There is Always a Way

I thought my water bottle was 24 ounces for some reason, but I checked yesterday and it is actually only 20 ounces.  So, when I said I drank 72 ounces the other day, apparently I was lying!  I really only drank 60 ounces on Tuesday, but that is still fantastic for me.  And nearly half my weight in water. 
Yesterday I had 3-1/2 bottles of water, so that puts my total at 70 ounces for Wednesday.  I am bound and determined to be nice and hydrated for the race on Saturday.
This morning I made my same deal with myself, no coffee (decaf) until a bottle of water is down.  BUT, I forgot to start drinking first thing this morning.  
I was making eggs and toast for the kiddos and myself and I thought, “oh a cup of coffee would go nicely with this food”.  But, of course, I hadn’t had a lick of water yet this morning. So, I chugged an entire 20 ounces of water and now I am sipping my coffee with my toast and eggs:)
More water drinking soon.  Seriously, I am always amazed at the amount of energy that comes from just staying hydrated.  So. Simple.  Yet, so easy to forget.  And I am sure my whole digestion/fat burning system is enjoying the extra umph.  A car needs oil to run smoothly, a body needs water. 

(side note:  since I am having eggs and toast for breakfast, I may just have to make up a bowl of mini wheats later in the day:) Iron, baby!)

I had my to do list and I wasn’t sure if I could get it all done, but I did.

I planned to leave right after work at 5.  Mark picked Charly up from school and then took all the kids to the playground.  While he was out, I put something together for dinner.  Kind of nice to be able to IM, remote in to someone’s computer, and cook up some pasta and shuck some corn all at the same time. 

I made it out the door about 5:30.  Not bad.  I wasn’t sure what time the stores that I needed to go to, closed. 

I hit Dunham’s first and found a tire pump, a spare tube, and a pair of convertible pants.  The pants were on sale, so that was a nice score. 

Next stop Gordon’s, to get some salad fixins for an open house on Friday. 

Next stop, Meijer to get some chicken breasts, contact paper (for the AR race), and some other odds and ends.   

As I was pulling out of Meijer, Brett called me back and informed me that I needed transparent contact paper and I had gotten white.  Darn.

Next stop WalMart, where I picked up a chain repair tool (Meijer was out and Dunham’s didn’t have one).  It is a required item for the AR.  Brett didn’t think we needed one and we probably won’t.  But, I am just superstitious enough that if we don’t bring it, we will need it.  So, I coughed up the 5 bucks and bought one.  Silly, I know.

Next stop, back to Meijer to exchange the white contact paper for transparent.

While I was in the Meijer parking lot the first time, I tried on the pants that I bought at Dunham’s.  They were too small.  So, my next stop was Dunham’s again to exchange the small for medium. 

Homeward bound.

Once I got home, I tried on the medium pants.  They fit, but a bit snug.  I definitely couldn’t wear spandex shorts underneath (which I plan to).  So, again I will have to exchange them.  Double darn.  Everything that I have bought recently has been small, maybe medium.  So, I am a bit surprised to have to buy large, but you just never know how sizes run between the different brands.  Lesson learned. 

It was about 8:30 I headed out for a bike ride.  It was great weather again.  A bit chilly at first, but you warm up quick.  I am not used to riding.  I used to ride to work every day when I lived in Chicago, but that was quite a while ago.  My thighs were definitely burning from the ride.  It felt good though.  I am a bit under prepared for Saturday’s race when it comes to the bike, but I will do just fine.  I got in 13.8 miles in 36:17.  And that was all back road (paved and a smidge of dirt).  I won’t be able to get any more trail riding practice in before Saturday.  Last weeks practice will have to do. 

Now, time to watch a show on hulu and go to bed.  This girl is tired, in a very good way.

nowforthefunpart replied to your photo: This is what my run last night looked like. No,…

LOL and that pace - wow! Must be those frosted mini-wheats! Glad the run felt good.

Ha ha!  Oh, it was most definitely the mini wheats! :) 

Friday night we had small group.  Aydan was so tired by the end of the night, he went to his room to watch a little TV and ended up falling asleep on the floor with his car next to him (that he got at the Lane’s Car Show with Grammie and Papa earlier in the evening)

Saturday, Mark went to Civil War Days with a friend.  I stayed home with the kids.  We did a little work in the morning and took down Peyten’s crib and cleaned up the girl’s room a bit.  After that, I was pretty much done with house work.  I had high hopes to get caught up, but I think my body need some R&R a bit more.  So, we just hung out and relaxed for the rest of the day.  It was nice to just hang out with the kids and not worry about work or being on the computer.

Peyten hasn’t been napping much since she learned to get out of her crib.  But, on Saturday I gated her in her room and after about an hour of “playing”, she got quiet.  I was curious where she ended up falling asleep, so I peeked my head in and found her sound asleep on the changing table!

I can’t really remember what else we did on Saturday.  Oh, I took off with the kids and got some shopping done.  Mainly diapers and wipes and a few other things.  By the time we got home, Mark was home.  We settled in.  I gave the kids trims/hair cuts and we gave them baths and they were off to bed.

Sunday, we went to church as usual.  After church, we decided to find some water and enjoy the sun.  Here are the girls on the way to the beach:

We found a beach that wasn’t too far away or crowded. 

I was in hog heaven finally getting to lay back and soak in some sun.

Charly seemed to like it too: (although, she only laid there for about 2 minutes, lol)

My view:  (I was able to lay on my belly and watch the kids over my arm.  Peyten actually didn’t run much, I was very happy about that)

Mark took a couple walks.  Here he is with Peyten.  And then Aydan decided to go with after Mark had already left.  Aydan is running behind and I thought for sure he would freak out about that dog he had to pass, but he didn’t.

Aydan had so much fun.  At one point, he said “I LOVE THE BEACH!!” (but in his little Aydan voice where he emphasizes certain words and not others, lol)

After the beach, we went to a friend’s house and had some dinner and was able to sit around and talk while our kids played. 

It was a very nice and relaxing day.  I did go up to the church that night to get some cleaning done, but even that was relaxing…even though I was pretty tired by that time.

Monday, I had to work a bit and Mark had plans to go to a friend’s house.  So, me and the kids hung out outside for a bit.  Garry grilled some corn on the cob and some sausage and we all ate lunch outside.  Later on, Aydan and Peyten took naps.  Charly went fishing with Grammie and Papa.  And I zonked out on the couch.  It was one of those naps that you wake up from and you are so groggy and disoriented.  I was OUT to say the least.   

After A and P woke up we watched a movie (Nim’s Island.  I may have cried, even though I already knew how it would end), we ate pizza, and the kids had some rice krispies treats that we had gotten from the Youth bake sale at church. 

Before long, Charly came home and it was getting close to bed time.  We gave the kids a bath and got them in bed. 

I love three day weekends.

Sorry to hear that. I had to give up donating blood over a year ago. It starting making me anemic. I use to do it every 56 days on the clock. No way, I could run and donate. Women lose iron much quicker than men.

I did not know that women lost iron more quickly than men…but it does make sense.  I have always had an issue with low blood sugar and probably always had an issue with low iron.  Watching what/when I eat is a constant balancing act. 

I enjoy donating blood, so I hope that I don’t have to give that up, but it does take it out of me when I do!

Certainly not me.

The last two weeks or so, I have been feeling very “depleted”.  That is the best word I can come up with to describe it.  I don’t have nearly the get up and go that I am used to.  And exercising has been frustrating to say the least.  It has been confusing and troublesome for me.  That whole “what am I doing wrong?” constant question going through my brain.  Because, honestly, when I am feeling like crap, it is usually my fault.  God gave us some pretty amazing bodies, we just have to take care of them and do the work. 

So, a few reasons that could be the answer:
1.  Heat.  It has certainly gotten hotter lately and this of course affects my exercise habits.  I need to compensate with more water, more water, more water.  All the time.
2.  Allergies.  Dear Lord, these allergies are driving me nuts!  Sneezing, itchy eyes, itchy nose, lightheadedness.  It is pretty bad that when you itch your nose enough, your 2 yr old daughter starts asking to do it for you.
3.  Stress.  I have a lot on my plate.  This is not unusual, but I do have a bit more than usual.  I am taking it in stride and I do like my life to be full, so I am not even sure if this should be on this list.
4.  Dehydration.  I have been drinking water, but not nearly enough.  It is a constant battle to keep chugging that bottle.  Sunday night I got a dehydration headache and I knew exactly what it was when it started.  Darn!  There is just no turning back from that.
5.  Caffeine.  Many years ago I cut out caffeine completely and I have pretty much stuck with that.  Lately, I have let it creep back in a little.  I still don’t consume a lot of caffeine, but more than before, so that could be a factor.
6.  Just cuz.  I see all over the tumblr dashboard of people having bad runs, not feeling good, etc.  And I could assume that it is just that time of year and I need to wait it out.

But, then yesterday I got to thinking.  The way I feel lately reminds me of before when I had issues with my iron being low.  Right after I gave birth to Peyten, I passed out due to a loss of about 3 liters of blood.  They pumped me with fluids and monitored me and I didn’t end up needing any extra blood, but they did tell me my iron was low and that I should take some iron pills.  Oh, I took them for about a week or month (on and off) and that was about it.  I am absolutely horrible at taking pills.  I just don’t like to do it and I am not good at remembering to do it.  Anyway, I tried to keep some iron rich foods in my diet and I forgot about the pills. 

Occasionally I will have bouts of feeling lethargic and overall crappy and I always forget about the whole iron issue.  I gave blood a month or two ago and was almost not able to give because my iron was low.  So, it is still an ongoing issue and one that I have to continue to remember. 

So, this morning I google “iron rich foods”, of course.  I wrote out a list so I can keep those type of foods on the forefront of my mind.  For lunch I had a sweet potato, some pork loin, and some asparagus.  All are decent when it comes to iron.  And in doing so, I put my info in to myfitnesspal so I could see the numbers.  I decided to put in my breakfast as well, which happened to be Frosted Mini Wheats.  Guess what?  Mini wheats have 90% of your daily intake of iron!  90%!  I had no idea. 

The irony of all of this, is that I eat Frosted Mini Wheats probably 6 out of 7 mornings.  I don’t get tired of that breakfast, it is my absolute favorite.  Has been for a long time.  BUT, lately…oh maybe the past two weeks or so…I have steered away and have toast or eggs or something else for breakfast.  Just to switch it up a little. 

All this time, I had been craving mini wheats every morning…not because they are just that darn good (because they are), but because my body actually NEEDED what was in it.  Our mind/bodies are complicated and amazing.  And maybe that is just a big coincidence, but I would like to think that subconsciously my body does know what it needs and if I listen closely enough, I can feed it what it deserves. 

So, gearing up for the Adventure Race this weekend.  I need to …ahem..eat my mini wheats every morning.  And more iron rich foods throughout the day.  I need to get some biking in.  And I need to get some running in.  I need to drink lots-o-water  And I need to make sure I have everything on the required checklist for the race.  I think there is just one or two things I am missing. 

CAN.  NOT.  WAIT.  FOR.  SATURDAY. :)

That is all.  :)

This is a picture of me when I was somewhere around 15-16 years old. 

At this time in my life, I did not like myself very much.  People told me that I was pretty, but I thought they were just being nice and I didn’t believe it to be true.  I had such low self worth.  It wasn’t fair to me or God.  I felt awkward, out of place, and out of control.  I desperately wanted control over my life, my emotions, and feelings.  I put my self worth in to other peoples hands and that is a huge mistake that I made for too long of a time.

It took me a good 10 or more years to realize that being/feeling pretty is a choice.  Appreciating yourself is a choice.  You have to accept who you are first.  Everyone has flaws, but even especially those flaws are beautiful.  I could complain about the stretch marks on my belly, but those marks remind me of the three children that I worked so hard to birth.  The scars on my arms and calluses on my hands remind me of all the years in kitchens, that I wouldn’t trade for a moment.  And I have many more “reminders” on my body of working hard, playing hard, and not holding back on life at all.  And that is me. And I can honestly say that I like myself.

I look at myself back then and wish that I had appreciated the beauty, the life, that I had.  And then I realize that 10-20 years from now, I am going to wish the same thing about my 30’s.  So, today and every day after today I choose to find myself beautiful.  I choose to concentrate on the things about myself that I can easily love so that I can also love the things about myself that are hard to love. 

I always thought that self esteem is something that you are either born with or something that you have because you are beautiful.  I thought that since I had low self esteem, it meant that I wasn’t beautiful.  Self esteem is just sometimes one of those things that you have to work on.  Emotional stability is not a gift.  It is something that you have to fight hard for.  It takes a lot of trial and error and it takes patience and practice. 

I almost gave up on life as a teenager because I just couldn’t handle the sadness that consumed me.  I just couldn’t break through.  But, I held on and one day I did break through and I have never looked back.  Do I feel pretty every day?  Dear Lord, no.  But, I accept those days as they come and I know the next day I will can feel differently.  It is entirely up to me. 

And in looking back, so many people tried to help me.  I am not sure, but I don’t think that anyone could have turned my life around back then.  It was something that I had to struggle with and do for myself.  Well, that isn’t entirely true, many people made an impact on my life, I just didn’t know it at the time.  The mistakes I made, the poor judgment, the trial and error.  It all made me the person I am today.  I had to live through some darkness to truly appreciate my life.  And that I do. 

One last thought.  At certain times in my life I think I was actually afraid to believe I was beautiful.  Maybe I was afraid to live up to a standard.  Afraid of what people thought.  I don’t know.  But, being afraid to love myself is a confusing thing.  Fear should not be in that equation.  Loving myself is a tribute to God.  He created me and I appreciate everything He has done for me.  And if I can learn to love myself with all my flaws, maybe my daughters can do the same….at a much earlier age than I did. 

It is 9:30.  Two hours past bed time and little girl is still trying to get out of bed.  She has had some stretches were we thought she was settled down, but nope. 

This situation will definitely impact my ability to run at night.  And since that is the only time I can run, well….we will just see how this goes. 

On a positive note, Aydan went poop on the potty tonight!  I know, that isn’t too exciting for you non parents out there, but that is a huge thing in our house.  Aydan has been struggling for quite some time.  He still has a long way to go, but it is a step in the right direction.

Peyten went poop last Friday.  She had “accidentally” gone a couple weeks ago, but she actually said she had to go and went on Friday.  And she did it again yesterday.

Soon.  Soon we will be diaper free!  Still a ways to go, but at least there is progress!! :)

We though we could postpone it as long as we could.  Or we hoped that the day would never come.  But, it is here.

PEYTEN HAS FIGURED OUT THAT SHE CAN GET OUT OF HER CRIB.

Charly and Aydan figured out this handy little bit of info much sooner than Peyten did.  We moved them to big kid beds much sooner because of this fact as well.  But, Peyten, even though that girl gets in to and figures out EVERYthing in the house, getting out of the crib was just one of those things that didn’t dawn on her.  Until now. 

Now, not all of you KNOW Peyten.  The first year of Peyten’s life we called her “laid back Peyten”.  She slept great at night.  She napped well.  She would relax in her bouncy.  She was a pretty easy baby.  Well, pretty much at that one year mark we realized that she was laid back because she was sitting back, watching, waiting, learning.  Now.  Now, she is “crazy girl”.  Just crazy.  She is pretty much non stop all day long.  It is hard to explain, but she has a …

Ok, so as I was typing that, an example presented itself:
We had put a gate up in front of Peyten’s room for her nap time.  It doesn’t keep her in her bed, but it keeps her from sprinting down the hall and squealing every two minutes.  Well, she had been in her room for about an hour and she actually got some quiet time in.  But, as I was typing the above, she opened her door, peaked her head over the gate and started yelling down the hallway “poopy!”
Great.  She usually isn’t bluffing when she says that.  I go down to check out the situation and she runs back in the room and I notice her pants are off and her shirt is just long enough that I wasn’t sure what was under there.  Then I saw the diaper and all the poop on the changing table.  Apparently she had gotten up there and tried to change herself?  Who knows.  But, it was on her hands.  I threw her in the shower and luckily it appears that the poop issue was isolated to her hands and the changing table.  I hope. 

So, that is a little bit of the crazy that we deal with, with her. 

The other night, the first night she figured out how to get out of her cribe, we had put her in her big girl bed at first and she got out twice, so we said it was back to the crib.  And to my surprise, less than a minute later, here comes Peyten down the hallway.  And the twenty more times after that, she would come sprinting full speed down the hallway, squealing!  She thought it was so exhilarating to bust out of that room every time.  She’d run down the hallway and in to the kitchen or living room and run circles. 

Aydan and Charly were both a bear teaching them to stay in bed.  Charly, I remember hours of “fun” each night.  One time she cried so much that she made herself throw up.  Other times it was just up down up down, over and over.  Eventually we wore her down and she stayed in bed.  She still would get up once or twice, but nothing like before.
Aydan was just as persistent as Charly and if I remember correctly, it went on longer for him…months maybe?  What worked for Aydan is a cold shower.  We told him if he got out of bed, he would get a cold shower.  And then of course he did and we gave him a cold shower.  He did not like that one bit.  And after that, the threat of a cold shower, is all it took to keep him in bed. 

Peyten.  I am not sure what will work with Peyten.  We shall see.  She is a different personality than Charly and Aydan.  And they are so different from each other.  For now, I pray to God for patience.  And I thank God each day that there is both Mark and me to handle this.  Because after the kid gets out of bed a couple ten times, you need someone to tag team.  It is the only way to stay sane.

I have said this many times.  And I can say it about each of my kids for different reasons.  They have some incredible qualities that will be excellent to have when they are older.  It just so happens those same qualities are the ones that make our job as their parents that much harder!

Here is her post shower, crazy hair, I am going to cheese as hard as I can, picture lol: