Sacrifice

I’ve been running since January (yay me) and did a 10k in March.  I’ve kept with it and I’m competeing in  a half marathon in November.  I haven’t really lost any weight, but I’m feeling good and  more toned and have grown to love running.

I got back from a good run a few days ago and was feeling pretty proud of myself.  I walk in the front door and Maddy, my sweet little Maddy says to me, “Your bottom jiggles a lot when you run.”

I remember someone, somewhere saying that mom’s should be proud of their stretch marks and fat deposits, because they’re a reminder of the sacrifices we make for our kids.  This someone likened them to war wounds.

That’s just a load of crap.

I’ll be running everyday until the “jiggle” is gone.

Holistic Living

The driver in the car in front of me yesterday was smoking.  Not breaking news, I know.

His bumper sticker read, “Eat Organic.”

Seems a bit contradictory.

A few days earlier a lady cut me off and then flipped me off.

Her bumper sticker read, “Jesus loves you.”

If people didn’t carry guns, I would totally remind them what their bumper stickers say.

You Deserve It

There are moments when I have guilt about going to Starbuck’s on a somewhat “regular” basis.  Not guilt about going (sheesh), but guilt about not getting my kids something everytime we go.  Don’t get me wrong, my kids are Starbuck’s savvy.  They get drinks and can order them alone.  They enjoy pastries.   I just can’t buy them something everytime we go, or we’d be flat broke.

But here’s the good news.  This is something that just came to me in the shower.  You could call it a revelation:

Starbuck’s is like a stay-at-home mom’s paycheck (or sanity).  One drink, every day (0r so) to say, “Thank you.  You are doing a great job.” 

Now, don’t go all “Dave Ramsey” on me.  Let me just enjoy my revelation.  

I guess I’ll  just tell my kids that it’s,  “Mommy’s job to take care of you and drink coffee.  Your job is to play.”

Summa, Summa, Summertime! (Sing it Will Smith)

I’m finally over my writer’s block!  In reality, though, I live in Seattle, so when the sun is outside, so am I.  And that’s where I’ve been.  My memory is too awful to bring you all up to date on what we’ve been doing (which is a lot), but I’ll eventually get around to posting my pictures.  Then you can just see for yourself what we’ve been up to.  Well, maybe.  I’m so awful at keeping current with picture updates. 

This blog is a shout out to all you OCDer’s out there. 

This summer has been one of the best ones yet.  The kids are at such great ages to get out and experience our area.  We’ve reserved every Friday as Family Day and we’re acting like tourists in Western Washington.  It’s been SO fun.  And my anal tendencies have been stifled with all the summertimer activities.  I’ve been laid back and our schedule, though full, has felt laid back and extremely fun.  But tonight as I was doing laundry, I sensed the OCD returning.  So here’s a list of some of the ways it’s been creeping back in.

1. Safety pinning that piece of fabric that goes over the zipper of Isaac’s shorts so that when they come out of the dryer, that piece of fabric doesn’t bulge (because I don’t iron).

2. Lotioning and putting socks on my feet every night, in this crazy heat, to avoid that icky, scratchy feeling the covers have on my toes and soles.

3. Laying out precisely 30 minutes “on each side”, every day to feed my tanorexia (thank you Jen Lancaster).  Okay, so maybe not every day, but you get the point.  Tan=pretty. . . + 10 years=wrinkles, maybe melanoma. . . but you only live once, right?  Wait, now that I’m writing the word ‘melanoma’ I’m reminded of an older blog I wrote in which I stated something silly like, “I won’t be getting tan anymore.”  Blasphemy.

4. Making the kids (and Tim) take off their shoes before entering the house and touching the newly mopped floors (that’s not very anal).  Then asking them not to get any crumbs from dinner on the floor (ha!).   At all (my kids are 5 and 7).  I was serious.  Then getting down on my hands and knees with a wet paper towel to wipe every crumb that fell.   (I only mop like once a month.  Can’t the floors stay clean for 24 hours?  That’s all I ask.)

5.  And lastly, but definitley topping the list, enjoying my iced grande vanilla americano with extra cream.           Every day.

Which segues nicely into my next blog post,

You Deserve It.

Slip of the Tongue

I had a lapse in judgment the other night.  

Perhaps it was because it was nearing midnight.  Perhaps it was because my soccer game was awful.  Or possibly it was because the police officer (who looked fresh out of the Academy) pulled me over, as it was nearing midnight, for no apparent reason, other than to tell me my tabs expired in two days.

Either way, I may or may not have spoken these words out loud, in front of my children,

“Retarded Animal.”

They say a child’s belief system is not concrete until they’re 8 years old.

I have one year to reverse all the damage.

The sweet taste of success

I’m training so I can run a 10k  at the end of March.  Someone told me today that a person my age shouldn’t have to train for a 10k.  

Interesting.  

Today, in order to keep up with my training schedule, I was supposed to run 4.5 miles. 

I came close. . .

I ate a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints in 4.5 minutes.

Conversations with God

Isaac’s in the bathroom right now going to the bathroom.  He’s going #2 and this typically takes him about 20 minutes (no lie).  I was walking down the hall and heard him saying, “It’s okay, you don’t have to look at me right now.  It’s pretty gross.”

I thought he was talking to me and asked him what he was saying.   He said he was just telling God that “ it’s okay if He closes his eyes while I poo.”

How considerate.

He had permission

This afternoon we went to the hospital to visit our friends who had just had a baby.  On the way down, we played a game called super burn out.  Basically you see how long you can last in the car with the heat blasting and all the windows up ( I love this game cause I’m always cold).   On the way home, Isaac got in the car and immediately started complaining about how hot it still was in the car from playing the game earlier.  We got on the freeway and he continued whining and complaining about how hot he was.  I impatiently told him to crack his window.

All of a sudden I hear this loud WHACK!!   “What the!?!”  I turn around to see Isaac hitting his window with his metal gun as hard as he could.  “No, no, no!!  Isaac, ‘Crack the window’ means to roll your window down just a little.” 

Next time I’ll be more clear. 

Train up a child

Over the last few months we’ve been trying to let our kids work out their own arguments.  We’ve told them over and over how to do this and decided there’s no better way for them to learn than by doing it themselves.  If things start to get physical, out of control,or I can tell that one of them is having a hard time communicating, we’ll intervene and help them work through it.  It’s been important to me that my kids love each other and grow up being friends.  I know this may not be in my control as they get older, but I figure if I ingrain them with it now, they’ll have a better chance at it when they’re teenagers.  I’ve taught Maddy and Isaac that they will always have each other  and they should treat each other with kindness and respect.

Generally, they get along really well together.  But they are normal 4 and 7 year olds and fight over the most annoying things.  This drives me CRAZY.  And sometimes (okay, A LOT of times) I just want to break them apart and send them to their rooms until they’ve settled down.  But I know that this doesn’t help them resolve conflict, so I’ve been sucking it up, gritting my teeth, and letting them solve their problems. 

Today was extremely difficult with the littlest Wicks.  I dropped him off at preschool and seriously thought about leaving him there.  ;)  When I picked him up after school, the whining, disobeying, and outright annoying behavior continued.  It took all my self control not to lose my temper with him.  It was one of those days where I didn’t find him funny at all (which I normally do) and was ready for the day to be over.  Maddy got home from school and the fighting/screaming began.  Seriously, guys?!  

But I let them do their thing and they got over it rather quickly.  A little while later, Maddy hands me this note.  Here is what the note said, exactly as she wrote it:

hear mom.  read this to isaac and give it to him as fast as posubel.  from maddy

I love Isaac!  Dear Isaac, 

I am sorry about wut hapened today.  I’m sorry for wut I sed to you.  I didn’t mean to say that to you.  from maddy

Then they hugged and Isaac said he forgave her and that was that.  I hope Maddy stays this sweet forever.

If tomorrow is another annoying day like today, Isaac might be getting a little note from me too.  Just kidding.  Kind of. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read his shirt.  Enough said.

We’re easily entertained

Just having some fun with the mac.