I have lost my ever-lovin' mind

I have never been what one would call "pensive". Sometimes I think about something for a while and stir over it/ pray about it, but most of the time I just go for it. Some might call this ambition.

People who know me might know think I'm just stupid.

Today, I was so proud of myself to get up and run a bit early this morning. I think I ran about 2 miles- and not like anyone was chasing me, either- pretty casually. So, I started to remember fondly my old running days and how much I loved that time in the mornings. I listen to praise music and commune with God and nature while trying to avoid dog poop. Good times.

So, while I was on my nostalgic bandwagon, I decided that I should run every morning. I used to do it, right? I just have to make myself. And what better way to make myself than to sign up for a race.

I just registered for the Cotton Row Run 10K on Memorial Day. Yes. In 2 weeks. I'm sure that's plenty of training time, right? Especially since I've never run 6.2 miles at one time before. That's right. I've NEVER done it. And people train for months. Nope, not me, though. I just jump right in there!

I hope nostalgia and caffeine carry me though. Or else I'm going to have to find a wild bear to chase me. I think the latter might be my best option...

Friday Play by Play

I think I might have mentioned before that I love to keep up with errands, my day, tasks, etc like I’m playing a football game. It’s me versus the to-do list of that day and most of the time I reign supreme.

Who am I kidding?
Most of the time I’m wiping off slobber {my own} by 3:00 pm begging for mercy {or a nap}.

Today was a rough day, but I’ll let you decide who won.

8:30 am - got to school {showered with makeup!} and was present for Ollie’s Mother’s Day Brunch. +1 point

9:30 am – Went to Sam’s and only forgot one thing {barrels of juice}. 0 points.

Did score enormous {surely riddled with hormones} rotisserie chicken right out of the oven that was delicious-o {as Dora’s backpack would say} + 1 point

10:15 am – Hit mall supposedly just for returns of picture day clothes my kids didn’t wear. And maybe one item that was worn for picture day with the tag tucked in the back. Oh yes. I’ll take that stuff back. Mama doesn’t pay full price for Polo. That’s what TJ Maxx and consignment sales are for. + 1 point

10:20 am - Huge wait/ snafu returning this tie at Dillard’s. {I'm a firm believer that boys shouldn't wear a tie unless you have all your original hair in. I just bought it because it was complimentary to Ollie's that he was going to to wear and thought it might work in a pinch, etc, but he didn't end up wearing it.} Debit card wouldn’t work to accept the money returned- but it apparently WOULD run just FINE to pay for it 2 days ago. *ahem* - 1 point

11:00 am – Happen to find stores for me {who would have thought?} and find something that fits and I like for Mother’s Day AND is on 60% off rack! {Clouds open up and angels are singing!} + 5 points

11:45 am – Forget that blueberry bagels and rotisserie chicken are in the car while I’m in the mall. Car smells like Blueberry Muffin {Strawberry Shortcake’s friend} just ate 4 chickens. – 1 point

12:00 pm – Work, work, work + 1 point because I get a lot done

1:30 pm – Pick up children from pre-school without major wailing of scene leaving AND Ollie gives me a Mother’s Day Card and tells me that he loves me +5 points

2:30 pm – Henry screaming and not napping, but I rock him back to sleep {one of my favorite things to do} + 1 point because he goes back to sleep until 4:30!!

4:30 pm – Snack. I’m feeling generous and fun and so we have popcorn and M&Ms. + 1point

5:00 pm- M&Ms not such a great idea because they are beginning to come back and bite me with children who are jumping off the wall. – 1 point

5:15 pm – start to sort 7 loads of laundry - 1 point

5:30 pm - Find Henry on top of breakfast room table EATING those things that you drop in water and grow into dinosaurs. – 2 points for me {+1 point for DHR}

5:32 pm - Retrieve and account for all puffy tablets that make dinosaurs. + ½ point

5:34 pm – Walk up stairs to find these sunglasses

that were being played with earlier destroyed by ninjas {my brown spare pair, at least}– 1 point

5:36 pm – Find Ollie in bathroom “skating” in his own pee-pee since he couldn’t get his shorts down in time at the potty. His exact words, “Look, Mommy! I get to skate in pee-pee!” as he’s sliding around the bathroom. Nice clean up there. – 5 points

6:00 pm – Jason volunteers to go to Target to get a dozen things for me + 1 point

6:45 pm – He brings me back a bottle of wine that was not on the list. + 5 points and he earns MVP for today

7:30 pm - Start baking for Mother’s Day Bake Sale at church. I’m baking Jeannie’s Shingles, Gooey Turtle Bars, Ultimate Carrot cake and Marbled Chocolate Bundt Cake. {Let me know which recipe you’d like and I’ll post it for you.} I am Queen of the Kitchen with my new Apron that I WON!! My friend Deanna, who re-did this here blog, also has a site called the Apronista. I entered to win this fab-o Apron and I WON!! It’s from Sassy Smox and I feel like such a domestic diva! + 2 points

8:15 pm – Jason has to go to Publix to get a few more things for baking. + 1 point since I’m not doing the errand- running

8:45 pm – Jason gets home and forgot one thing, so he goes back to the store. – 1 point. I’m starting to feel bad for my hubs on his 3rd trip to the grocery tonight.

9:15 pm – Onto 2nd glass of wine while Bundt cake is baking and have 4 loads of laundry either done or in a machine, so I’m doing great! Just have to cook carrot cake and package it all, so hopefully I’ll be to bed before midnight! It’s the packaging that takes so long, you know… + 1 point for getting close to having it all baked!

So, do you think I won today? I’m not sure since I haven’t added up those points, but at least I know that I lived to blog about it! And I learned to never, no never, give children M&Ms by the handful at snack time. Lest ninjas come to destroy my home- or more importantly- my sunglasses.

Mama of the Week

This week's (okay, we all know I don't get to this every week, but just in case I miraculously do at some point) Mama of the Week is my good friend Alana at Gray Matters.

We go WAY back. I mean WAAAAY back 30 years because she was my next door neighbor growing up. Her brother, Josh, was my age and in my grade so we hung out often and even beat Zelda together one summer, but Alana was MUCH cooler and older and always fun to be around. We even have the same birthday, so I knew she was special at a very early age.

I mentioned in this post that I have a fond memory of Alana bleaching her jeans outside in between our houses on a 1980s sunny day to the tune of "Red, Red, Wine" being blasted from her silver boom box. What I didn't find out until later (in her comment) is that she had to leave school the next day because freshly bleached jeans + skin= no good news.
I'll choose to just remember the bleach bottle whipping back and forth in rhythm to UB40 and not the bleached skin, okay? You are still cool in my book.

Now, Alana lives in Maryland and is super crafty, smart and funny. She keeps up with a husband and 3 kids and even has time to QUILT?? What? I know! How do you people do it? Her blog is all about great green living tips, crafts, her family, her journey, etc. It's great.

Alana also has an amazing journey of faith with God that she shares on her blog. She tragically lost 2 daughters in a car wreck almost (I think) 5 years ago. Please read her posts about that on the sidebar under posts that matter. She sheds wonderful and impacting stories about God's grace in those posts and I know you will be touched, like I continue to be.

Please go visit Alana and tell her hi! She is an awesome and deserving Mama of the Week- especially this week for Mother's Day! Love ya', my friend!

So, here's the truth

I have been working on this post for-e-VAH! I came in here to tell you all about our great time with Thomas the Tank Engine on Saturday and my computer was typing backwards! I couldn't log into blogger because I knew there was a fix for this and I couldn't just type in my username and password backwards or go to another computer {because I'm stubborn like that}.

And it wasn't typing backwards everywhere, just there. I could research it on google, but nothing that I found was helping me. TIGGNAD! I just knew that the kids had punched something into this hoopty laptop, but I never found out what happened.

Then I just re-started the computer and now it's fine. Jason would be so proud of me. Did you know he's a computer guy? He has a better title, but he's one of those computer people. He always tells me to "reboot" my "machine" before I even call anyone to help me {since I have to call my IT Dept. in Ohio with my work stuff}. I actually like it when he's right- most of the time. Particularly, this time.

Anyway, I'm tired, so the short version is that we had a good time with Thomas. We are getting very close to the age when it's actually pleasant to travel with our children. {Note that I didn't say that we're there, but that we are getting close.}

We braved the swine flu, the possible threat of any germ, {really- with all those kids touching the trains? Germ Central!}, and the floods to get over to Chattanooga to see that big blue engine.

We were running extremely late {slowed down by one dirty diaper once we were all strapped in and a TIME CHANGE? HELLO? Why don't the tickets mention this??}, but we ran- literally- onto our train ride with Thomas at 11:00. Whew!! Close one!

We waited in a short line to get our pictures made with Thomas after the train ride, but he backed away for the next passengers as our kids were getting their turn! That's okay, though. We got another picture as a family in front of Thomas {Henry calls him "Tommy"}, but ended up not buying it. I mean, where do you put that? Your kitchen? I think not...
Hmmm. Now that I think about it, maybe the kids room? Wish I would have thought of that on Saturday. My brain was apparently flooded like the ground.

Then the boys got to play with the trains, of course.And then we got to see animals. Ollie was so excited! He just kept jumping up and down. This picture is really goofy, but this is what he was doing. Hilarious.
Henry felt the same way about his up close encounter with a turkey. Then they got to get on some real trains.
I would recommend Chattanooga over Nashville for the Thomas experience for the vast array of trains they have already running and the amount that you get to "play" on. The food was better in Nashville, but that was it.

I've got to get to sleep now. Two little boys I know will be up "CHOO CHOO"ing bright and early. The swine flu has been somewhat under wraps here in Huntsville, so all schools are back open tomorrow! CHOO CHOO here we come!!!

Swine of '09

Is anyone else con-"swine"-d at home? We have 2 probable cases of swine flu in the county, so all schools, pre-schools, day cares- anything that usually welcomes a child- is CLOSED until Monday. Apparently there are 2 children at a kindergarten class at Heritage Elementary {which is a very good school, by the way} who have symptoms of the swine flu. I’m still unsure what the difference is in the swine version vs. the regular old flu, but I’m pretty sure you shouldn't be eating bacon.

Um, seriously. I know that last part isn’t true. They’ve only said it 482 times on the radio. They’ve also said “not to PANIC, but to be PREPARED”. And then they casually mentioned that there is a rush of hand sanitizer in every store in town. So you can see that no one here panics.

I cannot believe that I am about to admit this, but I went to Wal-Mart at 6:00 am. That’s right. I have become ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. But I wanted to get some stuff to stock up and didn’t want to drag the kids {aka germ catchers} out, so I had to go while Jason was home before he left for work. I just got a few things

and a little bit of hand sanitizer.
I know. I’m the problem. And I’m okay with it. If any neighbors need anything when we are in lock down, Defcon stage 9 ½, I’ll have it.

So, what are we doing today? Well, I still have to work {I am teaching 3 trainings today!} and the kids are getting closely reacquainted with Thomas the Tank Engine.

As if they hadn’t talked to him in a while…

And they might possibly be watching more than the recommended daily amount of television today.

It’s not like we haven’t camped out at home for MANY days, but now there’s the pressure to not go ANYWHERE! No playgrounds, no stores, no book stores with train tables. Those are my regulars. I feel kind of like I did with a newborn- but with more sleep and without maternity leave.

And the MAJOR thing I’m worried about is the Day Out with Thomas that is scheduled for this Saturday in Chattanooga. We’ve had tickets since January and if this durn pig thing messes that up, I might have 2 sad little train fanatics. We’ve had a big countdown calendar on the fridge that casually disappeared this morning- just in case.

Alright, we’re on to Diego, now. He’s returning condors to their home nest today. I hope that in the next episode he returns some swine to Mexico.