School Year Complete!

What started off to be a tough and very negative start to the school year for Andersen finally came to a positive and happy end. I almost cried dropping Andersen off at his last day of school on Friday. It was a tough school year for him. He had a challenging start and we had some hurdles to over come and a change of schools but he finished on a positive and rewarding end. I handed his teacher a small bouquet of roses that Andersen had picked out and he handed her a card with a giftcard in it. A token of appreciation for taking him in half way through the year and being very understanding of his situation. If Andersen were to choose a gift he would have preferred to buy her a charm bracelet with hearts.

I know I'll miss his enthusiasm he had for going to school. Enthusiasm I haven't seen him have since his first day of school. We did see one of his teachers from the other school he attended. She kindly said Hello Andersen as he looked away with no interest in responding to her. I know he's in a better place and look forward to the following school year!

And a Week Later...

Just realized how long it's been since I've last posted. This past week was pretty crazy and went by too fast! The boys are all doing great, though had a mishap with Carter who was playing on the computer chair with Andersen.Carter had fallen out of the computer chair while Andersen was turning him around. I nor Ron saw him fall out but he had hurt his foot/ankle Monday evening. We went to the doctor Tuesday and even had x-rays done which came back negative. Carter wouldn't walk for a couple of days which seemed to get better by Wednsday afternoon. He still walks with a little limp which makes me believe he had sprained it.

Andersen did awesome at his soccer game on Saturday! On the 15th of May he didn't want to play and spent time hanging on the goalie and climbing the nearby fence. Mud was a big attraction last weekend for him as well. He played in it and showed off for his aunt who kept laughing at every thing he did. This Saturday was a focused, determined, ball kicking, scoring, ball stopping goalie. I don't know where his motivation came from since this was completely out of character for him or he and soccer finally clicked.

This weekend was great. We had a new babysitter watch the kids in which two hours before her arrival Andersen couldn't wait for her to come and us to leave. On Friday he continued to tell me all the things he was going to tell the babysitter that he was allowed to do which was completely against our household rules. I did tell him don't worry I will tell her our rules. "No!" he would say. "I'm going to tell her MY RULES!" I would just chuckle. Two hours before our double date night with our neighbors Andersen had propped up a chair at the window to wait for the babysitter. He asked over and over again when she would arrive in which I would inform him not for two hours or so. He then bugged me to call her and tell her to come right away. I've never seen him so excited about us leaving. When she did arrive he chatted non stop and showed her everything from his toothbrush to the shirt he had planned on wearing to bed.

The date was a success! We went for dinner and then out to see Robin Hood. Didn't realize it was a nearly a two and half hour movie which carried us past ten in the evening. The following morning I was going with the group for a morning run and while leaving out the door at 6:15am Carter had made his way downstairs asking for Rachel "the babysitter". He went to the front door trying to open it saying "chel-chel" (Rachel) while he burst into tears. I woke Ron up to come downstairs to take care of him and I was out the door.

Sunday run was a long and painful success. 10.6 miles done. I was exhausted due to two late nights in a row. Though was proud of my miles for the week. A nice little 39.6 miles for the week. Upon returning home from the run I was quite surprised to see Ron and the boys gone. It was already eighty degrees outside and only 9:20 am. Met the boys at the park for a couple of hours, out for lunch, and home for a nap. I put myself to bed for a couple of hours as well. The afternoon brought us beautiful though a hot 93 degrees out. The boys were hot and we spent about an hour at the park running around. The evening ended with meeting our new neighbors while grilling out and enjoying a couple of Coronas while the boys played outside. Baths and an early bed time completed the evening.

Yesterday was so hot that the boys didn't want to be outside. We ate lunch and at the park after picking Andersen up from school. It was too hot so we stayed there for about a half hour. After naps we played out in our front yard with the sprinkler which cooled the boys off and they still had some outside time. Jasper does not like to be splashed or sprayed with water. He remained with me instead of jumping through the sprinkler. He really disliked it when one of his brothers would spray him with the sprinkler. They enjoyed their snack and a Popsicle outside.

This morning I started my Tuesday off with a Tuesday thirteen mile run. It's the longest run I've ever done and it felt great! Needless to say I'm ready for the half Marathon on the 13th of June. Another busy Tuesday as usual have lots going on this morning and probably going to end the day with a nice afternoon at the park.

Happy Monday!

Great 7.5 mile run this morning. Knees are sore so I think I'm going to skip the Tuesday 10 tomorrow and stick with some low key training. Had a great weekend! Andersen had soccer which is always a blast to watch. I had a little Birthday party gathering for my Mom this weekend which was a success and nice to get together. We had planned on staying at my Mom's Saturday night though plans changed. It was nice to visit but refreshing to get home. Sunday was awesome. Great weather to be outside though a little too windy. We took the boys out for lunch and then headed to Independence Grove. Independence Grove is this huge park,beach, running, and biking trails, boat rentals, canoe-ing, and fishing. Let the boys run around at the park and went on a walk. Boys loved it as well as Ron and I. Took the boys for some Slushies and back out to another park. Great end to our weekend and we enjoyed most of the day outside.

Ron decided to work from home today so he took Andersen to school and I ran some errands. Bought a new pair of Mizunos on sale! Was needing to buy a new pair though Ron thinks I'm crazy because I just bought a pair in February. The miles I put in plus wear them throughout the day puts more miles on them than just my runs in the morning. At least now I can start separating my running shoes from my everyday shoes. While the boys nap this afternoon and if Ron's still home I'm planning on hitting the pool and I look forward to maybe breaking my new shoes in tomorrow. =)

It's at the corner of get a map and Fuck Off!

I feel the sigh of relief at this moment after dropping lots of baggage. All the bottled up aggravation that has irked and bothered me the last ten years if not more. The revelation of where I really stand with people and the ability to finally let go and say nothing that you say or think matters in my life. What I don't read on this online socializing doesn't exsist, hence won't aggravate me and make me dwell and feel bad. The non responses of people we once called a family and the lack of support. Goodbye and good night!

Run Run Run!

Sometimes I despise busy days because there never seems to be enough time in the day. Yesterday was on the go and the playdate was cancelled by Andersen's friend due to illness but the boys were already expecting Monkey Joe's so I had to take them. I was exhausted near the end. We arrived about 12 and left around 2:40 and then had to make a trip to the store for milk and bread. I hardly had time to eat yesterday or plan for dinner which left me buying cooked chicken breast from the deli and a side of veggie pasta for the family for dinner. I realized upon waking up this morning I didn't take in enough carbs yesterday b/c we were going going. My eating goal today is to load up on carbs if there's time.

I did some really good cardio this morning on the crossramp and finished it off with a 2 mile run in 15mins. Upon arriving home the boys were whinning which put a damper on my endorphin high. blah! Andersen has school today and while he's there I have some errands to run, make lunch for the boys, change into workout clothes, pack snacks and drinks, make something on the go for Andersen because once he's picked up we have to rush to the Y for his classes and he has to eat lunch on the way. While he's in class I'll get core-trainning done and then after class the twins have a derm appointment at 2. By the time the day's done it'll be nearly 4pm and then it'll be time to start dinner and prepare for my appointment at 6. Don't get me wrong I love busy days! I hate when we don't have any plans and have to figure something out. But two days in a row is a killer and drains not just me but the boys. Whew! Looking forward to a break tomorrow.

Happy Tues!

This past week was a rough one for Andersen. He did some unimaginable things. His actions were the type, as a parent, would say my child would never do that...Or that's what we thought and to our surprise it happened. Ron's been working many hours and drill weekends which are once a month seem to come nearly every weekend. We've been so busy it's felt like we haven't had time to enjoy our family. After Andersen's actions early last week Ron took a few days off and worked for a few hours from home. Some much needed down time for him and some much needed Daddy time for the kids. So far this week has gotten off to a good start and everybody and everything seems to be back to normal. The boys are having a bit of Daddy withdraw this week but everyone seems to be in great spirits despite the rain we're having now.

Andersen had soccer on Saturday in which was pretty much cancelled due to the lack of kids. I think most parents decided to keep their kids home because of the cool 40s with drizzle. My Mom and sister came out for it and instead of keeping the twins out in the cold I decided to put them in Amazing Kids at the Y and I hit the treadmill completing a short 4 miles. I figured I'd bring the twins out to the last 15 minutes of Andersen's game to find it was cancelled after 30 minutes. The kids were excited to see my Mom. Carter, like always, cried throughout the day b/c he wanted grandma to stay.

Mother's day was awesome. We don't go out for breakfast ever but on Mother's day we did. Really enjoyed an excellent veggie omelet and the boys enjoyed their pancakes in which they don't get very often. Ron changed all the poops for the day and even made dinner and cleaned up afterwards. The weather was wonderful and such a change from the chilly wind. We hit a park after breakfast and went for a walk/park after naps. Nice break from the constant hustle and bustle.

With a great start to the week and a nice little two week break from excercising. I did do a little but since Ron was off work I took off from getting up so early with the exception of a couple of days. Yesterday I started off the week with some good cardio early in the morning and then went back later while Andersen was in school for some weight training. Since having issues with my right knee and knowing I need to do more cross-training and strengthening of the muscles around my knee I've found a cool machine to help me. It's a machine that moves the legs and knees laterally, almost like rollerblading, hence, helping to build the muscles around the knee. Nice. I jumped on it for about ten minutes after my weight training. Ten minutes seemed enough b/c it was a killer on the quads and inner theighs. This morning I did a Tuesday 10 miles which will be the brunt of my miles for the week and will do short 6-7miles the rest of the week. While Andersen's in swim lessons I'll get some extra weight training in and later while the Jasper and Carter are in school I'll swim with Andersen. It's a busy Tuesday considering after the twins class we will be hoping over to Monkey Joe's for a playdate a little after 12. Maybe the ten miles wasn't such a good idea today but it sure felt great!

It'll be a napless day for the boys and possibly a long one for me. The one thing I do look forward to is an early bedtime for the boys and for myself! =)

Getting back into the swing of things

After taking it easy the week after the race I ran again this morning. I admit I put in one short though fast run last week. For anyone who knows me knows I can't half ass a workout. I really enjoy the sweat and the burn I put into my morning cardio. After a week off I went back to the gym this morning and was maybe going to do a 5-7 mile run. My 7th mile was awful and loooong! I wanted to quit but I hadn't even been running an hour. I was feeling great so trugged through the 7th mile. I finished 8 miles a little over an hour and didn't want to stop. 8th mile went fast and the last mile felt forever. Was happy when I was done and finished my 10 miles in an hour twenty. Not my best time but with two bathroom breaks I sure I can shave a minute or two off of that time. =)

While Andersen was in swim class this morning I worked on my weightlifting and core training. Look forward to my swim I'm going to do in a bit while the twins are in school. Great getting back into the swing of things again!

First Soccer Game!

Today was Andersen's first soccer game. We signed him up to play soccer at the Y this year. The last couple of Saturdays were practices and today he played his first game. In the first game he played goalie but the ball never made it down to his end of the field. On that note Andersen pretended he was an airplane flying out of the net around and back in. The next two games he ran.

Within the first few minutes of the second game he had fallen. I thought he was ok at first but he took it a little too personally as he sat in the middle of the field. His feelings were hurt when he was accidentally knocked down. I thought it was going to be the end of soccer for the day for Andersen b/c he was shedding tears and didn't want to play anymore. I explained it was an accident, went over the object of the game, something Ron and I have been pep-talking him up all week for, and sent him back out. So he moped on the field with his head down. I pulled him aside again and chatted with him about brushing it off and moving on and told him to GO GET THAT BALL! After some motivational talk he was back in the game. He did fall again when he tripped over another kid's foot but jumped up and kept going. My pep talk did work b/c him and another boy kept at that ball leaving our field and into the next field where another game took place. Once the ref brought the boys back to our field Andersen said he was really tired had lost interest in soccer for a bit.

Andersen taking a breather and needing a pep talk to get him out there running again.

After the game and snack with friend and teammate Kylie!

Ended up not raining for the game, the field was hardly wet from last nights down pour, and was an excellent experience for all of us. Andersen seemed to enjoy it and the twins didn't pay any attention to it. I tried to video tape as much as possible since Ron missed his first game due to having drill this weekend.

Carter's humor

I have found each one of the boys have very different personalities and what they think is funny. Andersen is a goofy jokester, Jasper's a shy jokester, and Carter is....I don't know how to describe it b/c he will do something that makes Ron and I say what the hell? About two weeks ago we were at the park where that has a sand box and metal mechanical diggers for kids to sit on and dig in the sand. As I was watching the kids run around and chatting with a friend I noticed Carter over in the sand box. He was lying under one of the diggers. My initial reaction was to go get him when I realized he wasn't stuck by the way he was moving. I continued to chat and keep a close eye on him.

There was a couple of dads standing nearby and they had noticed Carter under the digger. Carter was saying, "Help me! Help me!" These dads began to walk over to Carter to help when Carter got out from under the digger and began running around laughing. The dads laughed when they realized Carter was goofing around.

Carter below saying "Help me! Help me!" while laughing.


Carter will do this at playgrounds or even at home where he'll trap himself in a laundry basket and say "Help me! Help me!" Last night after our movie night Carter picks Ron's foot up and takes an exaggerated smell. He began shaking his head and saying "whoa!" as he fell backwards as if he were passing out and laughing at the same time. Carter has this strange and off the wall sense of humor that always keeps us on our feet and laughing.

Lakefront 10 miler

Ok, I've heard I'm crazy that my first race was a 16K. Normal people start off with a 5K or 10K. I guess I look at it as if you can easily run 10 miles than why not just do it? And I want to thank my friend for asking me to run it. Ron says why pay to run 10 miles when you can do it for free but this was an awesome experience and I would love to do it again! Great run downtown Chicago. Wish the weather was a little nicer i.e. some sunshine. Race weather was a cool 50s and of course windy and overcast though the rain seemed to hold off.

As seen in the picture below I was very pumped I had been up early. This picture was taken at 4:30am by my husband Ron who wasn't happy with me waking him up to take a picture. =)


Upon arriving to the start I studied what others were wearing. When we went to pick up our packet it was really windy and cold. I was wearing my longsleeve shirt with shorts and could barely stand the wind. The toughest decision for me as I studied the apparel of the other participants was whether to wear my long sleeve shirt. I was so excited about the run I went out and bought a bright pink shirt with the logo RUN across it as seen above. I didn't want to cover it up. The new shirt's thin and hardly a tech shirt. Wasn't sure if it was going to keep me warm enough or was I going to regret wearing my warm long sleeve shirt. Of course I could have taken the long sleeve off and wrapped it around my waist but I'm all about the less baggage the better. Had one bathroom break a little after I passed the 6 mile marker and my right knee bothered me a little after the 7 mile marker but held through to the end. I had bought and worn a hat which I never do just in case if it rained. Mile 7/8 I was regretting wearing it. My head was so hot I wanted to just throw the cap off to the side. I finished with a strong sprint which meant I could have pushed myself harder on the last mile instead of reserving my energy.

The group that we went downtown with. Great group of people who I just recently met but my friend Amanda's known for years. I was the only one who brought a camara to take a picture of all of us.


Overall an excellent first race and start to the weekend! Looking forward to my first half marathon!

First race..10 mile no sweat!

Excited! Excited! Excited! And yet deep down nervous! Nervous! Nervous! My emotions can't figure out what to feel. It's not the 10 miles that make me nervous. 10 miles no sweat for me...but cold, rain, knee, not sure how much I can carry with me i.e. ipod etc., and the total unexpected that makes me nervous!

The Lake Front 10 mile run. What better race can one sign up for especially for a first race? Beautiful downtown Chicago, lake front, flat land, hundreds of people and the best part it's in the spring. Not too hot nor too cold....well that's what I thought. Rain, thunderstorms, 50 degree weather. So I loaded my Ipod with lots of new music. I'll be running with a group of friends but I just want to have a fall back safety of music for a burst of energy. And for those people who ask how can I run on a treadmill for 5-10 miles, it's simply music. As long as my Ipod's loaded with good new music I can run forever.

My new favorite artist is Superchick. Kinda punk rock, fast, and the lead singer jams about overcoming hurdles. My favorite new song is by Asher Roth 'Be By Myself'. Good beats. What makes good running music for me is if I can hear my feet hit the pavement in the song or if I can hear my heart race to it excluding what the song's actually about. My favorite song with great positive message to run to is Miley Cyrus The Climb. She sings the message I need to start living by, "There's always going to be uphill battle sometimes I'm going to have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's on the other side. It's the Climb." A few other Artists who will be joining me for my first race tomorrow are Coldplay, JLo, Depeche Mode, Wale, Pitbull, Killers, The Veronicas, LMFAO, Melisa Etheridge, BEP, Hot Chelle Rae, Morningwood, Ke$ha, John Mayer, Orianthi, and etc.

My bag's packed with towel, change of clothes, fruit and nut bar, Gatorade, water, hat, a light long sleeve shirt to wear and possibly take off, Endurance, and MOTIVATION! Now to just get some sleep tonight.

Soccer

Andersen started soccer this past weekend. The last time he was in soccer was in the fall and the class took place during the day while Ron was working. Saturday morning Andersen was quite anxious and excited about Ron attending his soccer practice. The morning of while Ron slept in a little Andersen was questioning whether he was home and going to be able to come watch him play soccer. It made his day when Ron came down for breakfast. The difference between his soccer class in the fall and the Y soccer is he gets a soccer shirt and we bought shin guards and cleats. I let him pick out a pair of soccer shorts to start the season off with. Of course his favorite color at this time is Red so that was the color shorts he picked. The first thing that popped in my head when he picked out red shorts was what if the team shirts are green. He'll look like he's ready for christmas than thought the chances of that happening are slim to none. I didn't try to change his mind or talk him out of it b/c it's something for him to be excited about.

Saturday morning was much colder than we had anticipated. With trying to pack things to keep Jasper and Carter entertained, warm, and occupied with I totally forgot the camara. We walked the twins over to the field and Andersen met his coach and was handed a green shirt. I chuckled to myself. Ron ran around during practice with Andersen and they practiced kicking and doing drills. I sat with the twins on the sidelines feeding them snacks and trying to keep them as warm as possible. It wasn't all that cold in the sun though the wind made it really chilly. They ate their snack for some time and watched Andersen practice. After awhile I walked the twins over to the park and we ran around.

Andersen had a blast and was very enthusiastic about soccer. I think it was due to Daddy playing soccer with him. When we left Ron promised to take Andersen out and pick out a soccer ball so we did and upon returning home Andersen was still very stoked about soccer he wanted to skip lunch and practice more with Daddy. We decided against it since it was our spring cleaning day and later took the boys to a park with a field to let them run and kick their new soccer balls. Overall a great day and start to the soccer season!

"Boy Heavy"

Since switching Andersen to a new school I have found him to be much more talkative and engaging in conversation with me. It seems the witty, goofy, 1000 questions Andersen is back. He seems more pleasant, content, and outgoing. When he comes home from school he seems to really enjoy talking about school unlike before he would say, "I don't want to talk about it", or become aggravated with my questions about school and would growl, "I don't remember" or "I'm done with it already."

With this positive turn around in personality and very much looking forward to the next year in pre-k at his old school, which Andersen knows, understands, and is fine with. I found out one of the kids who according to his old teacher 'had a negative affect' on Andersen will be attending pre-k next year. Part of me is terrified for Andersen. How do I take him out of a negative situation and then put him back in a class with one of the personalities that had a negative affect on him? I do have full confidence in next year's teacher, who was his teacher the year before, that she will keep full control of the class. She's a very straight forward teacher, something I found lacked this year. I felt we, as parents, were given the run around with excuse after excuse ignoring behaviors and issues that were happening in the class.

I find I dislike when people make excuses for problems in the class. It's "Boy heavy." I would have somewhat agreed with that previously to changing schools though Andersen's new class has seven boys and four girls. How come one teacher can keep the "boy heavy" class in check but at his old school the "boy heavy" class ran by two teachers there's such a lack of control? Believe me, I understand "boy heavy". It's chaos if there's no control. Boys will push each other and the boundaries to the limits and it can be crazy. At home there can be a lot of chaos.

Overall, this shouldn't be happening in preschool. Preschool's suppose to be fun and engaging for the three and four year olds. If a child feels as if the teacher's not going to do anything, as Andersen has told me when I said go tell the teacher, than there's a lack of safety and trust in the teacher(s.
Really hoping for a better year next year.

Carter Poot!

Today Carter told me when he needed to poop. The way he says poop, "poot! poot!" I can't help laughing when I hear him say it b/c he sounds like Theodore from Alvin and the Chipmunks. "poot, poot!"

It was after naps and I was going to change his diaper when he farted and realized I better leave it on so I don't waste a fresh diaper. A couple minutes later he looks at me and grabs his butt and says, "Poot Mama! Poot!" I asked if he already pooped. "No Poot! Poot Mama!" So I put him on the toilet seat and he pooped. I clapped, smiled, told him great job, and gave him a sticker. He smiled and laughed and even Andersen said, "Let me see Carter! Great Job!" as he looked at Carter's "Poot" in the toilet. This really upset Jasper. He came in the bathroom screaming and crying, "I poop popta too!" (I poop in the potty too) I put Jasper on and he couldn't which upset him even more. I told him it's ok if he doesn't have to go we can try later. "No! I poop too!" We waited a couple of minutes and the longer we waited the more angry and the louder he cried. After consoling and leaving him to his fit I finally pulled him off the toilet and faught to put his diaper and jeans back on him. He screamed and cried b/c he wanted to poop in the potty as Carter had.

The one thing I've learned about Jasper the past few months is he is very competitive. He wants to be first, he wants to win, and he really gets upset when he doesn't. If we're at the park Jasper will bypass any child, big or small, just to be first and he gets by the other child very smoothly (without knocking him or her down) and very quickly. Carter on the other hand could care less about winning or being first.. He's content with just being where he is and just having fun.

I was very proud of Carter and his first time seriously letting me know before he poops b/c lately it's been after he's already pooped. Lately he's been asking to be put on the potty. He hasn't been going in the potty but it's the initiative. I'm not pushing potty training just yet and god help if Carter starts using the potty before Jasper. Great Job Carter!

Jasper and Carter's first separation

Carter spent a night over the weekend. His first time alone without his brothers and Jasper's first night of separation from Carter. Surprisingly both did very well and while leaving Grandma's without Carter, Jasper was saying, "Bye Gramma! Bye Carker!" I thought the evening would be easy with just two and especially with Andersen being the big brother going out for dinner would be a piece of cake. I was wrong. Andersen was fidgety and wouldn't listen. Ron and I just kept glancing at each other wanting to walk out. Ron was gone all day at drill and was drained and I was with the boys all day and the drive home was exhausting. Jasper was excellent. He ate everything on his plate, sat still, and listened. The evening ended in putting Andersen to bed when we arrived home and Jasper stayed up and played games with Ron and I.

Upon picking Carter up the next day my Mom looked exhausted. Carter went down fairly early the night before but was up around 4 something in the morning saying he was ready to go home. Thankfully Carter slept the whole way home since we did have a birthday party to attend when we arrived home.

Troubled Twins

I ran this morning despite the signs my body's giving me. I was just really motivated as I walked into the gym at the Y. I first went for the cross ramp with book in hand but they were all taken. I glanced at all the ellipticals, bikes, and whatever cardio machine I can get on and read my book. Nothing was open, even the treadmills were pretty much all taken except for one and I could hear it whispering, "Come run on me! You know you want to!" and so I told myself, just a little run, it won't hurt. I ran 5.7 miles at an 8:00 minute mile pace and then my right knee screamed at me to stop. So I stopped and walked about a quarter to a half mile as I chatted with a mom whose boy goes to Andersen's new school. Once conversation ended I figured I'd get in one more good mile before I call it quits. Stupid? I guess you could say so but I didn't quite reach my endorphin burst. So I ran another mile at a 7:20 minute mile pace. Afterwards I weight trained and went and checked my weight since it's been awhile. I finally lost 20 lbs which was surprising since I stopped being so strict on my diet about a month ago.



I had a few minutes til I had to pick Jasper and Carter up and ran into a friend. We chatted for about 10 minutes. I kept glancing at the clock and knew I was going to be a little late. Upon walking into the Kids' Room I was met by one of the ladies who work in the room. I noticed Jasper and Carter both had their jackets on and were ready to go. At first I thought they might have dawned their gear to go but after what this girl told me I thought maybe the ladies who worked the room were ready for them to leave. The lady who approached me was casually friendly but a little upset. "I just want to let you know the boys escaped three times and made it to the end of the hallway before we noticed they were gone so I'm sorry to inform you of it but also you're 10 minutes late picking them up. Your drop off time was five after nine and you were suppose to be here at five after eleven." I was a little astonished she approached me about it since the room was close to empty but I knew I was a little late. I responded with, "sorry and it won't happen again." She nodded at me and walked off.

When I buckled Jasper and Carter in the car I asked them if they ran out of the play room? "yeah, I did!" they both said giggling. It was obvious they thought it was a game. I then told them that's NOT good and they are NEVER to leave that room without ME! I'm hard on the boys when they mess up mainly because they work in sync as a team when they're up to no good. Even though I was telling them their behavior was completely unacceptable I couldn't help laugh inside. I'm not one of those parents who laugh and chuck it to the side "boys will be boys" when my kids mess up or are out of line but I could just visualize it in my mind one or maybe two girls chasing them as I do everyday trying to get control of them and the situation. The panic of having one and one's missing. I could hear their pattering shoes and both of them laughing and giggling as these girl(s) are chasing them down the hall.

Overall I don't know if they were upset with me for being 10 minutes late or if the boys really gave them a run for their money and they just wanted them gone from the room. Good times raising a set of twin boys.

The ever changing plans

Ran a nice little 10 mile run this morning. Cool weather in the 50s and a little drizzle to keep us cool while running. There was a last minute route change so it was only a 10 mile vs. a 10.6. Second time I've ran 10 miles outside and was contemplating doing an extra 2 mile stretch with the group. Figured against it since it's only my second time running outside but will probably attempt it the next time in a couple of weeks. The weekend before the 24th.

Plans have changed. Ron didn't have drill this weekend, it's next weekend and his work travel has been kicked off his schedule for next week. He will be home the weekend of the 24th! Yay, that means I should probably get one more weekend to run an outside 10 miler. I did sign up for the race since Ron won't be travelling that weekend and am very excited. It'll be my first race ever. Next one will be a little 6.2 mile in August. Was asked to do the running part of a triathlon so very excited to be apart of it! Was informed of the LZ half marathon in September. Will definitely keep that one in hindsight and on my calender. We'll see how training goes over the summer.

Last night my cousin had his first baby boy which I am very excited to go visit and see little Ryan for the first time today. The anticipation for Ryan to be here has been great and even my eldest Andersen's been excited to have little Ryan here since he's been asking me to have another one. My response: "You'll have to take that one up with Dad!" This morning I was informing Andersen that we're going to go see baby Ryan later today b/c Aunt Kelly and Uncle Andy welcomed him into the world last night. He turns to me and says, "When is it going to be your turn Mom?" I asked, My turn for what? "To have another baby brother?" I simply said, go talk to Daddy about that one. We've sat down and spoken to Andersen about having more babies so don't think I'm insensitively telling my 4 yr old something he doesn't somewhat understand.

Great day and look forward to watching the boys find their Easter Baskets tomorrow morning and eating their chocolate throughout the week...like I haven't already started! =P Happy Easter!

Short sleeves

I went with short sleeves this morning. The simplist decisions can really boggle me. If that's the toughest decision than life is good! It was a great 5.7 mile run and I'm motivated to go for another this afternoon. I have a 10.6 mile run tomorrow to attend so I don't want to over do it and kill myself nor my knees by morning. It's cool and beautiful outside which is just perfect for a run. Hopefully there will be no rain in the morning.

The toughest decision of my day

Have been very busy lately hence the lack of blogging. I was really trying to finish one book to start the one for my book club which was unsuccessful. Couldn't find the motivation to finish it and it's a book that's been put on hold at the library so I couldn't recheck it out and after it expired by a week I finally decided I can finish it later and turned it back in.. Now I'm on the quest to finish my new book for book club in about two weeks. Reading, like running, is a love/hate relationship. I love it b/c I do enjoy getting into a good book and reading but I hate trying to find the time to do so. I love the feeling and high I get from a run but I really hate the start of a run.

Going running with a friend this morning. It's a cool 61 which is excellent for running. My face and arms are a little burnt from being outside yesterday and I'm facing, which will be the toughest decision of my day, should I wear short sleeves or long sleeves when I go running in less than twenty minutes. Will I be too cold when I finish and am sweating or be too cold while I'm running due to my slight burn? One would think being a mom of three and the every day obstacles and challenges I tackle each day this decision would be the easier but since I awoke an hour ago I've been trying to figure it out. In the overall scheme of it I will over pack, bringing more than what I need and figuring it out when I get there.

Kids' eating habits

I saw something pretty disturbing on tv yesterday. It's the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution. It's a challenge to try to change eating habits in America as well as what schools feed kids. I didn't realize since I was in grade school that kids are fed Breakfast and lunch at school. I believe, when I was in high school we could pick up a snack or something in the cafeteria but I never really spent time in the lunch room other than lunch time. I'm shocked at what they were feeding kids for breakfast from the cafeteria. Giving kids at such a young age the choice of all these different flavored milks, and the lack of fruits and vegetables. The ones that were served were canned which are high in fructose syrup. Made me think about what I feed the boys in the evening.

I was always really good about what I fed Andersen as a toddler and even the twins last winter. I think it was last summer that I began changing what I made the boys. I don't tend to put much thought into what we're going to eat for dinner and when I do I stick to the same menu. Chicken, salmon, pasta, hamburgers, fishsticks, grilled cheese, pizza, Rice with Chicken and peppers, hotdogs, chicken nuggets, mac n' cheese (with tuna/chicken, and vegetables mixed in), etc. Those are typical main courses I feed the boys in our household. Each one with a fruit and or vegetable on the side. Never really put any thought into making a salad to eat on the side, which was a dinner routine for us growing up. Over the year I've gotten away from making salmon and chicken b/c there's preparation and thought I have to put in it and I've been working off of last minute ideas that I can throw together quickly. Another change is since the twins have gotten older each boy likes something different so I've stopped serving some stuff and will try to accommodate everyone.

Since watching the show I've started trying to change things up. Last night we did grilled chicken, Greek salad on the side with apple slices. Boys seem to really eat it up. Tonight I served a romaine salad for the first time. We played outside for three hours so the boys are exhausted and something fresh really seemed to hit the spot for them. Romaine lettuce with sliced cucumbers, sliced grape tomatoes, yellow and red peppers, and squeezed some fresh cut lemon to taste. I bought a dressing that I know is not over the top fattening but something the boys may enjoy, Catalina. The boys surprised me and actually ate it. Jasper wouldn't eat the cucumbers and yellow peppers. Carter wouldn't eat the tomatoes, and Andersen wouldn't eat the yellow peppers. Oh well can't please them all but whatever one wouldn't eat just gave to the other. Next as the main dish I baked some Tilapia marinated in lemon pepper. I chopped up a portabello mushroom, red peppers, yellow peppers, sliced up a lemon and squeezed it in. When done, I placed the Tilapia on a bed of rice and drizzled the lemon pepper sauce around. Boys weren't too pleased by it. Andersen ate up most of the rice, little fish, Carter's my human trash can and just ate. And Jasper took a couple of bites and said he was done. I thought it was a little bland mixed with too sweet.

Out of today's experiment I will definitely keep making a salad to add more color to the boys' diets and work on the fish. When I make salmon the boys eat it up no questions asked though I wanted to change it up and see what they'll eat. Next time I'll prepare the tilapia a bit different and see if I can get them to eat more of it. I must say I have some left overs that I can eat for dinner tomorrow and the next day! yay!

Time's going going gone!

Nice little 7 mile run after being off for 4 days. Ugh. Ron's gone on a business trip til Friday and I've had a horrible cold which has taken my voice hostage....It's yet to be returned and being home with three boys without trying to use my voice has been challenging. I do find my Patience to be very short and limited. I've been more aggravated lately b/c I am having to repeat myself and then I start yelling. Andersen's been the most challenging since Ron's left. I believe it's been the lack of time spent with Daddy the past few weeks. Ron's work has picked up resulting in him coming home later and only having an hour to spend with the kids before he has to get on a conference call. Ron had drill a couple of weekends ago and last weekend Ron and I went away for a couple of days, something I really needed. Ron felt terrible about leaving Andersen last weekend but I think he needed a break as well. This weekend he's gone but will be back next weekend and then we go into a new month and Ron will be gone the first two weekends of April and possibly the last weekend.

That 10 miler I wanted to do is coming so fast and I'm terrified I won't be ready in time. I wanted to get in an outdoor 10 mile run before hand but I don't see it happening anytime soon and not sure if Ron's going to be in town that weekend anyways. Times are changing and time seems to be speeding up. What happened? Already heading full force into April! :?

By the way if anyone hears my voice please let it know I'm looking for it!

The day my boys went deaf

Ron left yesterday morning for a business trip in which he'll be gone for one week. Piece of cake I've done this before. Yesterday was beautiful! 60 and sunny and we spent as much time outside while Andersen kept having meltdowns (which is unusual for him) about how he wants to just go to a toy store. I explained it's going to be cold and rainy all weekend and we'll have plenty of time to go.

The day started off pretty well though I believe my kids lost their hearing while they slept last night. I was pretty set on going to the Y for a run since I've had two days off though wasn't too confident because I've had a bad cough and congestion this week. I figured it would get the kids out and they can play while I get some time to myself. Later I decided against it and decided to take the boys to a movie at noon which will cut out a nap. Naps are ok to miss here and there and since it's going to be a low key day I figured why not? Noon can't come soon enough since the boys were up around a little before 6am. I put them back in bed and went back myself. In the mean time a shoe store in the area's having a buy one get one half off plus I had a coupon for 20% off so I figured that would take up some time before the movie. Wasn't sure what time the store opened so left the house, boys bundled up, to find out that they didn't open for another hour. So I headed to Target to waste some time. We began walking around in which consisted of Andersen whining that he wanted to go to the toy section. I told him we would but lets walk around first while I kept on him about keeping up and stop laly-gaggling. Complaining and whining came along with the looking and walking around the store where he complained how tired he was of walking and his legs are so tired. "Do you want to sit in the cart since you're so tired of walking?" I asked. He snuffed and said No! His complaining just continued so I put him in the cart and took out Jasper who I knew would keep up and would listen. Andersen immediately had a LOUD meltdown something I'm not accustomed to because he's never had one in public. I kept walking and ignored his meltdown while Jasper walked along with the cart. We soon made it to the toy section and while trying to get the boys to load up again was another meltdown by Andersen who said he was really angry with me for putting him in the cart. I nodded and explained if he would have listened, kept up, and stopped complaining than he wouldn't be in the cart. Jasper stood on the outside of the cart which I was fine with since I was going slow. Andersen was still angry and decided to peel Jasper's fingers off the cart. I corrected him and told him the consequences of his actions and told him his Wii privileges were gone if he did it again. He did do it again and this time Jasper fought back with the hand that Andersen knocked off and began hitting Andersen in the head which resulted in Andersen yelling to stop. I told Jasper not to ride on the cart and Andersen lost Wii time which again Andersen had another crying loud meltdown.

It was time for the shoe store to open and we were first in the door. Normally the boys listen well and any time I've done shoe shopping they sit after the first time I tell them to. Instead I became the broken record. With my cold and congestion has come a lack of a voice and I said sit down, while pointing to where they needed to be, once, twice, three times, four times. Andersen sat where he wanted and talked back getting louder as I became louder and his brothers were dancing around jumping climbing, knocking shoes off shelves, and opening boxes..Total chaos. I had no control and I couldn't talk as the store clerk just stared at my out-of-control children and I like fools. Finally got them to sit and then found nothing. On the way out Carter was trying to pull shoes off the shelves and I shuffled hands and tried to put shoes back up on shelves. It was awful and I was done.

Next stop was the grocery store which went pretty well until we checked out. The boys began poking each other in the eyes, pinching each other's cheeks, and hitting each other while the checkout lady was trying to ask me questions. Stop it! Stop IT! STOP IT! I said and was pulling them off each other. They laughed and kept on. I was infuriated by now and when we were checked out I stormed to the car and balled each of the boys out. Upon arriving at home Andersen asked if he could play in the basement with his trains. I knew he wanted to play the Wii so I took the Wii console out and said yes. Since becoming a stay at home mom I've found that I've become an emotional eater so I ate while the boys played in the basement. While they played in the basement there was a lot of crying and screaming due to fights over toys and toys being thrown. I ran up and down the stairs to correct behavior and nurture whom ever was hurt.

Later, when the boys awoke from their naps I planned to put clothes away and clean. I separated piles for each boy to put away and would call them in to get more because once they were out of my sight they would start laughing and playing and I didn't see them. I was up and down while trying to complete folding my husband and my clothes due to Carter and Jasper locking the doors which made it impossible for Andersen to put his clothes away. I didn't mind them playing for a bit so in the meantime I put Ron's and my clothes away and began to clean the master bathroom. I went to get the boys to find clothes thrown around in the twins room, Andersen whining because he had surprisingly and unusually pooped his pants, and Carter was drinking out of the toilet. I yelled at Carter, put Andersen on the toilet, and made Jasper and Carter pick their clothes up. I then marched them into my bedroom and back to theirs to put another handful of clothes away. A few other things happened which ended in me yelling a whole lot of nothing since I can't talk while the boys gave me blank stares and I finished up my cleaning. We soon went downstairs and began putting toys away which resulted in a lot of 1/3rd putting toys away and 2/3rds of the boys taking toys out. I gave the 1/3rd a glass of chocolate milk for doing as I asked and the other2/3rds screamed and cried after I had explained to them that if they clean their toys than they'll get a glass of chocolate milk. 7 o'clock couldn't come soon enough.

After dinner I let the boys watch a movie and a quarter after seven began the night time routine. Had meds, toothbrushes, humidifiers, and PJs ready. Went to change Carter's diaper to find he had an acidic poop which caused his butt to be red. Right as I was walking away from Carter Jasper came over and knelt down by Carter and was looking at Carter's butt as he repeated "ouch, red, and hurt!" While I searched for the desitin which I could not find. Everything's hard to find due to the boys constantly getting into things and misplacing items it could happen in a moment of turning the head or thinking something's safe in one place to find it in the toy box the next day! WTH? I was in the kitchen, where we kept it, and when I had glanced into the living room Jasper had the Vick's jar open, Vicks on his hand and was about to apply it to Carter's butt. "No!" I yelled with whatever voice I had left. Jasper stopped and began saying "I help mama! I help!" With that I ran to wash Jasper's hands. Jasper's the child who's always trying to help. He had the right idea though unfortunately the wrong stuff to put on the butt. This night couldn't be over soon enough. Finally got the boys down after fights about brushing teeth. I always like to brush and then let them. Tonight Jasper "Mr. Helpful Independent" was fighting me because he wanted to do it with NO help.

Before putting the boys to bed I gave them a pep talk and told them what I expect from them tomorrow and lets have a better day. Hopefully they heard that and sometime throughout the night they get their hearing back. Tomorrow I plan to run on the treadmill to relieve some of today's stress and calories.

Three Years Later

Today's Ron and my 3 year wedding anniversary. I know 3 years are nothing though we've been together for over 7 years. 7 years ago I found my soulmate and the love of my life. We connected in ways I never thought were possible and even til today we finish each others thoughts and sentences. Some days Ron will come home and say something that I was wanting or thinking about. We have such a profound and deep connection I can't ever see my life without him. You hear those stories about couples who have found their other half and knew it right away. I knew it almost immediately after our first date though shielded myself due to the different places we were in our lives at that time but definitely wasn't going to let him go.

We do get mixed up in our current day job and the kids definitely mix it up but do seem to find that person we first met with a simple kiss, look, or touch. Though we were in different places when we first met I wouldn't change anything because we did have to struggle and it made us stronger.

Every year I spend with Ron my love for him grows more and I adore and cherish him more with each year. We learn something new about each other and we change together. I look forward to many more years with him.

Nice little 7 mile run this morning. Makes up for yesterday. Refreshed and ready to get my week started even though it's a day late. Feel terrible for Ron and all the work he's putting in. He's stressed and overwhelmed and there's nothing I can do to help other than I try to stay off his back when he's home. I'm not pressuring him to spend a lot of time with the boys and making sure the house is in neat order so it's a less of a stress on him. Boys are missing him. Tomorrow's our 3 year anniversary. Stressing me out a bit because part of me wants to take the boys out and meet out for dinner but doesn't want to stress it due to the limited time Ron has with the boys and he has a conference call later in the evening. Everything will be fine though I'm worreid this week's going to fly by so quickly and then Ron will be gone for a week.

BLAH!

Just what the title says is pretty much how the day went. Didn't feel like getting up early due to the hour forward so thought going running while Andersen was in school would be my best bet. Plus stayed up a little later than I would have because Ron was working so late. Wanted to wait up for him. Andersen immediately woke up limping and complaining how he didn't want to go to school because his leg hurt, the twins were crabby and whinny. Everyone came downstairs in such rotten moods that I sent everyone back to bed and told them to come out when they're ready to wake up in better moods. I made breakfast while everyone cried their ways back to bed. Ron was getting ready for work and came out in the hallway baffled by all the crying. This is something we do in our household when the kids are having a crabby morning. Doesn't happen very often but....

Once everyone was fed, dressed, and we were on the road to school I thought the morning would improve. Nope.. Andersen really didn't want to go to school which has become routine crying and complaining over the past month in which we, as parents, don't know why he doesn't want to go and when I've asked his teacher she says he's such a happy boy in school and doesn't know why he would say such a thing. After dropping Andersen at school I attempted to drop Jasper and Carter off at the 'Mazing Kids at the Y but for the first time it was unsuccessful. Carter screamed and cried once he realized I was leaving and because he was crying, walking around with his jacket, and trying to leave out the gate, Jasper was attempting to do so as well. I looked at the staff for help but none of them looked as if their Monday was getting off to a great start either. Finally one lady came and pulled Carter away so I could leave.

My run was awful. Started off as usual and just no motivation to continue. I pushed myself two and a half miles and walked for a quarter mile. Ran some more and reached three and a half and figured the hell with this. Not motivated and couldn't erase the image of Carter crying. Couldn't shake his crying for me, something I've never really had issues with because I don't tend to feel guilty when my kids cry for me but this particular day I did due to Ron and I being away for the weekend. I felt guilty because after not seeing them all weekend here I was dropping them off with some strangers. Guilt.... Stopped, wiped my machine and went to go weigh myself. Down another two pounds! Yay! Go me!

Upon returning to the 'Mazing Kids I found Carter and Jasper playing nicely while wearing their jackets. They were ready to go! The staff explained that Carter was ok once I left, which was reassuring, but neither would take their jackets off. The boys and I went home so I can get ready for the day and went and picked up Andersen.

Later took Andersen to his Science class at the Y received some bad news which totally threw my day off even more. Normally I'll run while the boys sleep though today I had too much research and many phone calls to make. Didn't accomplish anything I wanted to. Bags in our bedrooms are still full of clothes and the dryer still has the second load that I wanted to get folded and put away. Kitchen floor needed another mopping and the garbage needed to be taken out. Instead I sat on the computer and phone most of the afternoon oh, and watched a DVR'd show to get my mind off of things. Was not motivated to clean... Finally received some good news a quarter to five around the time the boys woke up in great moods and the storm clouds outside were clearing. The blue sky was beautiful to see since all we've seen is storm clouds and rain the past few days. What a great end to the day. I packed the boys up and we went for a drive to enjoy the beautiful weather and to scope out Andersen's new school.

Balancing my Time

Went for a 5 mile run outside this morning. Really miss running outside though I find that I tend to go slower or want to quit. Thank God I'm running with a friend so I will make myself keep up. Running's not as easy as it once was in my early 20s. I use to love to run outside. Now I "Q" the faithful treadmill up and let it keep me going. Ran on our treadmill while the kids are napping and while I was running I was thinking of all the things I wanted to complete and that maybe I should prioritize better. I do love getting in an extra short run in the afternoon but with that is the need to cool down, shower, and regroup.

I thought about the packing..though, my clothes are in the dryer so it's ok to run...The kitchen floor that's screaming at me to mop it because the oatmeal the boys had the last couple of days is growing roots and latching onto it's so beautiful surface. I can hear the dishwasher saying something but it's mouth is so full of clean dishes I can't seem to make it out. So I turn the T.V. up louder while I run so I can't hear it. The toys on the living room floor and the jackets that were thrown on the floor when the boys raced to the kitchen to eat lunch after all the errands this morning. The book that I've been wanting to finish how it glares at me with it's return date printed on a receipt that lingers in the cover snarling, "hurry you're going to run out of time and I'm going to be late to go back to the library..."

I paused breifly to look around the livingroom listening to the chuckling of the dryer and think I should really start instead of typing a blog. The kids should be up soon and I can still accomplish so much instead of waiting for them to wake up and think that I can motivate them to help when I can hardly find the motivation myself......So I'll leave you with this and go do my chores...

Finding Bestfriends in our Siblings

We've had a couple of playdates at Monkey Joe's recently. The norm is Andersen takes off running around with his friend that we're there with and Jasper and Carter go in their own directions but since the long break from MJ's something's happened. The boys have bonded and when we do go they run and play together. Where Andersen goes his brothers follow and Andersen's not pushing and yelling at them to go away or leave him alone. While Andersen plays and jumps he doesn't just do it alone or with a school friend while we are having a playdate. He actually prefers to play with his brothers over a friend. I was quite shocked to learn this earlier in the week when we had a playdate with a friend in which he's known the last two years. Part of me felt bad because he ditched his friend but another part of me was really happy to see the boys play and actually have fun together instead of someone crying because so and so hit or pushed so and so. At times like this and watching the boys get older I'm really enjoying this part of my job. They're becoming bestfriends and they stick together.

Morning Run

I decided to run while Andersen was in school vs. getting up at 4am. So I dropped the twins off at the kids club at the Y and began my journey on the treadmill. Today I was determined to run 10 miles. I got to thinking last night as I researched the lakefront 10 mile run that a friend of mine was going to do which takes place in April. She's ran Iron Man triatholons and tons of other races in her time. I've gone back and forth about running the 10 miler and a different friend made a point about running races. What's the point of doing all that training to pay to run in a race? Why not just do it for your own health or because you enjoy it? I do do it for my health, to stay in shape, and because I do enjoy running. Well not really..I do it for the endorphin rush I have when I've completed my run. If I can wake up each day and have that rush, life would be good. Instead I pop Motrin for my knees and run to get my morning rush. I was thinking maybe running races for people is an endorphin rush in it's own? Possibly running the 10 miler may open up a whole other great rush?

Since I heard my friend say why do people run races I began to ask why I wanted to run in the 10miler. I've found throughout the last couple years is I really dislike commitments to events that may interfere with my weekends with my family. Of course I know I can run a 5, 10 mile race even a half marathon. I revised the course and was thinking since a friend of mine is running it than why not? I'm always up to try new things and this is new. Would I ever try it on my own not knowing what to expect or happen? Yes for most things, but a big race, of course not. So I've decided as of last night that YES I'm going to run it.

Chores at any age

I'm a firm believer in chores and giving kids responsibilities. My oldest, Andersen has been putting his clothes away since he was a year and a half. Some have asked how do you do that? Well most kids at a young age enjoy helping their parents so I took advantage of it. His dresser's designed to where he has easy access to all of the drawers so it was simply teaching where what goes. Since he has such easy access to his clothes he would go in and mess up all the folded clothes so I stopped folding and made piles, i.e. long sleeves/short sleeves/pants and so forth. He would work on one pile at a time and put his clothes away. I've done the same with Jasper and Carter. I started much later with them because trying to get them both to pay attention and do it at a year and a half was impossible. The difference with the twins dresser is they only have access to the lower three drawers which is the long sleeve shirts and pants. Once the weather gets warm I'll be putting the shorts and short sleeve shirts in the bottom drawers. Jasper's my little helper like Andersen was so he's wanting to do what Andersen's doing on laundry days.. Carter on the other hand can care less and I have to push him a little more to complete the task at hand. I'm confident that Carter knows where his long sleeves shirts and pants go but I think he doesn't care and wants to just get it done. Carter has what I call "Lazy-man syndrome". If you'll do it for him he'll allow it even though he knows what he should be doing. He's the tester of the three i.e. he'll put his pants in his shirt drawer and then charmingly look at me and smile to see what I'll say or do.

This afternoon was a bit time consuming while putting clothes away. Jasper knows where the clothes go so he does what he should be doing and even showed Carter where the pants and shirts go. When I went and checked I noticed Carter put the clothes he was assigned in whatever drawer he opened first which was the shorts drawer at eye level for him. I had him take the clothes out and put them in the correct spot which took forever b/c he just wanted to get it done and over with. There was a last piece of clothing out of place, a shirt in the pants drawer. He stared at the shirt for a long time as if trying to figure out which doesn't belong. I pointed out the shirt and asked if it belonged with the pants? "Noooo." he responded as he picked it up with a pair of pants. He went ahead and put both clothing items in the shirt drawer. Trying to encourage him to fix the issue took a little longer than I would have expected but over all the task was completed and without me having to do it just to get it done. He figured it out and did it himself which was followed with clapping and telling him what a good job. Once the drawers were closed I asked where the shirt drawer was. And he pointed while saying shirt. Then asked where the pants drawer was. He pointed to the correct drawer again and said pants.

If I can encourage my kids to learn something and gain some sort of knowledge each day than I feel I'm accomplishing something and benefiting the boys.

What's with the title?

Now that I've covered the story of my family what's with the "Messy and Run" in the title?

Mess:
Since having young multiple boys I find there's always a mess. It's like shoveling snow when the snow's coming down as quickly as I'm shovelling. As quickly as I try to clean up toys or have the boys clean up toys at least one child is doing he opposite. I have come to really dislike toys with multiple pieces because I can't keep them together without being a complete controller of where they can play and with what. We have a the wooden train set and for awhile I was really good about keeping them in the basement where the boys would build and play with their trains but the older the twins have gotten the more the trains seem to make their way into my car or out of the basement.

I've also found with multiple kids eating's an absolute disaster all the time. I find food in the craziest places. When the boys are eating dinner I'm typically cleaning up the toys in the living room or busy with something. It's rare in our house that we all sit down together as a family for dinner. My husband's not home til later and I'm trying to make sure he doesn't walk into a complete mess. Anyone who has multiple boys or even kids in general when the adult walks out of the room the boys will start laughing and playing. By playing I mean throwing food, taking each other's food, pushing their plates/cups across the table (which causes spills), throwing or hitting with their spoon or fork, or knocking into each other. It never fails. My car's filled with crumbs, food, spilled drinks, toys, wrappers, kids clothes, etc. Mess drives my husband nuts, I, on the other hand has come to realize it's so out of my control and to go with it. I think having three boys so close in age I've learned to relinquish control and just go with the flow. With relinquishing control I can enjoy the time I have with them and savor the sanity I still have.

Run:
Not only are the boys and I constantly on the run with school, classes, sports, and trying to keep them busy I do enjoy running. Running's a love/hate relationship for me. The only time I can find to run is early in the morning while everyone's still sleeping. Yes it makes for a long and tiring day but it's the endorphin rush and stress relief I get from it. It's my escape each day at 5am (when the gym opens). Yes, I run on a treadmill each day. I know....Treadmill, dreadmill, boring. I use to enjoy running outside while I was in the military but stopped running when I had left. After having kids I felt it was easier at a gym where I can control the pace and miles plus I can throw in some weight training afterwards. I stay motivated with changing up my music. We recently purchased a treadmill for our home and have taken advantage of it when the boys are napping. I run and catch up on the shows I have DVR'd. Plus I don't have to push myself so hard in the morning. I can break up my run into two and get extra miles in the day. Today because we have a playdate scheduled right after I pick Andersen up from school I ran my full ten miles this morning. I even surprised myself with getting it done within the time I accomplished it. I only have an hour and a half each morning to do what I need to at the gym and get home before my husband leaves for work. I completed my ten and still had time to get in some weight training. I think because I changed up my routine by running outside the last couple of days I went to the gym extra motivated and my legs were like leaping gazelles on the treadmill. Well, gotta Run! =)

First Blog: Introduction

My name is Mary and I am a stay at home mom to three young boys. My oldest is Andersen who's four followed by his identical twin brothers Carter and Jasper who are 2. Age gap is 26 months apart and let me tell you it's been a long 2 years. Andersen's first two years were wonderfully spent in Texas but we relocated by chance to the Chicago land area shortly after Jasper and Carter were born. As a family living in Texas we did everything together and Andersen was such a joyful and easy child to take any where and do anything with. He was sleeping through the night by five weeks, was walking by nine and a half months, and everyone seemed to adore him as much as we did as parents. Little did we know what we were in for when we got pregnant again. I became a stay at home mom when I was thirty-two weeks along with Jasper and Carter which was wonderful because I was able to spend the last month of my pregnancy focusing and giving Andersen lots of attention before his brothers arrived. Our twins are wonderful in their own right. We had them sleeping through the night by ten weeks and they were walking by 11 months. They are very good but can be challenging if we want to go out to eat or go to local family events. We, as parents, are out numbered and they know it so they are always testing the boundaries.

The first winter in Illinois was 2008 and let me tell ya it was a long one. We stayed inside most of the winter because neither my husband nor I felt comfortable taking the babies out in it. Every time it would start to warm up the -20 degree weather would hit. It was definitely an adjustment from warm sunny Texas and even though Jasper and Carter were three to six months old I was fearful of them getting sick. Once it began warming up I was finally able to start practicing taking the three boys out by myself. It wasn't an easy task considering Jasper and Carter were still in carriers and had major spit up issues up to nearly ten months old. I was having to carry multiple sets of clothes for the twins if that gives you an indication of how bad the spit up issues were. We had tried every formula under the sun and they were even on medicine but it was something that would cure itself over time. I began practicing going shopping with the boys, whether or not I had to buy anything I would just get out and Andersen had to learn to have to walk and stay with me. Long gone were the days where Andersen would be able to ride in a cart since the cart had two baby carriers. When the boys were getting too heavy to carry in their carriers I began just using the stroller and whatever I could fit in the bottom of the stroller we would buy and I would have to prioritize what we needed at the time. Why didn't I just do the shopping when my husband came home may be a good question? Because with multiple young kids it was very draining and exhausting. Once 5pm came, the dinner, clean-up, changing, and bedding down process had started. I would just try to accomplish anything I could throughout the day plus it got the boys out and about because it still was too cold and or snow lingering to go to parks.

Once it was warm enough to go to parks I would keep Jasper and Carter in the stroller while I ran around and played with Andersen. They were happy babies. They would watch and laugh at each other or Andersen and I as we ran around. Or I would put them in the swings at the park, which they loved, and let them swing while Andersen and I ran and played. Some may ask and maybe it would have benefited the twins to be out crawling and exploring at the park but I couldn't keep both of them from putting wood chips or anything else in their mouths while keeping a close eye on Andersen. Even though Andersen was still two he learned to do things on his own and I couldn't always be there as most new moms are while kids are climbing and playing on park equipment. I always kept a close eye on him but he had to learn to climb and do things on his own. I felt much guilt because I couldn't give him the attention he needed and deserved but he was a very good two year old and listened very well. During this time Andersen was potty training which also took it's tole on all of us while trying to get the boys out and about and keep my sanity in check. My husband and I did do special days with Andersen, either alone or the three of us while my Mom watched Jasper and Carter. We went on Andersen's first train ride into the city of Chicago and even went to an amusement park where Andersen loved riding on roller coasters and various rides. Closer to the end of summer I was letting Jasper and Carter out of the stroller and swing to get out and explore. They were nearly walking and Andersen was nearly three and his motor skills were so much better by then to where I felt confident he could run and play on his own without me having to keep such a close watch over him. I was able to give the twins more attention and help to develop them.

The first year was definitely the most challenging. I need to give Andersen as much credit as possible for the patience he had with me and his new brothers. It was a huge adjustment for him. He had not just one new baby brother but two. He adjusted to having to share the attention he once had from us and everyone. Having twins we get stopped often as passer-byers admire the twins while Andersen stands in the background in which I will always make notice of what a great help their big brother Andersen is. We took him out of the environment he once knew and put him in a smaller home and in an environment where we couldn't get outside to play as we did in Texas. He was such a big help from fetching diapers and helping to feed his brothers. He was playful with them at times though I think somewhat resentful towards them. He has been and still is a big trooper and all three of them have become bestfriends and love to play together.