove.
Running and a variety of The Biggest Loser workout videos from the library... and I'm well on my way to a new healthier and happier me. I will give my Bod a shout out for losing about 50 lbs after Maddie was born. Way to go Bod! My Bod deserves a little kudos after being so stubborn and refusing to lose weight after Fischer was born! Remember how I even ran another marathon between the two kids? NO weight lost!... or at least not any worth bragging about.

Ummm, wait a minute, did she just say she lost 50 pounds and still needs to get in shape? Ummm, YES - thanks for pointing that out! Jerk.

This is it, there is no reason to wait. I'm not having more kids, I don't need to gain more weight... I can only go up from here right? Or rather, go down from here. I'm outing myself as a chubby mama, now you know. BUT... oh just wait, soon I'll be outing myself as a card carrying member of the "HOT MAMA" club! In fact, on that day, I shall take a picture of myself in a white unitard and post it proudly... nothing to hide! See, now you are rooting for me... just because you want to see me in white spandex. Thank you for your support, and I forgive you for making that sarcastic comment about my 50 pounds.

It is not all or nothing....

I need to remember that. So often I put a plan into place, then when I make a mistake, I throw the whole plan out the window. I do it every time I'm trying to form a new habit, like daily exercise, not eating sugar, daily laundry, etc. So here I am trying to blog everyday for a month... and I missed yesterday!

I am going to go against all that I am and keep blogging every day for the month. It is a lesson in forgiveness for myself.

Here are a few of my random thoughts for today:

• I found out today that fireman do NOT wear jammies at the firestation. Yes, I had to ask.



• Maddie is only noisy in church if everyone else is quiet.



• I can now run fabulously without any pain in my pelvis.



• Kaia cannot run anymore, it makes her too limpy.



• My mom has become a rockstar.



• Fischer and BFF must wear boots and snow pants if there is even the slightest chance of encountering snow.



• Maddison looks so stinkin' cute in babylegs... I just want to eat her up.



• Fischer just told me to write : "February 27th we should go to Hawaii, for my present and my birthday party."


• That's his birthday, I think he is right! That would be a great present! Ummm, I'd like to go there for my birthday too! Hmmm... someday.


• We're on round two of the fall cold... only a few days of wellness in between. How does this happen when I am so careful to keep our hands washed and sanitized? Maybe because my son licked the doors at JCPenney's.

I've been MIA... obviously.

Well, I'm back... I think. I can't believe almost two months have gone by since my last post. We've been busy... but not that busy. We are enjoying fall and excited for winter... or at least I'm excited for winter. Let it snow!

I'm going to try and attempt to update my blog every day in November. I was able to do it last November... so I'll try again... in order to get me back in blogging mode.

Of course the kids are growing like crazy, I'll post pictures soon.

Andy is back to the grindstone full throttle with teaching and taking a class. He is getting his Gifted and Talented endorsement.

I am doing really well right now :). The month of October sucked big time for me mentally/emotionally, but I'm finally feeling better. Shortly after Maddie turned 2 months old, I started having major anxiety attacks. I've never experienced anything like that and it was so not a good feeling. I think it had something to do with hormones and postpartum what not. A similar thing happened to me with Fisch when he was 2 months, except that time it was a sudden surge of depression.

I'm wacky, I know, but I'm dealing with it and I finally feel "normal" again.

TiVo, DVR, PVR... how did I ever live without you?

Seriously! How in the world did we ever live without the digital video recorder? How would a person ever get to see their favorite shows AND have kids or a job or friends? People seriously didn't tape everything on their VCR, setting timers every day, did they? Did you? That's so much effort.

In high school my bestie (BFF's mom) often had to work on Thursday nights, it would be my duty to focus and watch all the shows so that I could re-inact episodes of Friends and Seinfeld to her on Friday (as we went on long walks past her crush's house in the most non-stalking manner).

In college, I just didn't watch TV. Til I met Andy, then we had a few shows that we were able to see once in awhile.... I think... he must have had cable. Later when Survivor started, we were taking a community ed Spanish class and had to drop out after only a few weeks... because we just couldn't miss Survivor! Our friends dropped the class for the same reason.

In fact, Survivor is the reason that I can't speak Spanish today. That and the fact that Andy keeps talking about buying the Rosetta Stone software and still hasn't. Spanish would sure come in handy with my next door neighbors. The other day, I went over with a fence slat and some screws to ask them to fix a broken slat on their side of the fence (so that my giant dogs wouldn't eat their wiener dogs)... and no one knew what I was trying to say. Thankfully there is a 11 year-old at home that is bilingual.

The year that we dropped out of Spanish, I was teaching elementary special education. My students ranged in grade from Kindergarten to fifth grade. They had intellectual disabilities of all types. One particular student, G, was in second grade and had Down Syndrome. His family only spoke Spanish in the home, however he didn't really speak Spanish or English. He used a combination of sign language, pictures and a little bit of verbal to get his point across, but mostly didn't communicate with anything much at school. Anyway, I started teaching at this school in January and had never met his family. As the year was coming to an end the second grade was having a big performance. They were to sing and do a myriad of other things. Well, G had been attending all of the music classes and was thoroughly enjoying them (although he never sang or did any actions), so I sent home a letter to let his parents know of the date, time and location of the program. Where am I going with this, you ask? I'm getting there. I didn't know if G would be there or not, but one of my assistants and I came to the performance to help him if he attended. Well, much to my surprise and delight, he showed up! He looked so cute in his dressy clothes and his slick combed hair. I ran right over to his family and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm G's teacher, Lisa." They stared blankly. Then, I said "I'm so glad that you were able to come." They stared blankly. I searched from person to person to see if anyone was understanding me. Then very smiley and animated, I say "G looks so handsome!" No response. Then business like, I say, "The program will start in a few minutes, G's part is toward the end". I get nothing from them, not even a flinch. By this time I am thoroughly squirming and wanting to shoot the older sister a mean glare (because she just HAS to know what I am saying and is choosing not to share) and I am getting more red in the face with awkward embarrassment... and desperately wanting them to understand me after I've repeated the above statements multiple times... Finally I reach far back into my brain to brilliantly pull out the little bit of Spanish I can recall from the few weeks before Survior started... and I proudly say "Me gusta el chocolate!"

What?

What in the hell did I just tell them I like chocolate for? Now completely beat red, I slink away with G in hand to await his performance. To make matters worse, while waiting for G's songs, I recounted the entire story to my assistant... repeating the word chocolate a hundred times... And you know what happened? G got up on stage for his songs and as big as day continuously signed the word CHOCOLATE and pointed at me in the front row the WHOLE TIME!

I just had to pray that his mother didn't send him to school with chocolate for me on Monday!


In conclusion, the DVR could have saved me a lot of embarrassment and maybe I would know Spanish now! So now, nothing embarrassing ever happens to me (yeah right) and I can record every show I want to... like whatever the big announcement is on John & Kate plus Eight tonight. I don't even watch that show... but I can record it... you know, to keep up with current events.

Recently...

BFF's baby brother was born on May 2! He is absolutely beautiful! Here is my mom holding him:

Andy bought Fischer his first pair of real hockey gloves! Fischer thinks they are great but has a really hard time actually holding the stick with them on. By the way... only the best hockey players practice in their underwear and fireman rain boots!

Fisch has been wearing his fireman clothes everywhere... then complaining that he doesn't like when people look at him!

Fischer tried out mini-basketball... and HATED it. Then he tried mini-soccer and didn't like that one too much either... begged for basketball, go figure. Hopefully mini T-Ball will go well!

Fischer started survival swimming lessons and SCREAMED and CRIED through the first 5 lessons... then suddenly on the sixth, he was all smiles, high-fives and kept saying "I'm good!" Hooray... Mommy couldn't have taken one more lesson of BOTH of us crying! Here he is practicing his floating in the bathtub.

My wonderful friends threw me the sweetest baby shower... so many cute pink things! It was so much fun!

I seem to have permanently borrowed the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man's feet... I'll spare you the picture! 2 more months!

Kaia had surgery on Monday to remove a lump from her neck... $850 and 2 drain tubes later...

Sicky weekend

Lazy Saturday and Sunday. Andy is at a conference for work all weekend, and Fischer has a cold. Right now he is laid up on the couch with apple juice, snacks, blankets, books and movies.

I am just hoping that I don't have a cold. I think it is just furious allergies... it is that time of year! I don't want to be sick because BFF's momma is about to have her baby any day now! I REALLY want to be able to visit, and we'd love to have BFF hang with us while her mom and dad are in the hospital with baby "mystery" (we don't know the gender yet). Of course we can't afford to get BFF sick when she'll be going home to her newborn sibling. She is very adamant about taking care of that baby all by herself! It will be fun to watch BFF and baby go through that transition before we go through it ourselves in a few months.

You know what totally sucks?

Kidney stones.

They are even worse when you are pregnant and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING you can do to help relieve the pain.

I'm fine now... until those little ticking time bombs decide to start moving and hurt me again.

The first time I had them I was 19. It was a hellish day and by the end of it, the ER doctor announced, "Now that you've had them, you'll probably get them the rest of your life."

She was right. They've snuck up on me every few years since then. It doesn't get easier.

I didn't have any bouts with stones while I was pregnant with Fischer, but two months after he was born, I was in pain. It turned out that the stones were so big, I had to have a lithotripsy to blast them into passable bits.

In the three years since then, I've had them a handful of times, but not quite as painful.

I have had them TWICE during this pregnancy already! Bad ones! No pain killers, no help, just had to "tough it out". Tuesday was unbearable! I needed drugs!

Waaa! OK, enough of the sob story.

Self Esteem... Pass it On

(Reward at the bottom of the post)

Self esteem. What does that phrase mean to you? For me, I think of all that encompasses me and how I feel about me. There are definitely things about myself that I am proud of or content with, my appearance is not one of them... specifically my weight. I have major issues with my body that do affect my life and my activities.

I've started wondering how these issues and feelings about myself are going to affect my daughter (when she arrives). What will she learn from looking at me and listening to me? Will she learn to nit pick her every imperfection? Will she learn to say mean things to herself? Will she learn that her appearance makes a difference in what she can do and accomplish? Will she learn that her appearance is of the utmost importance over all of her other qualities? Man, I sure hope not. Of course I won't come right out and teach her these things, but will she derive these "lessons" from my actions?

Now is the time for me to raise my own self-esteem and get myself in check. I want to empower my daughter to be and do anything she wants to. I want her to see beauty in all things and all people including herself. I want healthy habits to be a part of life, not just something you do to "fix" a problem.

What if I do a good job with all of that teaching and empowering, and then she goes to school and gets another message from her peers... or from the media... or a relative... or the list goes on. How will I talk to her? Will she believe me when I say she is beautiful? Or will she think that I am just her mom and I have to say those things?

We all know that low self-esteem affects so much more than what you say to yourself in the mirror. It affects schoolwork, it affects the types of friends you choose or put up with, it affects the risks you take (good and bad), it affects your self worth which in turns gives yourself permission to do certain things... things a mother doesn't want to imagine.

What can I do to help my daughter cope with adolescence and the pressures she'll experience everyday?

The Dove campaign for Real Beauty has recently launched a new initiative called "Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, commissioned by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund ".

"Too many girls and young women develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about
looks and consequently fail to reach their full potential in later life. The
Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) was established as an agent of change to inspire
and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty. The
DSEF is committed to help girls build positive self-esteem and a healthy body
image, with a goal of reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010. It has
already reached 2 million young women."

They are targeting girls ages 8-17 and their mothers to help build/repair/maintain self esteem. The exciting thing is that they provide FREE materials for mothers and daughters to begin talking and working on self -esteem. They have a mother's guide and a mother/daughter activity guide to help you facilitate conversations and about beauty, body, pressures, self-esteem, and self confidence. The guides have questions and activities to help us build an open-relationship with our daughters and to remind us how our own self-esteem and hang-ups affect our girls.

"A mom is one of the most important influences in the life of a daughter. Whether you are a step mom, an auntie, a grandmother, a big sister or just a loving friend, the role of a ‘mother’ is important and necessary in a girl’s development.
Your love and care sets the foundations for your daughter’s life. Who you are will profoundly affect who she is and who she will be. How you feel about yourself, your looks, your body, your beauty, acts like a script from which your daughter will make choices about how she should feel about herself. In order to give your daughter the strength and courage she needs to feel beautiful in a world that may challenge her values, you need to take inventory of your own feelings of beauty."
-Dr. Susie Orbach and Dr. Nancy Etcoff (Dove's Academic Advisors)

(My mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother )

I read through the materials and found them to be informative, thought-provoking and interesting. They also provide an entire FREE workshop kit with DVD/CD to teach you how to run a self-esteem workshop in your area. Dove is also on the road providing workshops in many different states, you can check their map and schedule to see if there will be one in your area soon.

Self-esteem is an important issue, and I am very thankful to Dove for their initiative and for providing FREE tools to all of us. Click on any of the green links above to read more about the campaign, the National Report, and the booklets and activity guides (under self-esteem tools). You can also find short videos and other resources for you, your daughter, or your workshop.

We can support Dove and their Real Beauty and Real Girls Real Pressures programs by buying Dove products and by helping them to spread the word. In an effort to do my part. I'm offering up a small challenge and reward. Please post about self-esteem on your blog and reference Dove's FREE Self-Esteem tools, then come back here and leave a link to your post in the comments of this post. If you do not have a blog, then just leave a comment here about your thoughts on the subject of beauty and self-esteem. I will award 2 winners (chosen at random) and will send you a gift from Dove. Leave your comment or post link by midnight March 29th. Thank you in advance for your support.

Super Fabulous Day for ME

I'm off to bed... early... but not before I tell you a tiny bit about my super fabulous day alone...

First BFF and her amazing Mommy came to pick up Fischer and take him to playgroup and keep him all day long to play. Then I scooted off to have the most wonderful massage. It was an hour of heaven... and I hope that all of that rubbing and lotioning will make it so my arms do not go numb tonight, as they have been for the past few weeks. If that is the case... then I might just be in love with the girl who gave me my massage.
Next I took in another hour of pampering as I received a very fine pedicure with more massaging of my legs and feet. I came away with pretty toes... it had been awhile!
Then I lounged for a while at a favorite little cafe and had my favorite lunch and a very delicious big cookie!
Next... oh yes, there is more... I spent the next two and half hours getting my hair cut and highlighted while chatting with my friend who is a very talented stylist. So of course, I look fabulous! OH, and she waxed and dyed my eyebrows... that was new for me... I can't say that part was particularly fabulous, but the outcome was nice.
And finally I picked up my happy tired little boy from his day o' play and headed home to my loving husband for some tasty pancakes.
I am so very grateful and so very blessed. Seriously... BEST DAY... I never do things like this, it had been a year since I last got my haircut and ten months since my last pedicure and I've NEVER had a massage (except that one weird time but that was a strange and humiliating experience years ago). Sooo, I feel sooo good! Thanks to my Mom and Andy and to BFF's Mommy for making my fabulous day possible! Now, to do it all again in another 31 years...
Thanks for letting me brag... ;) And no, it wasn't even my birthday... it was no special day at all... which made it that much more special!

Ummm.... What to say?

It is 8:20 in the morning, I'm sitting in my nice warm bed listening to Fischer play and sing in the other room. I am desperately trying to think of some fantastic and interesting thing to blog about. You may have noticed that I've lost my blogging momentum. Andy was home for two weeks over the holidays and we enjoyed being lazy and hanging out as a family. I am off routine and am trying to get back together. Somehow, though, after all of that rest and relaxation, I am feeling uninspired to write.

Hmmm...

I could tell you about a few new philanthropic organizations that have recently caught my interest, but it feels like after a long stint of no blogging, I should write about something more personal.

I could tell you about how Kaia is emitting the most horrific smell on a fairly regularly basis and it makes me want to throw up. I've lost all patience with her and am constantly trying to get her to stop following me around... so now she seems depressed and I feel guilty... But talking about dog gas isn't very classy and why would anyone want to read about it?

I could tell you about how the other night when I was giving Fischer a bath, he said "You have good energy, Mom!" But then you'd probably start wondering about what we talk about at our house... Seriously I don't know where he got that.

If I wrote about that then I would start to get on a roll talking about of all of the Fischisms of late. Such as, before Christmas when we were talking about Christmas being Jesus' birthday, and Fischer wanted to bake Him a birthday cake. I said that'd be a good idea, but then he wanted to TAKE it to Him. I tried to explain that Jesus is in our hearts and if we celebrate His birthday and eat His cake, that will make Him happy. Then, after a really long pause.... he gets this worried look and asks me, "How did Jesus get in my tummy?"

But if I told you all of that then I'd have to tell you about the bumbling answer I gave about God creating us and putting a piece of himself into us and while I was talking I realized that to Fischer this might sound like God put His toe inside of him and an His elbow in me and and his eyeball inside Daddy... which sounded scary and then I just kept talking and talking until I felt that I'd been totally clear and insightful... and he had no comment.

OR I could tell you after this long saga of home repairs the work men should be done today. Hopefully the bill will come close to the original quote.

I could tell you that we are in the final stages of potty training, and Fischer has given up the night time pull-up for underwear at night. Which means we made it through with only having to buy one case. It also means that he wakes up twice a night to go potty...and so do we.

I could make a little announcement about being pregnant. That is kind of an exciting thing to talk about but maybe not as exciting of a thing to read about. Plus maybe you already knew. AND I have had the realization that I may not be able to sleep through the night without interruptions for FOUR more years!

So as you can see, I'm at a loss for words today. So I think I won't write about anything, and I'll just get ready for the day and go pick up BFF for a playdate.

Have a great day!

missing you...

Workmen, drywall, mess, snow, Christmas cards, lost address book, lost cell phone, found cell phone, shopping, wrapping paper, laughing, students, basketball, the Polar Express, elves, road trips, hot chocolate, cold chocolate, exhaustion, candy, cookies, Amish friendship bread, hotels, parks, malls, turkey pepperoni, haircuts, friends, parties, gifts, groceries, cooking, baking, packing, unloading, shoveling, cleaning... OK- not cleaning, phone calls, nausea, fun times, Santa, Go Fish, Crazy 8s, stories, fast food, Subway- 4 days in a row, hockey, sleeping... sound familiar? I've missed you... will return soon. Maybe tomorrow after I climb laundry mountain, or maybe instead of!

Lisa and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

It had been building up for awhile.  I was feeling crummy and falling behind on my To Do list (which has about a million no-fun responsibilities along with a hundred fires to put out).  So the night before the bad day, I asked Sheila to pick up Fisch in the morning and keep him for a few hours, so I could catch up.

The next morning... 

• Fischer wakes up too early and won't go back to sleep
• I get over it and start the laundry and clean the kitchen, I turn on the dishwasher
• I hear water falling in the basement
• rush down to find water pouring from the ceiling and all over the washer, dryer, shelves, clean folded laundry pile, and floor in the laundry room
• run back upstairs to find the source
• can't find anything
• run back downstairs to see that it has stopped but there is an enormous mess of water and gunk
• start to cry (I don't know why) and call my dad
• still weepy... call Andy
• while on the phone with Andy Fischer falls off his chair and is screaming bloody murder
• My stress level hits the roof
• Doorbell rings, the dogs start barking and jumping on the furniture (a no no), Fischer is still screaming, I'm falling apart on the phone
• I open the door, yank the dogs into a bedroom, shove a screaming half-naked Fischer at Sheila, go into the office and slam the door (very grown up of me)... still on the phone with Andy who cannot be very helpful because he is an hour away!
• Off the phone, find Sheila in Fisch's room trying to get him dressed, I put on a nice face... as if I'm not falling apart at the seams and go out to the garage to grab his car seat
• I drop it on my toe, which splits open
• Sheila tells me to get out of the house and go sit at Starbucks for a few hours
• She leaves, I call a bunch of fix-it guys who are too busy to come.  I am trying not to let them hear that I am crying
• Did I mention that my hormones are a bit out of whack these days?
• Look at the mess again and realize it has to be a sewage pipe because the "gunk" is actually bits of rotted and disgusting food!  Probably from the dishwasher.
• Finally get a guy to agree to come in a few hours.
• Find chocolate and eat it - feel a tad bit better, complain the entire story on the phone to Wanda
• Feel sick to my stomach, can't accomplish any of my to do list with the water off and the HUGE mess lurking in the basement
• Go to my parents' to go to the bathroom and then get the brilliant idea to randomly, take a bath in their giant jetted tub.  Ahhh, much better.
• Come home, wait for the guy.
• He comes and tells me it is worse case scenario and he will have to rip apart the basement ceiling until he finds the pipe, then we'll have to rip open the wall too because of all the food.
• He can't come till Saturday.  He tells me to clean this up immediately because of the dangerous bacteria, and If I don't he will lecture me when he comes back.
• He leaves and I have to leave immediately to go pick up Fisch and meet Andy to close on our refinance of our house.
• Rush home to start cleaning up the mess before my student comes
• He never shows
• I'm just saying...  yesterday sucked!  Oh and I can't use my dishwasher, my kitchen sink, the washing machine or the dryer... fun times.
• Sooo, how are you?

A December Exercise Challenge

Last night I announced my personal challenge to exercise 31 days in December. I just wanted to remind you in case you'd like to join. That exercise can be whatever is right for you. You know what would be a good personal challenge for yourself.

So... If you are in, leave a comment below or email me. Then at the end of the month... whoever made it all 31 days will be entered for a fabulous prize. I'll let you know what the prize is later.

No excuses. Today I woke up with nausea, sore throat, runny nose, itchy ears, the works... and I'm still going to run today. Usually when I start a new exercise goal I immediately get sick, or sprain my ankle or the jogging stroller tire is popped... or ... the list goes on. My goal is to not let any setbacks stop me. If I sprain my ankle today, then I will go swimming tomorrow or work on my abs and my upper body. I can do this, and I'll feel so much better too!

By the way, if I can do this, ANYONE can! Whoot whoot! Let's do it!

UPDATE: If you don't get to read this until Tuesday, then your Challenge will be 30 days of exercise in December... and it will still count for the prize. The rest of us will just be one day healthier ;).

Stuffed and Sleepy

Ahhh, Thanksgiving Day is just about over. All of the family have gone home, Fischer is in bed, Andy is watching football, and I am here making darn sure that I blog every single day this month. I think I might get a badge or something. totally worth it ;).

Today was really fun. Fischer and I started the day with friends and a 5K... in the rain, it was great. Some of our friends even broke their own personal records! You go girls! I walked and ran with Sheila and her sister while pushing Fisch in the stroller. it was great to chat and to just be outside doing something before all of the eating begins!

Later Andy and I got the house cleaned up and the food cooked for Turkey Day. My parents, Andy's Mom, sister, brother-in-law, and brother came over. We had a great time, pretty relaxing... I've never had such a small Thanksgiving party since I met Andy, but it was really quite pleasant. Although, of course we missed all of the relatives who couldn't be with us.

Now the day is over and I am ready for bed. Sorry for the dull post, I'm too sleepy too be interesting. I will say that I am so very thankful for family and friends. They are the people who lift me up and move me forward. I'm also thankful for my own tiny family - my incredible husband, sweet boy, and loyal dogs. They make our home a home. I am truly blessed.

I found the perfect ornament

I love Christmas ornaments. I love Christmas ornaments that document milestones in your life. AND so does my mom, so I have lots! Andy and I have ornaments to commemorate our wedding, first house, pregnancy, having a baby, our professions, our hobbies... you name it - and I love them all. So of course when Fischer was born... I wanted to do the same for him. His first Christmas was all about the "first Christmas" ornaments. His second Christmas, last year, was about his interests - trains, The Wiggles, motorcycles, and of course a St, Louis Cardinal World Series Ornament (because that is his Grandpa's team and that was a really big deal!). So this year, I'm on the hunt for the perfect ornaments. I'm looking for a fire truck (since that was this year's chosen profession), a garbage truck (because he loves them so much), a soccer ball (because he played that for the first time this year) and probably a hockey ornament (because he loves it like his daddy does). Now all of those are easy finds... except the garbage truck. I have only found one place to carry these - the good news is that you can choose from rear or front loader, personalize it with your name and year and you get to choose the color. Sooo, I'm sharing this in case anyone else needs a garbage truck Christmas ornament. Helzer's Creations is family owned and operated, they create personalized polymer ornaments for just about anything and anyone, they have ornaments for every profession, team, and interest. I must not be the first one to want a garbage truck ornament.

Obsessing on Grizzlies

Photo: Doug Seus and Bart the Bear (from Vital Ground)

After watching Growing Up Grizzly I and II on Animal Planet years ago (and sobbing from start to finish of both episodes)... I've had a growing fondness of grizzly bears and also of Doug and Lynne Seus. To say that Doug and Lynne raise and train grizzlies just doesn't paint the most accurate picture of this amazing couple and their family. I don't think I can explain the intense relationship, commitment, and pure love they have for their animals. They do train bears and other animals for film. They do it in a consistent, patient, positive, and genuine manner that is remarkable. I find them to be incredibly inspiring. Not only because of their devotion to their animals and their cause (we'll talk about that tomorrow), but because of the intense focus and presence they have when working with their animals. It is a focus and a presence that I'm ashamed to say I don't always have with Fischer. They talk about the fact that when they are with a grizzly bear, they have to be completely there and not have their mind on anything else. They spend hours playing with and teaching the bears everyday. They are truly building a significant relationship.
They are the "parents" of Bart the bear - remember him from Legends of the Fall, The Bear, The great Outdoors, etc? Bart Passed away about 5 years ago from Cancer. They have three other bears that they are raising and whom have been in the movies and on TV also (Bart 2, Honey Bump, and Tank). Here is a little clip:

I found Growing Up Grizzly 1 on EBay (on VHS), and I'm going to pick up the second. There is just something about Doug and the bears that I cannot get enough of! I'd give anything to go to their home and observe him with his grizzlies. I'd expect it to be the kind of awesome experience that inspires you to move mountains.

Beautiful Autumn Weekend

This weekend was gorgeous. The leaves have changed, the weather was warm... it was perfect. Saturday, Fischer, BFF and I met some friends at the coolest farm for fabulous fall fun! They had everything you could want: animals, hayrides, slides, a spook alley, food - you name it! We had a great time. Unfortunately my camera died after the first picture:

Fischer and BFF had a great time... Fischer even shared his water bottle with a goat! Ew!

Today, my best run-pal and I went on a hike. It was beautiful and sweaty, and I even was stung by a bee! I guess it doesn't sound too fun, but when we reached the top and were able to lounge in some cozy stone chairs and look across the entire valley... it was sooo worth it! Here is the view half way up, I turned around to take a pic of the fall colors (ok that was just my excuse to stop and catch my breath):I'm thinking this picture may be the first in a series I'd like to call: Views from the "gym". Meaning... I'll show you what I can see while exercising and maybe that will help me to do it everyday.

Intruder

Who wants to hear a scary story? Don't stop me if you've already heard it, I tend to repeat and repeat stories... they are just that good!!! - Or maybe I'm just that forgetful. Anyway...

So... once upon a time (this is a true Lisa story)...

A few years ago, it was early early on a weekday morning and I was getting ready for work. I was in the basement half awake, half asleep, standing there in the laundry room in my pajamas while I ironed my clothes for work. I'm sure I must have been lost in really deep important thoughts, when I was suddenly startled back into consciousness.
I heard loud clunking footsteps, mansteps, upstairs.

My heart immediately began to race and I froze in place, listening. Oh my gosh, someone is in my house! A man is in my house with his heavy man shoes. Why aren't the dogs going nuts? He must have been hiding in the house all night, making friends with the dogs, so that in the morning he could walk around my house freely to come and get me! I have to leave. I take one step and kick the dog bowl, it goes skidding noisily across the room. I freeze again, for what feels like hours.

Did he hear that? Does he know I'm in the basement?
I don't hear anything, so I quietly and carefully creep toward the basement door and slowly and silently unlock it. I step outside into the cold dark morning. Am I safe? What if he looks out the upstairs window and sees me? He'll see me see him and then he'll HAVE to get me because I've seen him. Aaaaaahhhhhh. I run out of the backyard and into the front of the house. Where do I go? I don't really know my neighbors yet.
I run across the street to the neighbors where there is a light on. The guy answers the door.

Me, frantically: "There is someone in my house and I don't know what to do, I escaped through the back door!!!! Should we call the police?"
Neighbor: "Umm, let me put my clothes on, come on in."
I rush up the steps to look out their front window at my front window to see if I see the silhouetted stranger through the shades in my house.... Nothing.

Neighbor, returns wearing clothes, : Maybe I should go over there and check it out."
Me, Freaking out: "NO! You could get killed!!!" Still staring out the window waiting to see something, anything.
Neighbor: "Ok umm..."
We both just stand there watching out the window, I'm shaking and he is wondering what in the heck he is supposed to do.
Neighbor: Looks at the clock, 5:30 am. "Geez, Andy really has to leave early for work doesn't he?"
Me: What the small talk???? "Yeah." I glance at the clock. Oh my God... Andy doesn't leave till 6! What have I done? Those footsteps were his! How could I have forgotten all about him? Oh my gosh oh my gosh, ohmygoshohmygosh! I am standing in my neighbors house in my pajamas at 5:30 in the morning looking for a lunatic....what do I do? I AM the lunatic!
Me, red-faced, running down the steps and out the door: "Oh, wait, um, Andy hasn't left yet , uh, I gotta go, I'm so sorry!"

I run back across the street barefoot, hair sticking out every which way, make-up plastered well below its original spot, hideous pajamas flapping in the wind... I go to the front door. It's locked, duh. Suddenly, I do not want to walk back through the mud and the thorns on the side of the house into the backyard (didn't notice them earlier),

I knock.
Andy answers the door, staring, bewildered..... "What are you doing out here?"

Me, accusatory: "I have just had the most terrifying 20 minutes of my entire life because of you!" As I storm in and past him, like it his fault that I forgot he existed for a few minutes while he had unknowingly been going about his business of getting ready for work.

Needless to say, the neighbors thought that I was crazy and we never did get to be good friends, and my husband already knew I was crazy so... he didn't think much of it.