Fast Running Mommy

My little boy Joseph is turning 4 tomorrow. 

I have enjoyed this child so much and am very grateful for the inspiration I received in regards to rearing him. I don't think I could have enjoyed him as much as I have been able to without it.

When he was 2 I bawled my eyes out at the thought of losing the sweet baby he had been. He is very attached to me but at the same time has a strong need to disobey and argue with me whenever I present a challenge to that closeness....such as..I don't know..asking him to put his shoes on when he's building a very cool spaceship race car or something interesting like that.

I felt impressed to go to a parenting class when he was around 2 but it wasn't for him....or so I thought. I thought I was going for my sister, who was having serious behavior problems.

Turns out as this baby grew up a bit he gave me a run for my money I hadn't yet experienced with my other kids. He was..well..horrible. I used to tease that I needed to call the child abuse hotline because my child was abusing me. He would (and still does although it's gotten better) yell at me and just get into fights about EVERYTHING.

The WONDERFUL thing about this parenting class is that it targeted this type of behavior...defiance...before I even knew this little guy would struggle with it.

The main idea that the doctor gave us was very simple and yet VERY effective ( I know because I've done it all these months).

Put the defiant child in the bathroom for a time out. 

Anywhere else can become either another battleground for them (the stairs or corner because it's too easy for them to get out) or it can be too fun....like their room.

I have consistently put Joseph in the bathroom and diffused the situations time and time again without more fights and more struggles between us.  It's really really worked.

That doesn't mean I've never lost my temper or patience with him but I really believe it's been a lot better. Now I'm determined to take the fight out of him and help him see I love him even though I have to set limits for him.  Happy Birthday Jo Jo! 

I'm sleep deprived. My baby is a great sleeper but he's been having trouble falling asleep at night and keeping me up a little bit too late for my early  rising. I need a nap today but it will have to wait until after the b-day party and all the preparations for it. 

I've got to get to bed earlier tonight...maybe Daddy is putting the baby to sleep for me tonight. :) 

I had a nightmare (among many) that homeless people were trying to get inside my house.   Hiliarious ....when I saw the group of runners congregated outside my house today I thought....it's come true. 

I always used to tease Sasha that he was like a homeless person...outside all the time.

In fact I have had SEVERAL experiences where I meet somebody at a park or the mall or something and start talking to them...complete strangers...and they end up knowing who Sasha is (at least by description of the redhead that runs all over the place!!) Just like we all get to recognize the same homeless people who are always walking the streets!! 

I am going to try and slowly build my mileage up to three a day. I felt good last week and hope I won't have any more exhausted days for awhile. I can' t take care of my kidlets when I'm wiped out and I hate it. I hate letting them watch TV so I try to avoid that too. 

Although I think we may start up our nut cracking factory this week and watch a few good movies to pass the time.  We always end up with oodles of free nuts every winter and my kids love help cracking them. Okay...Benjamin usually does most of the work but the other ones like feeling like they are helping out and getting to watch a movie. :)
 

I'm pre blogging today..I'll have to run this afternoon..slept in and Sasha works at the temple once a month. 

did 2.5 again today and guess what? My running partner was able to get up this morning because her stinker baby finally slept all night last night. He's been waking up every hour for 2 weeks so that's part of the reason she hasn't been going with me. It was fun.

My partner came and she did 3 with me! yay..jakey is awake and dropped his breakfast spoon so I've gotta go play mommy slave....:)

Did three again today. Felicia came again. At the end her little girl came out of the house when she saw us and she was all dressed and ready to go for a run...so cute. She is 4 and very precocious!!

Three again....looks like Felicia is hooked...she came again. I'll have to pow wow with her and make sure she really does want to go every day. So far so good.
 

No partner...tired...sore legs....maybe my kids will be angels today? 

Good day. I didn't feel as tired as yesterday and Felicia came again. My kids actually did behave better yesterday than normal. Not as much fighting or whining as on the bad days with them. I got ambitious and made what for me was a fancier meal for lunch....see my recipe blog for details. 

Felicia came again. I'm having a great time having a partner ...whenever she can make it. It was hard sometimes during my pregnancy to run alone. My legs would kill me for the first 2 miles of my run and then loosen up and feel okay again...so I kept going. 

Running now feels so great after that experience. I'm not exhausted all of the time anymore and I'm starting to scheme and dream and feel like  a human being again.

I watched this Nova show last night on Fractal Geometry. I've always disliked math because to me it was just a bunch of numbers that hurt my head..who cares if it could harness the secrets of the universe...Fractal Geometry is different...it's math that explains the beauty of the natural world...shapes that couldn't be explained by the square, triangle, circle world of geometry. It calculates the in between shapes with a very simple idea of self renewing shapes or that they are the same shape repeated again and again. Look at a tree..it repeats the same basic shape of branches from the largest branches to the smallest...same thing inside a human body and in millions of other applications.  It was very fascinating.  

My baby slept so well and is still sleeping..but I'm full to the brim with milk. My run still went well thanks to attire from Nordic Track. My two year old looked and me and told me I looked pregnant...pregnant with milk I guess...and my 8 year old who is hitting puberty early...acck..said she was glad she's not THAT big!  I tried waking him by undoing his wrappings (I usually swaddle him and unswaddling often immediately awakens him)..but he's still snoring..literally..he snores...it's cute. 

Felicia came and seems to be on a roll..she keeps asking me if I'm going tomorrow..yay!!  

With Sasha at Painter's I didnt' get my run in...I'm pre-blogging because I know Sasha will insist I get out this evening while he "watches" the kids. 

I'm not feeling motivated to get out tonight but Felicia might go with me so that should be fun. I had a nice relaxing day chatting with Maurine. She was really sweet and came to hang out with me today so I wouldn't be alone while Sasha was racing..also very nice because Sasha took two of my best helpers with him...leaving me alone with all of the little ones. We just sat around and talked while I nursed and it was heavenly. Thanks Maurine!! 

Ran alone and scared myself the whole way. My partner on Saturday said everyone she's told she's running with me thinks we are crazy for running outside. I said, "We never see anything." to which fate of course replied with a sleezy car driven by a greasy man giving us a disgusting stare and a horrible honk!! 

had a nice time talking with Felicia on the run today...too nice a time..i was late and very unsympathetic to the waiters....not the ones at a dining facility...the ones waiting for me.  I was only 10 minutes late but when I told them I had induldged in conversation for a few minutes I got some crusty stares. Most of them have VERY loose schedules or none so I don't feel too bad....just very very jealous. :)

No partner but I actually needed to be alone I think today..I've been moody and needed to have my own brain for a few minutes. 

I think 33 may be the magic age for me where my body thinks it needs to hang onto fat.Billy is almost 3 months old and I've lost like 10 pounds since I had him...that's including him....so...I'm getting a little worried about it and wondering what to do. Obviously I need to watch my calories and exercise. I've actually never ever tried to diet to lose weight so I honestly have no idea how to do it.  I tried eating a little bit less yesterday and I was STARVING by the afternoon. I didn't feel like I ate too much less..sigh...Two consoling thoughts. One, I am an extremely dedicated runner and I will keep running until the weight slowly comes off. Two, I heard somewhere that fat stores vitamins..so I guess I'm storing those vitamins extra right now because of the stress of having all these kids that depend on me for almost everything.  

I had a hard run today...no juice..no partner....at least it wasn't 5 degrees today. 

good run..felt better The computer was down so I didn't blog this yesterday

Great run. Poor Felicia's baby is not sleeping well and she hasn't had the strength to get up in the morning. She came today. I always feel a little winded when we run together...it's good for me I think..she makes me not be lazy. 

Sasha and I are trying to set up some friends of ours. He's a Math Professor at BYU and I tried to impress him with the stuff I learned about Fractal Geometry on Nova the other night.  

Felicia came!! We were both tired. We talked of crazy things are babies and kids do. Even though I have three more than her we can really relate to each other because we both have a 4 year old and two little ones after that too!!

3 by myself..I was slow and tired today. 

I walked a couple of times...tired again but not as bad as yesterday. I think having to run alone in the dark must be naturally depressing. 

by myself in the dark....not too bad....i just watch for dark shadows and barking dogs more. :)

Nice run with Felicia...it always go by so much faster when I have someone to talk to...

Did my 3...now I'm sitting here thinking about why it makes me so mad every time Sasha goes to a race and I'm stuck home.  I've been married to him for 12 years now and he's raced for that entire time....I used to go to the races with him but for the last few years that's been hard...4 kids, pregnant with the fifth, five kids, pregnant with the sixth, six kids..I've always hated being left at home. Even as a child I'd beg my mom to take me with her when at all possible..she probably loved it when I was in school and she knew I was busy.
 

Well...I guess it gives me more time to do fun things like get the kids to help me deep clean the kitchen. It's so nice to have extra scrubbers!!! :)  

I don't know if getting up early every day is good for me or not. I'm okay most of the time but I don't always have the stamina I need to get me through my day...my kids are okay mostly it's just going from activity to activity and having to fight my four year old to obey me...that wears me out more than anything else.  Maybe I should sleep in some days and run around the block when I wake up later?  

It's amazing though that the actual running does make me feel better. It seems I'm more tired and achy on Sundays from not running.....anyway...I'll figure it out but I just need to figure out how to stay sane while I take care of all my babies..including Sasha.

BTW, Sasha was really sweet when he got home on Saturday and tried to take me out for a date....I wasn't feeling up to going out for some reason and convinced him to take the girls out instead...they deserved a Daddy daughter date and had a fun time. :) 

nice normal run....no dark shadows moving although two scary guys walked towards me...I'm thinking, "Those punks...what are they smoking?" As they got closer they were two old teddy bear grandpas out for their morning stroll. 

One time I saw a group of punky teenagers congregating on the trail...turned out to be a group of runners resting after their long Saturday run.  

Resting my knee today...it's been bugging a bit. Also I woke up at 3 and only went back to sleep for a short time before 6 when I dreamt that I passed out in front of the bishop's office on the way to pay tithing for my four year old!!

ARGGHHH! More insomnia..I guess running two was a bad idea yesterday...I also took it easy and didn't go anywhere...so then my body says...Tired..your not tired...you need to work more woman!!!

Okay...I walked a little the last mile because I felt a little faint...it's been awhile since I've done five. ...but it felt great to go longer. 

did five..I don't know if I'll keep this up every day...already I feel that familiar feeling of "I just had a baby" laziness creeping in...which is why

1. I didn't make my bed today

2. I haven't showered yet

3. I did not do any Saturday morning chores with the kids

I did however

1. Run 5 miles around an avg pace of 10:10 or so

2. Clean my bathroom..sweeping, mopping and all

3. nurse a baby a few times and play with him

4. Try not to scream at the kids for fighting all the time..I was patient I was I was. :)

5. Make tuna sandwiches and fresh applesauce

6. Give my boys haircuts..I haven't stopped going....this is making me tired...maybe I should go crawl into my unmade bed?  

Ran two with Jenny at 10 min  mile pace and then felt really tired but did one more mile. Jacob had a bad fever and kept me up last night. 

I felt tired after the first 2 miles today but I got to run with one of my favorite people and wonderful conversationalist...Luz Lewis. She drove out to meet me and when ran past her house twice but she was willing to go the extra miles to run with me and I'm grateful for it. My eyes are puffy today from lack of sleep. Luz said it's hormones and she is probably right. I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot fall back asleep. William is peacefully snoozing and all is well with the children but my body just won't rest. I'm hoping and praying that running a little more and trying to be active and happy during the day will help. 

Things went from bad to ugly....almost no sleep last night and I'm turning into a basket case. Sasha is being as helpful as possible but I'm afraid I'm going to push him to his limit. The only thing I can be grateful for is that the insomnia is happening now and not right after William was born. I usually have insomnia for awhile from just having a new baby in the house who never sleeps. For the first time out of six kids I didn't get it. I was sleeping 6-8 hours every night. I was able to get on a good schedule and get going in the mornings, teach my kids, organize my house and have time for fun and good humor later in the day. Sure I've been tired but not exhausted. I'm not sure why it's happening now but maybe I just have to suffer through a little insomnia with each baby to make me love them more...don't know. So any suggestions what I should do with all my free time? 

three easy miles :)

three easy miles that were hard. I'm feeling back to myself....sorta...

so since I'm sleeping just fine again I have NO motivation to run more....I can wait a couple of months when William is a little bit older...no rush. I've been sleeping in to make up for lost sleep and haven't been running in the mornings. I'll run sometime today..I know Sasha will make sure of that. :) Happy Heart Day everyone!!!

real quick funny story. Sasha, I, Elizabeth and Ted Leblow went out to dinner together last night. Ted tried to talk Sasha into going out somewhere new (we always go to the cafe at Good Earth)....but to no avail...So we were a little worried that it would be crowded on Valentine Weekend. When we walked in it was completely empty...we had the whole place to ourselves..so for future reference...noone wants to be healthy on Valentine's day...they want expensive steaks and hearty stuff to last until next year!! :) 

severe sore throat....just 1 today

It actually felt really really really really ..I could go on..really good to write in a zero. I like taking breaks. We are soooo taking a break today. In fact the whole Fast Running Family is not running today. Go ahead ...make it a national holiday...the day no one in the Pachev house ran. Sasha has a terrible high fever and is half delirious. Benjamin has it, Jenny has it and Jospeh has it. Jacob had it last week and Julia too. By the grace of God I have been spared so I can keep everyone around here somewhat alive and William also is not sick although he hasn't napped normally for like three days because Sasha keeps waking him up because he's going in and out of his sick room. If the insomnia last week was bad..this may be worse. Good thoughts and prayers this way much appreciated because I'm about ready to crack. Taking care of sick kids, husband and a baby for several days straight is getting to me (which is why I'm not running today either....don't want to get sicker than I am and I need every ounce of strength to keep things running)

I have reverted to morning cartoons...which I NEVER let my kids watch..I hate having them sit around and watch TV but this is an EMERGENCY!!!!

I did write a zero there this morning..just x that entry...well I'm leaving it for entertainment value. I had to get out and run a little. It felt great. I think I'll go for 2 tomorrow and will be back at 3 by the weekend. :) 

Sasha has an ear infection and was up all night. I have the beginnings of mastitis....

William has a fever now and kept me up all night...Benjamin, Julia and Jacob seem to be mostly normal. Joseph is still coughing and Jenny is semi-better. Now it's time to bring out the sense of humor and just laugh about this. Nobody is so sick that I'm worried about their life but we are all kind of stinky and yucky looking....and you should see my bathroom....ew...Russians don't believe in kleenex...they blow it out in the sink.....mostly because their version of toliet paper (they don't even have kleenex there actually..well...maybe now but not 15 years ago)..anyway, their newspaper was printed on softer paper.   

My neighbor brought dinner and is watching kids for me this morning so my spirits are up. Thank goodness for the Relief Society!!! 

Things are starting to look up....at least the kids are healthy again. Sasha is on the mend. No fever today and the infection seems to be mostly gone. He really hates antibiotics or otherwise he would have been totally healthy today I'm sure. It is better so I think he'll get his wish and not have to take them. I felt ready to go 3 today and was grateful for a more normal day. All of this has made me more grateful for my husband and my children and I hope I don't lose sight of that too quickly. 

This has been one of those months...yes it has. I am grateful for the sunshine today. I took William for his first official walk. We've walked places with him...mostly church functions but that didn't exactly count. He was mad from some injustices like tummy time and neck exercises (he has a slight imbalance and tightness on one side that I have to stretch out several times a day and of course he hates it). The sun warmed and cheered all of us.

I felt really strong today. I actually ran the first mile pushing the stroller and it didn't bug me. The last two miles felt great. It would have been the perfect run except for the dogs that got out and ran after me. They seemed like pretty nice dogs except that even nice dogs have teeth. I screamed at them. (my best form of self-defense...I have a great loud piercing soprano voice)  The owner came out right away and looked like a nice responsible type of lady so I felt bad that I screamed at her nice dogs with teeth....kinda....

Felt a little tired during the last mile. 

Talked to one of Sasha's running partners today about pipe organs. He is building his own....wow...Although I hate being the ward organist and constantly stressing about playing for Sunday...I love playing the organ. I took a class at BYU and have been in love with it ever since.

So my great-grandma played the organ and she had her own in her parlor back in Texas. We inherited it after she passed on and then my Mom passed it on to a friend when we moved to Russia. I'm thinking it's time to get it back into the family. It has a full pedal board and as far as I remember was a lovely organ..huge but lovely. For a true organist a full pedal board in your home is quite a wonderful thing. It means you can practice the pedals without going anywhere....So..those are my morning musings for today. I seem to be a little tired this morning.....maybe it's from the insanity of last week...who knows. Things should go back to a normal level of insanity this week. :) 

Luz and I got together today..Hooray!! What a fun way to start the day. I feel energized and happy... grateful to her for words of kind wisdom and loving friendship and a faster pace than I do on my own...I feel great and ready for the day.!!

So I found out the other day that my thryoid levels are whacked...which explains the insomnia problems and the trouble losing weight...argh!! I'm a little tiffed at my doctor for not giving my the right level of medicine. Hopefully it will get back on track and I can feel a little bit better. having been feeling too bad but I have noticed this recovery has been a bit harder. 

Joseph must want to grow up to be a personal trainer like his Daddy...he says to me, "Mommy, we need to get the fat off of you." 

He also told me that I'm not allowed to cut my hair. The two years between hair cuts is up and it's time to donate another 10 inches of my lovely locks to Locks of Love.  I think I'll give him another 3 weeks to get used to the idea. Maybe I'll talk my hairdresser friend into letting him hack off the ponytail and have her do the fixing.  

i think the more responsibility I add to my life and the more I'm willing to just shut up and serve (not a phrase you'd probably hear in general conference or that I would use with my children since that and other words like stupid are words we just don't say)...uh..anyway...the more I'm willing to give my life in service the more I am able to see the very real and very timely tender mercies of the Lord. 

I have had a real struggle adjusting to having six children. I think there are several factors at hand but I'm sure that one of them is the fact that my thryoid hasn't been stable...that really can make havoc for you when all the sudden you can't function. Yet I have seen the Lord's love for me in little ways so many times in these last four months of stumble trip type of lifestyle that I cannot deny his ability to find ways to minister to all of his suffering ones. That doesn't mean he doesn't let us suffer a great deal but I have faith that a perfect balance exists. Usually for me it happens when I'm really truly at my wits end and then something happens...like magic somebody is there for you.  I hope you can be that somebody for someone else today. And if you need a lift I'm a good tenderhearted friend. Send me a PM and I'll send you a cheery note of encouragement. 

crazy day...I ran to the church at 10:00 at night with my purse in my hand so I could get into the church to practice the organ. My neighbors saw me and I wondered if they recognized me or if they thought that I was a crazy lady running away with my loot from the scene of the crime. 

Had an interesting weekend. Mostly a lot of fun. I took all six to a baptism because Sasha had a race to go to. My friends at the baptism treated me and my family like royalty and helped in every little way they could. Good idea to make friends with some of the most nurturing and selfless creatures on the earth...they make sweet friends.

Sasha got major points when he tried his darndest to get home early so he could try and make it to a family function later that day. Turns out that our car (the natural gas van that we can't bring gas to...) ran out of gas and we had to get a tow....fun stuff..I let Sasha deal with that one.

I had to go up to Salt Lake myself right after the baptism and got treated like royalty by my family up there. While I nursed the baby my mom and my older sister served the dinner they had prepared to all of my kiddos. Wow!! What a break for me. All in all it was a good day.

Felt tired today but it was worth the fun run with Luz. She is such an interesting person to talk to...now onto Russian Days with my friend. We get together once a week and have an immersion day of Russian for the kids. It's crazy but lots of fun. 

ya dumayoo schto ya napishoo norusski. Did anyone understand that besides Sasha?

Tired again today. I'm thinking back on my pregnancy and wondering when my thryoid went out. I remember trying to run one day and feeling so exhausted...and after that it was down hill. I think maybe it was around last March and that all this time I've been out and haven't really noticed. I'm hanging in there and things are really going pretty good since I feel like my relationship with Sasha is doing well...that really helps everything go better. We are going on a date on Friday and he's trying to cop out and call Costco our date. I told him I would consider that a date if he bought me a new shirt there.

Actually I want to go to a sports event at BYU...gonna get online and see what's going on this weekend. That is something fun I can look forward too. 

My two little boys just walked by with purple and yellow rabbit ears on from the dress up box eating carrots and singing their own made up bunny rabbit song. CUTE!! My 8 year old took 40 minutes to eat one bowl of soup so she is cleaning up the kitchen as punishment. Harsh? I go overboard sometimes....

I'm looking forward to planting my garden this week. My friend found this amazing gardening club that sells 4,000 varieties of tomato seeds and other crazy things like spiral beets (white and maroon...she's going to give me some and I can't wait to harvest those babies. All of these seeds are heirloom seeds, not genetically messed up spiral beets for me. :)

My  left leg was bugging a bit today but felt okay after I warmed up. I didn't get to go buy my seeds yesterday...I waited for an hour for Sasha to come home. He decided to go shopping and came home with lots of interesting things including a box of oranges and four bunches of radishes (guess what we are having in all of our salads?) I've found if I dice them up pretty small my kids will eat them without saying they are bitter or hot. I need to make a recipe entry today because I tried some fun new stuff yesterday...

felt pretty good today..typing one handed so gotta keep it short

don't know the distance..ran for about 15 minutes in between a homeschool conference I went to today. :)

Stopped a little bit short today because I felt done....listen to your body I say..especially when you have 6 and 1/2 kids and a migraine. 

Funny thing..saying that 6 and 1/2 felt good. I've been having issues saying I had 6 children ....it just didn't feel right. I think 6 and 1/2 is accurate. I'm not talking about Sasha...He has 6 and 1/2 children too but his extra burden is in himself and my extra burden is in me. We had a lesson yesterday about gossiping. I've had some experience with this as I'm sure most of you have out there. I think I'm finally done with it...or at least I've decided to make a more conscious effort to really not be the person to make another's fault known as the song "Nay speak no ill" counsels us. I think as I look at my patterns of behavior I'm going to find I've got some long overdue spring cleaning in that area.   

Felt pretty good today. Lovely Luz diagnosed my leg as similar to the hip problem she has been having. She was gracious enough to share all her hard earned knowledge about stretching that group of muscles and ligaments. I really don't know how Billy Bubbles feels about that. We'll have to take it up with my main man and see if he will hold the baby while I stretch.

I'm not giving in and calling myself injured just yet....not just yet. I'm going to take a day off today and hopefully tomorrow will look a bit better. I tried hanging upside down to see if my leg pain was caused by a back problem (Sasha's idea) miraculously it worked ....until I ran on it...now it hurts to move at all...but I'm not admitting to me down yet.

we'll see what tomorrow brings 

A day off and some hanging upside down on our inversion table seems to have done the trick....no pain to speak of today....a few twinges here and there and I just stopped to walk a couple of times to baby it. I don't know if I'll have time to run anymore today. I may get on our stationary bike some....the kids liked it when I was sitting there pedaling the bike on the back porch. I think they like it when I'm outside with them. 

I think my thyroid has started to work better because I'm sleepy in the middle of the night again. yay for modern medicine. My friend keeps telling me that her sister-in-law cured her hypothyroidism on a raw diet after a few weeks. Hmm....I'm still thinking about that one.  

I've been able to run 2 miles the last couple of days with no pain. I'd say that is amazing!! I have been in pain with this for about a month or more. It just wasn't a priority so I kept ignoring it to deal with sick children and other more pressing matters....like "what's for dinner?"  It is truly amazing to me that the inversion table worked so quickly. Just a few minutes a day and the injury improved significantly....do I sound like an infomercial? Well, I'm not trying to sell you anything...really. But I am really excited that I don't have to pay $5,000 for a year of chriopractic again. 

3 miles!! yay! It was good to get back to a normal run today. About half way through I thought I might call it quits because I was up all night Saturday night throwing up. I decided however to keep going and it turned out great. I had one of those good feelings towards the end that I could keep going forever. Not sure what was up on Saturday but I cleaned myself out pretty good. It was bad enough that I called someone to sub for me playing the organ on Sunday (something I've never had to do in all 2 1/2 years of the calling...except for after I had the baby for the first 2 months but that doesn't count)

We'll see how today goes but so far so good. :) 

I opted not to go with Luz today just in case I wasn't able to keep up. I was worried I hadn't fully recoverd from Sunday's throwing up adventures. I actually haven't run today at all...there was a stray big mean dog outside of my neighbors house chasing me every time I walked outside. I chased it away with a big stick but didn't feel like messing with it around the corner for nine times around the block. Anyway, I feel good this morning so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to squeeze in 3 miles sometime today.

Did everyone have a good St. Patricks Day yesterday? My kids were hilarious in the morning...trying to hide their green from each other and then pinch the offending pincher 6 times...or is it ten?  

My leg was hurting a little bit today. I need to baby it again looks like. Very annoying.

felt okay today. I hung upside down and that really seems to be the magic for my leg right now. Thank goodness for our inversion table. 

Yesterday I heard this crazy thing that I'd never heard of before...someone almost dying from a tubal pregnancy. It was a lady from a computer class my children attend. Her mother said her other daughter found her on the bathroom floor passed out when she happened to stop by. Another hour or so and she probably would have bled to death. Scary stuff. I guess we really just have to take this life one day at a time. Sasha bless his cute little geeky heart gave me a really complicated running analogy to help me try and not stress too much about what happens in our home. I won't go into it because I couldn't do it justice. I'm so grateful for him and happy that I married a geek :) 

got in my 3 ...I slept in today which feels good but throws me off my schedule. Also it should probably be a law in my house anyway that if I go to Enrichment night then Sasha and the kids clean the entire kitchen for me while I'm gone...especially if I've already slaved over a dinner for them. Unfortunately I have a terrible time bossing people around. Have to find that balance of leadership to them because I also don't want to fall into the martyr/resentment trap either.  off...to the kitchen....

I just couldn't finish today...my leg was hurting pretty bad today and I decided to call it quits part way through...easy to do when you are running around the block and passing your house every 3 minutes. 

We got to go to the temple last night..very peaceful and nice. :) 

Pretty good day today. I felt great at the end and now actually feel energized from my run. 

Fun run with Luz. Dentist appointments today. I have decided that I hate the dentist far worse as an adult than I ever did as a child. Those are some expensive balloons and toothbrushes that we pay for with every cleaning. 

a little bit of tightness but not too bad....pretty good pace. 

Crazy thing happened last night. The decompression from hanging upside down fixed part of my hip that has been out for four years and wasn't fixed by a year of going to the back cracker. For the first time in four years I was able to sit on the floor indian style. I did miss it because I'm a floor type of person and I'm a mom to small children....felt good. ;) 

so after not getting my teeth worked on for like 12 years or so ( I got my wisdom teeth out  5 years ago but no fillings since I was a kid) I have a cavity for every year...but only 1 root canal. Sasha is taking it in stride and not stressing about the moula too much. I'm not happy but I totally asked for it by ignoring that part of my health for so long. 

My leg felt good today..hopefully it's on the up again and will stay happy. I want to hike the Y with Sasha for a date sometime but need to wait until my leg is really happy. We hiked in Rock Canyon for a little bit last night. It was so beautiful. A cute little lady was ranting to us about the guy who actually owns the mountain. Seems he is planning on cutting out a big part of it and wants to sell the rock. My babies have been keeping me up late for three nights in a row..zzzzzzzzzz

leg good 

baby woke up   try later

blocked milk duct....ouch  

I ran 1.3 and then decided there are too many dogs awake in the middle of the afternoon and my household back home was buzzing too much for my liking so I rode the stationary bike for 15 minutes fairly hard...my legs feel funny. 

I ran .3 of a mile then biked for about 20 minutes. Sasha and I went on a date last night and for fun I thought we could try a time trial for me. BAAAAD idea. My leg was feeling beautiful..no pain..I was on the mend. 10 seconds into the run..snap crackle pop....now I'm back to where I started. Not that I'm in any hurry to run fast. It just had been so long since I'd gone over 10 min mile pace I just wanted to try. sigh....

Finally was able to do a semi normal run today. My leg recovered..my nursing problem resolved....what's next...bring it on ...I'm tough. 

good run..good day :)

Good day. My leg felt fine. I'm bummed that I can't go faster and still feel tired but at least I can run without pain. I'm happy for Sasha today because both of his training partners that he's been coaching won the half marathon in Provo today. He is happy to see people he helps do well. 

Despite getting a root canal this morning my run went fine. I felt like my leg was strong and pushed it a little.

Magic is happening in my house right now...everyone is happy and I have a few quiet moments to write in here and think about how lucky I am to have a good family. 

Something happened and I didn't get that last lap around the block in. 

My teeth taste funny...like a bandaid...I've been chewing gum on the non sore side of my mouth to get rid of the taste.  

felt good today. Mowed the lawn this morning. Felt a lot better than last year when I was mowing it pregnant. Sasha would do it or pay someone but I'm weird about it. He mows it crooked and that makes me crazy...and it's just so expensive to pay someone for something that you only have to do once a week for 1/2 hour. I'm glad William is here safe and sound and that I can mow the lawn without killing myself to do it. :)

I NEVER take those facebook quizzes but I took one last night. It was the how many kids you should have one. Very dumb little quiz that basically matches your ability to deal with mess and chaos with your ability to be a good mother. It said I should have 2-3...so who should I get rid of? I'm not a clean freak and I can handle a little clutter and grime but who's to say that someone who can handle a lot of mess would be a good mother. I feel really sorry for kids that live with a mom that can handle it and never teaches them to clean up.  

It also made me grateful that I have the gospel in my life. In a way the test was probably accurate...I did start feeling completely overwhelmed with 3 kids and part of that is probably my perfectionism problem. More laid back ladies probably can handle more kids without going crazy. I have, however, because of my faith and my religion wanted a large family. I think I'm handling it better than a lot of people would. I get compliments on my mothering everywhere I go...but honestly if it weren't for the gospel I wouldn't have kept going and having this family because I would have given up on myself and not kept trying to be a good mom.

So can you tell I didn't get a run in with Luz this week? I have to blab on the blog more...hopefully next week I won't have a major medical thing going on. I have in the last few months ...horribly sick kids, insomnia, leg problems, mastitis and a root canal messing with my ability to get up in the morning..we'll see what tomorrow brings. :) 

Best run yet..felt good the whole time..a little tired at the end but not too bad. getting ready for Easter :)

good run...

No watch still but I think that it was a 10:30 pace or so...a few twinges in the leg...had to stop and stretch but not too bad.  I had a weird dream last night that Sasha bought us a private plane for100 grand...that's probably a good price but I was mad (Of COURSE) because I thought we needed a bigger house before buying a jet...no worries...we aren't millionaires yet.....We'll just be lucky if we can add on a dining room to the back of the house like we've always planned to do in this house. I'm hoping. Right now we are eating with all six of our babies in a small corner in our small kitchen. Someone gave us a corner table so the little ones fit around it but it's a tight fit for adults...sigh...can you be sainted for putting up with a small kitchen? Maybe in America but probably not on a worldwide scale...Like the talk in our General Conference by an apostle Elder Hales mentioned that he wanted to buy a fancy coat for his wife. She replied, "Where would I wear it?" She was serving people in her ward and neighborhood that were struggling with money and definitely didn't want to show off to them. :)

Good run again. I'm so happy to be feeling better. We watched a movie for FHE by the Goodman family. They are a singing group that promotes family with music. They have 12 children...nine living. 3 were killed in a serious car accident several years ago. They really are the cutest family ever.  It inspired both Sasha and I. We really both have always wanted a large family...and it's nice that we share that common goal. Things like toys constantly on the floor and lack of sleep can dim that dream so it was nice to get re inspired by their music. 

Slept all night last night for the first time since William was born over 5 months ago. He got his first little baby tooth and I'm sure he'll be trying it out soon..he is my first biter after all these babies! 

Was feeling a little sorry for myself for some reason this morning...I guess all that sleep gave me thinking energy which I used for dumb stuf like that.

We had a dinner party last night that was kind of fun. I worked hard for it and hope that my kids had a good time. It was our Easter dinner and so I made special things like cinnamon roasted almonds, jello jelly beans (with fruit juice and unflavored gelatin) and a raw dessert one of my health nut friends gave me. It tastes like recesses peanut butter cups. (I guess I should put this in my recipe blog but I'm too lazy today) The crust was made of oat flour, almond flour and dates all ground up in a food processor. The next layer was peanut butter, coconut oil and agave. The top layer was carob or cocoa powder, coconut oil and agave. It is very good and with the right ingredients very good for you and a great decadent dessert for a weight lost program that you don't have to feel guilty about.  

didnt sleep too good last night...got some dental work done yesterday...and there was just too much snow for my tired heart....

I just wanted to go two today but made myself do three. William woke up when I left so I hoped that he could entertain himself for a little bit in his bed. He was fine when I got back. We went to the Church art museum yesterday and it was fabulous. The church has put together an excellent exhibit of art and church history all combined...very interesting. 

felt good today..I'd say the fastrunningmommy went fast....super fast. okay maybe not super fast but at least I felt like my leg would let me pick it up a little today.  

Sasha's old running partner Ted made his debut return to the team today. It made me think about how much his wife really really really doesn't see her husband and how I shouldn't complain about my stay at home husband who maybe goes to a race every once in awhile.  

Easy 3.....felt kinda hard because I ran later and it was hot for me...I'm used to the cold...

I felt so good today...like myself again. I finally called the doctor back and communicated with him about my thryoid problems...he finally got the picture that I needed extra monitoring and I think things are starting to look up. It's been a lesson in patience. I'm excited for this weekend and most of you should know what I'm talking about (wink wink)...if you don't ask Marion. ;)

felt pretty good...the weather is great..I think my thryoid is on the mend and I made strawberry syrup last night for our waffles this morning...how much better can life get than that? :)

Good day...was able to get up early because Mr. Billy slept all night!!! The waffles were such a big hit yesterday I'm making them again today. 

This has been such a good week. ;) 

tired today but had a fun run bc  my little julia came along

felt okay...a little sore legs...from my rest on Sunday and my easy run on Saturday??? My little ones teamed up and woke me up about 10 times last night..fun stuff

Thanks to everyone who made Sasha's surprise party so fun ..
....that's what the wink wink was on my blog last week.

He loved it and we all had a good time sharing good food and running talk...what else? 

Felt really good today!!! Funny thing is though..even though I thought I was going 'fast" I totally got passed by people who looked like they were going so slow!!!! Oh well...good to be feeling good!!

I got to run 1 mile with Jeff's wife Kimia..she is such a doll! We may try running a little bit each morning to help her get motivated to get and stay in shape. 

1.5 with Kimia!!  1.5 by myself..fun stuff...getting stronger. I'm going to try and get Kimia up to 2 miles a day and get myself up to 4. :)

Billy Bubbles has a fever..poor baby but I still got my miles in. :)

1.5 with Kimia..felt good..Kimia sprinted at the end..good girl. I still can' t do any speed because my leg is still recovering. 

I may get more in today. I woke up around 7;35 today..after an up and down night with my little sick baby. No fever but he's a little bit more restless than usual at night. Gonna need a nap again today.

I took Julia to the art store yesterday and bought her some real waterpaints and real watercolor paper and she has been painting non-stop since we got home last night..very cute!!

nice run with Kimia...she is so awesome to come everyday. She comes with Jeff her hubby and then waits for me to finish waking up..nursing the baby...perfect!!!

Felt really good today..able to go fast on my 1.5 alone and felt strong. Need to get back into doing some yardwork in the mornings too..my weeds are taking over!!

I felt good on the run today..my allergies are killing me now so I'm TIRED. 

Had a blast helping out the first ever FastRunningBlog race. We are thinking of making the blog a non-profit organization and taking all the proceeds from the blog to promote the races and promote the sport that we love. We'll..I don't honestly love running naturally but I love my husband and I love helping others. I'm excited about these races and hope that they encourage excellence in running and promote good standards.  

Sasha and I hiked the Y on Saturday. I felt a little tired from that but not too bad. Right when we got to the top and sat down for a second (I was a little tired) this girl came RUNNING up the mountain..stopped for a second to catch her breath and then went right on down...amazing!! I tried running up for a few seconds at first but then I was good to just keep going. Sasha ran and then sprinted up to show off...I was impressed!!

Perfect run today...warmed up slow..ran fast and then cooled down. Starting to get my strong body back and feeling good. William is just as adorable as he can be, Sasha is being a wonderful husband...the kids...misbehaving here and there but very sweet on the whole...oh..and  all natural ice cream is on sale this week at SunFlowers...now that is good news. :)

a little tired today from up and down night...giant sprinklers attacked me three times while Kimia escaped them and stood there laughing as she watched me stuck with nowhere to go and getting soaked. :)

Good run today. No giant sprinklers attacking..made the PERFECT carob chip cookies last night. They were so perfect and true to my crazy self I didn't use a recipe. Of course this type of craziness should be catching..they were the only ones I've had turn out just right and it was actually the first time I didn't use a recipe..hmm...

I had to do the double stroller today..fun stuff. I ran 2 miles with the babes and then added more with walking..not sure how much. I stopped and showed Jakey pretty flowers, we listened to birds talking to each other, looked at the river, stopped and watched a baseball practice (he said he needed to go to it and I should go home..he's 2..independent?..) and then went to the duck pond and watched some rednecks taking pictures of their dog terrorizing the ducks in the pond..poor ducks..luckily the dog was too dumb to swim to the middle of the lake and just ran back and forth and barked at them a lot. 

ran with Sasha today...Kimia and Jeff slept in I guess..didn't hear from them this morning. I forgot how hard it is to be running tired and have someone tell you to try and do things differently...got annoyed with Sasha's suggestion that I try and picture myself running like an antelope..sigh...I guess I just want him to think of me as an antelope without any work to actually become one. :)

tired..had to push the stroller..my lady that I do school with on Tuesdays forgot..again...well didn't forgot but scheduled something else again...so I guess we'll do a lesson alone which is no big deal but annoying..and to top it all off...Costco did not have my very favorite chicken sausage and I had to buy a different kind and what if I don't like it...:( I hope also that I'm not a grouch today. I wasn't too bad yesterday but there are some kids from a house of shady characters that always want to play here...they are sweet kids..really...but they are kids and a woman can only handle so much foot traffic and craziness in her house...okay..it was vent day here..sorry. Oh..and when those kids come to play I can't relax because I don't know what they are bringing into my home...I don't know their parents at all but I can tell it's rough stuff over there..okay..I'm done. 

feeling better today. Ran 1.5 with Kimia. I'm getting ready to run 4 a day..maybe in 2 weeks I'll be ready? I'm really looking forward to summer coming. I'm not going to have my kids in anything...no running around. I'm planning on teaching them how to swim this summer..myself...they were swim lessons failures..they came out more scared of the water when they went in....maybe I can turn that around. 

Good day..had to run alone because Kimia wasn't feeling great. Got my arm poked at the doctor's office..hoping my thryoid is okay..been feeling better so I think we're good to go. :)

ran alone..Kimia is out of town..hope she's having a nice vacation..off to our ward Memorial Day breakfast. :)

One of those great days where I felt like my run energized me..finished weeding the garden spot that I will plant my tomatoes, cukes and zuchini..dang..I never spell that right!!!

Met a lady on the trail today that I pass all the time..one of those sweet beautiful dear grandmother types. She asked how my baby was doing (she saw me running pregnant) and innocently asked if it was my first? I patted her on the arm and said.."No..my sixth!" She said I should tell people I'm 23 and not 33. 

I get that alot..don't mind of course. I also always have people thinking they know me from somewhere and I've come up with the perfect comeback. "Whoever she is must be beautiful!"  

good run..Kimia is back from vacation..missed that girl.

Planted the rest of my garden last night...3 kinds of tomatoes..crazy little peppers never heard of..butternut squash..zucchini (thank you Maurine for sp)..cukes and um..I think that's all...  Planted a few flowers here and there for color in the yard. I have these awesome day lilies that I planted a couple of years ago that are maroon..my favorite color..so pretty..have a good one y'all! 

didn't write anything for this day and I'm drawing a blank now..I think it was a good normal run with Kimia. :)

crazy run today..I tried Sasha's well..I guess the original credit goes to Lybi..are you out there sweetie?..anyway..I ran BAREFOOT. I love walking around barefoot but the trail wasn't as sweet to walk on as my carpet and tile. It was fun watching for reactions of people. Women in groups and men did not pay attention..women alone gave me weird looks. 

Cut it a little short today. Busy busy day with lots of running around and children having meltdowns because I took  them too many places. Sorry guys!

I want to get up to 4 a day but usually cut it short because of feeling like I need to get home. I got up with Sasha's alarm today..set for 5..sheesh! Well..since I was awake I got up and got going. Everything is broken right now and I hate it..the lawn mower, a sprinkler head, glass shower door and... guess who gets to fix all the stuff?..you got it...the grunt work lady..the diaper changer, baby feeder,  gormet all natural meal fixer, nose wiper woman of all work....me :)  Is it time for a HoneyDo list? 

A tiny bit tired today but not too bad. Got a busy day of choir practice...dentist..finish fixing all the broken things..move the girls bedroom downstairs so the baby can have his own room.

felt awful today and decided to only do 2. I guess with having a baby waking me up at night still my body isn't quite ready to change to 4..I still want to so I'm going to try again next week.  

This is just a guess since I don't know the 4 mile turn around very well. I didn't run 4 on the trail very much and then when I started running on the trail again I hiked it up to 5...know that turn around but not ready for it. 

The construction guys are coming today to rip out our back porch..sad..but happy news is that they will build a dining room in it's place for a mere 20 grand...oh and that includes a new roof. We've been waiting to do this the entire time we've lived here and I am soooooo ready. For any of you who have been to our humble abode and eaten in our tiny kitchen you may know what I'm talking about.

Now I'm dreaming of the table that will grace that dining room. We'll have to pay it off first but soon..soon...:)
 

Almost made it to four..almost..slowly building up. Nursing and getting woken up all night every night does a bigger number on my body than pregnancy. I'm usually back in shape for a couple of months and then ...pregnant again..;)

felt really good today..thought I did 4. Sasha said it was only 3.9....

I've done three and am preblogging because I plan on doing one more when Kimia and Jeff come in a little bit. Jeff is trying to get enough sleep before the marathon this Saturday. 

I've been taking my kids swimming every day this week. It's going well..they are progressing every day. 

Did I mention that I'm going to learn to play the guitar. I've already learned two songs and I'm working on perfecting those...Benjamin accidently hit my guitar last night and then when I was trying to retune it a string broke..:( Luckily I have free repairs at the guitar shop that I bought it at for the first year.

Felt good at first then faded a bit at the end. Don't know if I'm going to be able to do four again tomorrow..we'll see. 

Yay!!!! After running 4 every day this week (or close to it) I felt GREAT today. I'm so excited about that. Congrats to everyone who ran a marathon today. You are all amazing!!

Felt pretty good. I ran with Felicia..a lady from my ward that I've run with a few times before. She is so cute and starts out sprinting..whew..made me tired at first. I always warm up slow and then speed up at the end. 

I get to pick out roof colors today..we are adding on and getting a new roof on top of it..pun intended..hee hee!! 

4 felt good today. I'm going to try to finish out this week doing 4 and see if that's what I want to keep at..maybe I'm pushing the miles too soon. Nursing takes SOO much out of my body that it really takes me a long time to get back to normal..like when the baby is eating more food and not me!!!

Felt really good today..I think 4 miles is working out okay..ready to get back in full shape. 

tired today..up and down night with Joseph's nightmares and William's teething ...

I felt good today..pushed it on the hills and picked up the pace..strong day..four felt normal and even easy. (I know it is easy for some people.) Hope everyone has a great day. Be grateful for what you have. Be kind to yourself.

I felt good today so i did 4. I think I'll do 3 with Kimia the rest of the week..she is progressing so fast and I'm proud of her. 

three felt good today..Kimia went the whole way!! She's a tough lady. 

Had a little bit of trouble sleeping last night..not the baby ..me!! I hate that. So I ran four today at my own pace to see if that got my system back in order. I have a really weird body...sometimes if I even miss one day of running my body is like..what..you took a break? And then I'm up at the crack of dawn the next day  full of energy. 

4 by myself..a little lonely...

a little tired today..by myself again. I think by body just wants to run 4 though..didn't want 3 ..got insomnia twice when I tried it..that's a sign for me that I need 4. 

So much for a week of three's...an incredible thing happened last night..William and I both slept through the night..I feel good today..got a little bit of nervous energy I think from not being used to feeling good. 

I entered my kids in an art contest today. It was fun to look and see entries that were from weird to adorable and even a couple that looked like they should be in a museum and made you wonder 1. How much money the parents spent on the frame (I spent 1.50 and they are cute frames) 2. How much they paid for private art lessons.   I hope they look at those ones and think before making them first place. I think children's art should look a little goofy..and from a child's heart..not Monet or Renoir copies at the age of 5..come on.

felt okay..had a late night but felt pretty good. 

Funny story..I couldn't find my nursing cover and Sasha's running partner Jeff was still there so I picked up one of the kids cape and used that instead..I should market it.."Supermommy Nursing Cover" ..doubles as nursing cover for baby feeding time and cape for everything else that happens in an average supermommy day...:)

So today the fast running supermommy helped Benjamin make clam chowder..he loves cooking..and tye dyed t-shirts with the kids for our traditional matching 4th of July t-shirts!! Fun stuff..onto laundry and beyond!! 

I guess i'm getting old..I love the rainy summer we've been having because it's so much cooler..can't stand the heat anymore even though I was raised in scorching hot Dallas Texas...of course it would get so hot outside that we stayed inside watching TV most days..

forced myself through the miles today..dragging..not sure why..just life I guess. Some days you drag and some days you fly. 

4 by myself

got all 4 in and had a blueberry sunrise picnic pancake breakfast as we watched the balloons rise in the horizon..onto the parade..the festival and fireworks later..super fun day

I'm used to 4 now and I can feel myself slowly slowly edging towards my old self..

good run...bad mood..not mad at the kids or anyone in particular just one of those stay out of my way days....

I am such a wimp..I need to get up earlier..the scorching heat by the end of my run...it was probably getting up to 77 or so..maybe a little less..was dehydrating me. 

side note..one of the things that was bugging me a lot yesterday resolved itself quite nicely..the other is still in construction but life isn't perfect of course... 

didn't have 4 in me today and I've got a race tomorrow..of course I'm running Sasha's race. :) 

Well..I did it..I have 6 kids and I can still run a race in a decent time!! I feel like I paced myself almost perfectly . My time was just under 46 minutes and boy did I work for it. 

It may sound crazy but in some ways racing has now become harder for me than labor. 

Have any of you seen that movie from the 80's with Lily Tomblin and Bette Midler where there are twins switched at birth..I think it's called Big Business..I am like the country mother having her 9th and 10th child now..calm..barely noticing the pain..seriously. But at the end of the race I was panting and moaning and had to sit down and whine for a few minutes. Not that it was all that fast..I hope to run faster..but I just haven't had to run faster for a long time..every pregnancy does that to me no matter what shape I'm in before the pregnancy.

Anyway, I got a prize from my husband for that time...he's promised me a waffle cone maker...now if only I can find time to sit down and shop for it. ;) 

legs were sore but I did it..I did all 4 and didn't wimp out!!!

Eventful 4 miles alone. First I had to deliver some borrowed tomato cages to my neighbor..that took a few minutes..About a mile into the run I came upon one of my old fears..a dog..alone with nobody around to call him off. I HATE stray dogs..they have bigger, scarier teeth than dogs on a leash or at least with someone nearby. I chickened out and turned around. Then I saw some guys going about my pace and turned back around and followed them..at least if it was a mean dog he'd probably go for them first..or they could protect me. Okay..so it was a perfectly nice dog but when I'm all by myself I don't want to take any chances. 

Then next event happened at what we call the rooster house. I decided to turn around there today because the tomato cage adventure made my run a little shorter. As I was turning around I noticed two teeny tiny boys maybe 1 and 2 outside in their jamies by themselves. No biggee...except there was a pool outside full of plenty of water to drown in that they could almost fall into..tough call. Do I go bang on the door of this probably totally responsible Mom(from the look of the yard and the house very nice people live there) or do I let the kids possibly drown? I stopped some other ladies for advice and decided to go knock on the door. As I was running away to go around the corner of the trail to get on the street I notice a dog appear in the backyard..he follows the babies to the front yard...Is this the babysitter? Can dogs babysit? Well, he wasn't there at first and I guess the parents sent him outside to watch the kids..I chickened out and went on my merry way praying that I wouldn't see a scary headline later today.

crazy broken up run today..didn't feel too good

Sasha made me grab the watch today. He has a new theory that if you train slower than 10 min mile pace adding miles won't improve your overall performance as quickly as sub 10..makes sense. I've heard some miles referred to as "junk miles" by elite runners. I know for some of us just making it off the couch and out the door away from family and responsibilities is a major accomplishment in and of itself. That said, today I tried to run faster... in the past I usually have trained around 10..that seems to be my comfort zone when I'm in my best shape. Still getting back there. My first 2 miles were in 20:40 and then I slowed down and then I picked it up at the end. Feel pretty good..a little tired...making dinner for a friend that had a baby now. :)

good run today...Sasha met me with Benjamin and I was able to hold 8:40 pace for over a mile no problem..that felt great!

Mr. Billy woke up and so I pushed him for 3 miles..I was hoping I'd find Sasha and Jeff coming back but they started late and went the other direction so I was stuck doing all 3 miles with the stroller....1 more mile after William fell back asleep with Julia. 

pretty good..a little tired from being up a little bit last night..couldn't push it as fast as I wanted too..but heart just wasn't into it..literally. 

Tomorrow is Jacob's 3rd birthday..He is so excited for is Dirtday and he says it in his baby accent...fun stuff..gotta go wrap presents.  

Good run..ran first mile with Kimia on the slow side and then sped up quite a bit to I think close to nine or faster ..kept that for 2 1/2 miles and then cooled down at about 11 min pace to home. 

I have to brag that I have the distinction of probably being the first wife ever to hand craft a chip holder for her husband so he could run his race with five fingers.  

I may run more today depending on if I'm able to eat normally. I've been fine the last few days just didn't feel like blogging and forgot and was busy with life. I have the flu or food poisoning or something along those lines..not pregnant..I never throw up when I'm pregnant unless I'm sick. Sasha always asks me if I'm pregnant if I'm the slightest off from normal crazy guy.  

So I was up all night with being sick  and couldn't get out of bed of course this morning.

Right after the worst sick episode I was laying on the couch mustering strength to go and get the baby. I said a silent prayer that I would have the energy to get up. Just at that moment he stopped crying and said the sweetest words baby lips can utter..., "Mama.." I got up. :) 

Felt much better today..thank you body for not being sick anymore...i kept up an easy pace..didn't want to overdo today. :)

I felt really strong today...yay!! Gonna take my kids swimming..maybe twice. i'm excited for the race tomorrow. It is to commemorate the life of Susan Chapman's (seesuerun) brother and to fundraise for the widow and 4 children still at home. Our heart goes out to them and we are donating time and money..please take time to think of them this weekend and donate or race. Thank you!

Sasha helped with a race this morning but I still got up early enough to run my 4 and get to Benjamin in time to see him finish. The children and I had a peach cobbler picnic breakfast while Sasha worked on his fancy timing system..still has a few kinks but I believe he's got a really cool idea with his system. He's developing some neat software that I hope works out for him. 

yes..that's it .5....Jacob got what we think is a concussion..scary..had to be up all night with him making sure he was okay...exhausted and could only manage .5 

felt really good..I think I was going about 8:10 pace for awhile..can't wait until I can get back to sub 10 for the whole run and feel good 

a little slower today..the old injury was bugging a bit in my left leg..growing pains I think...should be better tomorrow. 

uneventful 4

I ran 2 1/2 in the morning and then Sasha talked me into going 2 with the kids and then another 1/2 with little Joseph...so did an easy 5

Sasha was a little sick yesterday and so he ran with me this morning..normal brisk run..I think my time was 38 something so ..not too bad.

a little tired today so I jogged and didn't get ambitious 

Felt strong starting out and then died for a couple of miles and then perked up again. I think my overall time was just under 40 minutes ....I'm still learning how to use this watch and keep hitting split instead of start/stop...and Sasha thinks that is hilarious...grrrr

I think I was doing about 10:20 -10:40 pace for most of the run. I'm excited about bow making this week. I got some great ideas from the quilted bear but also decided that with most things I can of course do whatever I think is beautiful and not the cookie cutter stuff at the store..still..it was good to get some ideas. One of the ideas was bows made from crocheted flowers. I went to DI to try and find some cheap ribbon and came home with a scarf crocheted entirely out of flowers! It's got enough to make about 100 hair bows! I also got a grab bag for 4 dollars with everything from pin cushions to oodles of lace ribbons..already made bows and much much more!!

i didn't want to run today..at all..but I knew that that would be bad for my personal health so I went...The reason I didn't want to run was because of something Sasha said to me about my running form when I'm tired. I shuffle..literally...something I've picked up through months of running either pregnant or exhausted I guess..He told me I might as well get on a bike if I'm going to run like that...

So..depressed that maybe I should really be on a bike..I started out...I think I managed to not shuffle at all today and think I can change it and that it will actually help my running but I'm still feeling a little uneasy about whether or not I have it in me 

had a little bit better attitude towards the no shuffling running..I think it's making me depressed though because I'm not getting the same kind of run in that I used to...I'm a little bit grouchy today because of that..also..we adopted a cat so a little stressed and my mother-in-law is coming so I feel like I have to clean the house from top to bottom which is quite a task with little kids running around...my big kids are so helpful though

still a little depressed about the running. I feel like I don't do anything quite right in my life right now..need to refocus and not let myself get down about it.

good run today..I didn't even have to stop once to fix the form..that's encouraging. 

So we have an announcement to make. I had a premonition a few weeks ago that we would have twins soon. I thought that meant I was going to get pregnant with twins especially likely since my sister has fraternal twins so my chances are very high to have them also.

Well actually it meant we were going to adopt a new baby.  He's beautiful, black and glossy with yellowish eyes. He's about 5 months old so a little younger than William. Please don't send diapers as we have plans to have him potty trained by the end of the week.

P.S. Does anyone know a good vet?

had to stop alot today but I'm slowly getting use to the new running form and eventually might even like it. I felt pretty strong, however, on the last mile or so.  That was promising.  Thanks for all the nice comments yesterday.  Is the beginning of school stressful for moms or is it just me?

4 easy miles..Sasha picked me up at the end and I ran 7;20 pace with him for a little and it didn't feel too bad..you know for 50 meters. ;0