Running 2011

Well, I logged my last run of 2011 this morning and I am happy to say I made it through the year injury-free.  Some other running-related facts of the year, including many "firsts":

• I ran at least some miles in 11 out of 12 months of the year.  That is three more months than ever before.  I can say for a fact that this was the first December that I ever put in a single mile, and I managed about sixty.  Running with Christmas lights lighting my way was definitely a new experience, and not a bad one at all.
• I ran in cold rain, warm rain, and pouring rain, sweltering heat, strong winds, and snow.  I ran when the temps were above 90 and below 20.  I ran on beautifully perfect, low humidity, blue-sky days.  I ran as the sun set and as the sun rose and when the sun was high in the sky.
• I ran over 700 miles and for over 100 hours and burned over 60,000 calories doing so. 
• I ran at the beach in North Carolina.  I ran in Corning, New York.  I ran at a hotel in New Jersey (my only treadmill miles of the year).  I ran in a suburb of Philadelphia.  I ran in Erie, Pennsylvania. 
• I ran two 5K races and I ran my first half-marathon.
• I ran with friends.  I ran with music.  I ran with the Nike+.  I ran with my brand new Garmin watch.
• I ran when I was tired and angry and frustrated and busy.  I ran to feel energized and happy and clear-headed and calm. 
• I ran to stay fit, to stay sane, and to set a good example.  I ran for everyone around me and I ran for me.

It was a big year for me, running-wise, and I am feeling pretty good.  And I am feeling pretty optimistic about running 2012.

Christmas Highlights

This week has got to be one of the fastest of the year.  A much needed break, time with family and friends, a visit to the museum, playing and dancing, and lots of cleaning and organizing pretty much sums it up, but here are some details of Christmas Eve and Christmas:

• We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with John's side of the family (minus one) that included the fifth annual reading of The Night Before Christmas.

And to all a good night...

• The kids fed the reindeer and set out cookies for Santa.  They were sad to say goodbye to our elf, Caische, for the year.  Caische chose a great spot for his last day and watched all of the unwrapping from his high vantage point.




Can you see Caische on the wreath in the background?


• After a strict discussion of when it would be ok to wake up on Christmas morning (only after the sun comes up), the kids managed to find one ray of light to use as evidence that 7:00 was go time.  They were so excited.  We headed to the livingroom where the magic happened overnight.  They excitedly opened their stockings and then the presents Santa left them under the tree.  Sadly, the process went much more quickly than last year, when they wanted to savor each gift as they opened them.  This year, they wasted no time tearing through the presesnts.  Everly got the Dora watch that she was so hoping Santa would bring; Cortlan got the Legos he wanted and has been hard at work building with them ever since.

One of the highlights.  Nevermind the Loving Family Dollhouse; she wanted the Dora watch.

• There were many other surprises under the tree, as well.  My favorite gift was a Garmin running watch; I have already run 16 miles with it so far.  And now I know it was actually 16 miles and not some number in that ballpark.  I also know that I am a bit slower than I thought.  But that is ok.  John's big gift this year was a set of integrated turn signals for his motorcycle.  (Don't be jealous.)
• We played with our new toys and enjoyed a nice brunch together.  While the kids napped, still in their PJs from the night before, we prepped to go to my parent's house, where there were still more toys, as well as some great food and some singing and dancing.

My niece got this karaoke machine for Christmas.  The kids had a blast.

• The kids have had such fun visiting their friends this week and playing with all of their new things.  I have had fun visiting as well, but not so much fun trying to figure out where all the new things should go.  We are blessed to have all that we have, though, especially our family and friends. 

It was either this one, or the one where Cort had his finger in his nose.  The kids weren't into getting thier pictures taken this Christmas.

Amazing that another Christmas has gone by.  Here's to another year of memories...

The note that Santa wrote

Merry Christmas, Cortlan and Everly!

I hope you have a wonderful and magical day.  I brought you some things I think you might enjoy.  I hope you treat your new things nicely and take good care of them.  I noticed this year that you are both very good at sharing.  This makes me happy and I hope you continue because there are somethings I brought that you will both enjoy.  You have both been very good this year (though lately, there may have been a few things that could have been better!).  Always remember to be respectful and the best little boy and girl that you can be.  I am proud of you for trying hard.  Thank you for the delicious cookies and the food for my hard-working reindeer!  See you next year!  Merry Christmas!!

Love,
Santa (and Caische)

A pretty sweet weekend

This weekend was filled with cookie baking and decorating.  We made three kinds at our house (never mind two of the three were prepackaged mixes) and the kids helped as much as kids can help.  They were definitely a huge help in the eating department.  Cortlan has a shirt that proclaims him as "Grandma's Official Cookie Taster."  He was sure to ask if he could be mine, too.  Specifically, he asked, "Mommy, can I be your 'officianal' cookie taster?"  He did a great job and fulfilled all duties of the postion.

Funfetti cookies are exceptionally kid friendly.  For the first time ever, the kids may have actually expedited the process as opposed to causing it to take twice as long.

At Grandma's house, we baked sugar cookies.  The kids had a blast rolling the dough, pressing the cookie cutters into the dough, and of course, decorating the cookies.  Or over-decorating, to be more accurate.  

Regardless of how they looked, they were delicious and filled with memories.  Their teachers were thrilled to recieve some as gifts, too.

My wish list

As Christmas approaches, I decided that I am going to start a wish list.  Unlike other posts, I am going to post this unfinished, and continue to add to it as my wishes pop into my head.

With Christmas comes holiday entertaining at our house.  In fact, more people probably see the inside of my house in December and January (for Cortlan's birthday) than any other month of the year.  With that comes my first wish:

1.  That no one will give me a reason to get down on my hands and knees and scrub the bathroom floors before next Saturday, as I just finished doing that very chore in three bathrooms.  (Read: Cortlan, the pee goes in the pot.  Please.)

2.  That I will be able to create a complete grocery list and will not have to send John out for that "one thing" that I forgot to get.  And then send him out again for that "one other thing" that I didn't include the first two times.

3.  That no one else will surprise me with a gift that far outdoes anything that I have done for (or given to) him or her.  While I do enjoy giving gifts,  it can be pretty stressful for me at times.  Trust me, the thought is there...I am just not the best at the execution.

4.  That the turkey will be thawed this year when I go to put it in the oven, unlike last year.

5.  That I will someday see the end of my to-do list.

If only I had figured it out sooner

There are a few things that I wish I would have figured out a long time ago.  For example, there is no point in keeping the box that the crayons or markers came in.  Trying to get all the crayons put back in the box after each use is so much more work than just throwing the whole lot in a sandwich bag, zipping it up, and tossing it in the bin for easy access.  Another example:  I recently figured out that it is so much more time efficient to clean the bathroom while the kids are taking their showers than to try to do it on a Saturday morning.  I have to be in there then anyway, and I am usually waiting around.  Why not use the time to scrub the toilet and wipe down the sink?

The latest discovery doesn't so much save time as it does energy and frustration.  The back story: Cortlan hates waking up for school.  Our kids are asleep by 8PM and they both still take mid-afternoon naps both at school and at home, so it isn't as though he is totally sleep deprived.  But if I have to go into his room to wake him for school (sometimes he actually wakes himself, in which case the morning is a breeze) things are pretty painful.  "Cortlan, it is time to wake up."  "Cort, get up, buddy."  "Cortlan, we need to get ready for school!"  "I am going to turn your light on.  Here are your clothes; you need to get up and get ready."  And it goes on, until finally he gets out of bed.  Then the rest of the morning sounds more like this:  "Cortlan, go potty."  "Did you brush your teeth?"  "C'mon, Cortlan!  Get moving!"  "Cortlan, we are going to be late.  You need to get your clothes on."  "Let's go!  Get your socks!  Get your coat!  Come ON!"

Needless to say, it is frustrating.  For everyone.  And we are often late, no matter how early I start the process.

So recently, I decided: No more.  No more badgering.  No more reminding.  No more pestering.  And no more being late.  What did we do differently?  Well, the light goes on in Cortlan's room and he is told to get up.  His clothes are out.  He knows what to do and he needs to do it.  Seriously, he does.  For quite some time, the morning routine has been the same: get up, go to the bathroom, brush teeth, get dressed, get coat and shoes, get out the door.  The deal is that if he isn't ready by the time it is time to walk out (with reasonable time notices given), we take him in whatever state of getting ready he is in at the time.  Astonishingly, this method has worked.  I had a suspicion it might, but was a bit amazed to find that with or without the badgering, pestering, and reminding, Cortlan takes about the same amount of time to get ready in the morning.  So, it doesn't go any faster, really, but we are all much happier with this new way of doing things.  Until, at least, we have to take him to school half dressed and teeth not brushed.  But, with the way he reacted at the mere thought, I am thinking that probably won't happen.

You've got to love a girl that can express herself

To be honest, I have had some extremely difficult moments with Everly in the past year.  Considering that Cortlan's "Terrible Two's" didn't start until well after he was two, the beginning of Everly's second year of life was wrought with frustration and dread as to what was to come; I was worried that it would only get worse.  The meltdowns.  The tantrums.  The tears.  The not-listening.  What were we going to do??

Fortunately, within the last month or so, it seems as though we have rounded a huge corner with Everly, and now, she is as sweet as can be, funny, and so very expressive.  She makes me smile and she makes me laugh.  I think much of her turnaround can be attributed to her relatively sudden ability to express her emotions verbally instead of in a screaming, raging outburst.  For example, one of her new favorite words: frustrated (or fustated, as it sounds), as in "I am so fustated!" 

We have heard much more coming from Everly as she explores new words and new ways to express herself.  Last Friday on the way to school, she piped up from the backseat, "Darnit. I forgot something at home." Not that I am encouraging it, but it was a totally contextually appropriate (and relatively calm) use of the word, and John and I couldn't help but to laugh.

Yesterday, on the way home from school, Everly was talking a blue streak, telling us all about her day, who she played with, what she did (built a block tower that went all the way to the ceiling!), that her friend Max spilled milk at snack time and some got on her shirt, that she was going to dress up in her Minnie Mouse stuff, some of which she doesn't even own but that "Santa is going to bring!"  After a brief pause, she then said, "I am sad!"  When asked why, she responded, "None of my fends told me dat my sues are bootiful!"  You can imagine the discussion that ensued.  We had to explain to her that it doesn't matter if her friends tell her that her shoes are beautiful, that doesn't make them any less beautiful.  If she thinks they are beautiful, they are.  And even if they aren't, that is no big deal, either.  And she was fine with that.

Life has changed with Everly.  At least for the moment, I feel that things are getting easier.  At the very least, they are getting more entertaining.

Sometimes, it doesn't come naturally

So is it seriously December already? Yeah. I thought I would have some balance back in my life by now but somehow things got WAY out of balance recently, and unfortunately it didn't sway towards the fun stuff.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have graded way too many papers in the late PM hours and, in general, spent way too much of my time working. Granted, the New York trip this past weekend was fun, with great food and phenomenal shows.  (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was fantastic - who knew that Daniel Radcliffe was so tiny?  And Warhorse was absolutely amazing. If the movie is anywhere close to being as good as the play, it will be a must-see.) But my mind has been overwhelmed.  I realized today that it has been far too long since I spent time with my kids with out simultaneously doing something else, be it laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, driving, eating, being on the computer or my phone, or simply sorting through or creating lists in my mind. It it's time for me to refocus. It is time for me to try to get back to the moment and work on being present. Sometimes, my to-do list is overwhelming - Christmas cards and baking, figuring out what we are going to do for Cort's January birthday, organizing the Christmas Eve get-together, shopping for gifts, household chores, work - and those things cannot be neglected.  But I owe it to myself, my husband, and my kids to give them my full attention as much as I can when I am with them, and to get back to loving the moments that life gives me.

Let the refocusing begin.  Again.