Great Fall Weather!

Saturday morning, I was scheduled to do a 16 mile training run in preparation for the St. Jude Marathon. I was really nervous b/c the 14-miler a few weeks ago was horrible due to 100% humidity and 80 degree temperature. It took me about 2 days for my body to recover and my pride is still sore. I asked Lee's great aunt and my great aunt to pray for us doing our early morning gaunt.

I am proud to say that my trusty running buddy and I were able to complete not only a 16 mile run, but we added an additional 2 miles to finish a total of 18 miles! The colder fall weather made our 4:30AM run easy and breezy! As sick as it sounds, I felt revitalized and great all weekend. Thanks to God for answering all our prayers and extra strength Tylenol for relieving my ankle pain!

Toddler Tales

Funnies from my little ones:

A couple of days ago, Tara Beth came rushing into our bedroom at 5:30AM calling for "daddy". After finally waking, Lee asked what was wrong and Tara Beth announced that she had a big old "booger" on her arm. Confused, Lee asked her again what was wrong and she said "daddy, I had a huge "booger" on my arm!" Lee told her to throw it in the trash and she stated that "she already had!" She then promptly went back to her room and was quickly asleep. I guess it must have been some kind of "booger" to either terrify her or amaze her like that at such an early hour!

Apparently, the older my son gets, the more he is like his father. The other morning I was trying to brush Baz's teeth, but he kept closing his mouth and making noises, so I told him to stop b/c it wasn't funny. He proceeded to make a few more noises and stick out his tongue and then he said "yes Mommy it is to funny!" I couldn't help but laugh at how much that sounded like something Lee would say. I kind of dread what the future might bring!

Giving up out of fear!

Long time no post, but life has gotten in the way! I've had to give up my pre-dawn run due to the delayed sunrise. I tried running various days with an assortment of headlights, flashlights and any other illumination tool I could find, but nothing helped me determine in the pre-dawn darkness what was a pothole and was a snake. A couple of mornings after giving up, I saw a huge, huge, huge, cotton-mouth in the middle of the road on my way to work and said a quick prayer of thanksgiving that I hadn't encountered it while running! Yikes!

Here's a quick funny from my baby boy- During bath time I relentlessly quiz my kids about colors, shapes, American history, and other important facts that all 2 and 3 year-olds should know. Tara Beth usually excels, but Baz usually takes a dive during the color portion of the quiz. He always responds that everything is "pink" and then dies out laughing. I didn't know until recently if he really thought everything was pink or if he was just teasing his mommy. Apparently he was just being funny, b/c I made the mistake of giving Tara Beth his bath hat and he promptly corrected me by stating that "Tara Beth's hat was orange and his was the blue one!" I just about fell off my little stool with amazement! There's no telling what else he knows!! Only time will tell.

Watch out PETA!

Yesterday at lunch if became official - my children are definitely adjusting to farm life. Lee grilled steaks from a yearling that we recently slaughtered. As we sat down to eat, he proudly announced to the children that they were going to eat one of daddy's cows for lunch. I, being the all-knowing mom, figured he had made a big mistake. I knew that neither one of them would touch the steak after he shared the news that they were eating one of the beloved cows to whom they had helped feed corn and such.

Tara Beth was the first to surprise me when she proudly asked "Daddy, is this the black cow that I named Tinkerbell or the one named Race Car?" She then proceeded to ask for a piece of steak with the bone in it like daddy had. My little princess continued to quiz her daddy about how the cow was butchered and wanted to see it with its back cut off, all the while munching down like it was the best meal she had ever eaten.

Then Baz got caught up in the excitement of eating daddy's cows. He told me that he was eating "cow food" . Like his sister, Baz really enjoyed his lunch.

At supper, I tried to get Tara Beth to eat a pulled pork sandwich with me, but she insisted on eating more of daddy's cow! Of course their daddy couldn't be prouder and I couldn't help but laugh when I thought about what the PETA people would say!!

He may have a knot and a bruise, but he's still Superman!

Tara Beth's and Baz's latest obsession is with super heroes. They love to run around after bath time wearing their hooded towels as capes. I bought a pair of Superman Pajamas for Baz, but apparently that was a bad decision. Last night I came into Tara Beth's room after hearing someone's cries. It turns out that a two year-old Superman can't fly after all!! Baz thought it would be a good idea to fly off the top of a rubber made container with the hopes of landing safely and softly on his toddler bed; however, sometimes things don't go as planned. He miscalculated his trajectory and hit his head on the bookcase. Superman now has a bruise, knot and a scratch on his forehead. At least he is able to protect his pride because his bangs cover his wounds!!

Here are some lessons that I learned from this experience: 1. put away all rubber made containers. 2. teething fish from the freezer make great ice packs. 3. it doesn't matter if you crash land and get a huge gash in your head, as longs as you pull down your bangs, straighten your cape and get up to fly again!!!

Not in the grass!

Over the weekend, my daughter went shopping with her BE and bought a new pair of running shoes. She was so excited to have running shoes just like mommy. I reminded her that the new shoes were to help her run fast on the soccer field. Yesterday after nap time, I told Tara Beth that she could wear her new shoes to practice soccer. She was extremely excited until I mentioned going outside to kick the ball. Tara Beth became tearful and said "Mama, no, not outside in the grass!". She was terrified of getting dirt or grass stains on her new running shoes. After calming her down, I explained that we could wash the shoes in the washing machine just like Mommy washes her shoes when they are dirty.

Well, my little soccer team and I proceeded outside and I set up the goal made of a sturdy cardboard box. We each had our own ball to kick around for a while. Baz was interested in the game for about 2 minutes, until he decided to climb on his daddy's tractor. Tara Beth's interest lasted a little longer, until I told her that she could not use her hands. She then became frustrated and decided that riding a princess bike was more fun.

So much for our first soccer experience. Maybe things will improve after our first team practice on Tuesday! Yeah right!?!

Sign of trouble to come?!

Today it finally happened. I received the dreaded "he's been naughty" report at school. Apparently until today, Baz managed to fool everyone at his daycare into thinking he was the perfectly behaved child. Mama and Daddy have known the real truth for a long time, so I really wasn't surprised when his teacher asked me if Baz has been misbehaving at home lately. She said that during the last few days, he has decided that he doesn't have to do things that his teachers ask. Baz seems to believe that he can get his way if he whines or blinks his big brown eyes and pouts. Maybe he is hitting the terrible twos. Even though I expected this day to come, it doesn't make it any easier to know that my baby boy is misbehaving at school. I can't help but feel that it is a poor reflection of his parents. Then on the other hand, it sounds like we may be in for a long sixteen to eighteen years if he acts like his daddy did growing-up!!! His mama was a little angel, though, so maybe there is some hope.

Only time will tell.

OJ Simpson in Goodwill?!

Yesterday morning I was too lazy to get up and run before work, so I was punished by running in the 100 degree heat at 4PM! Today, I was a little wiser and energetically awoke at 5:20AM to run in the "cooler" humidity. As I run, I am always aware, watching and listening for anything unusual, scary or maybe even funny. This morning I encountered all three. The unusual thing I found on my return trip was a big, black glove laying on the side of the road. The scary thing is that is wasn't there on my run out. I just tell myself that it was there and I didn't see it b/c I can't really imagine a one-armed man hanging out in the woods on my road and throwing down a glove just to freak me out! The funny thing is the thought that crossed my mind - what is OJ Simpson's bloody glove doing in Goodwill!?! Who would've thought?!

Under normal conditions, I am a pretty rational person, but in the pre-dawn hours, the scariness and humor in things are greatly distorted! If you don't find this funny, maybe only a runner who also has a collection of roadside treasures can understand!

Talk about breaking my heart!

Last weekend before bedtime I tried to prepare the children for the upcoming changes in our schedule as I headed back to work after summer break. I told them that we would all be going to bed earlier b/c we had to get up so they could go to daycare and mommy could go to work. Surprisingly, Tara was only concerned about wearing her princess outfits to school, but Baz, on the other hand, brought me to tears. He said "Mama, you not work. Daddy work!". It is amazing how a 2 year-old's words can be so piercing. This is the first summer that I haven't looked forward to going back to work.

I know things will be easier in a couple of weeks after we get back into a routine, but I don't think I'll ever forget how I felt hearing those words from Baz as I looked into his big brown eyes!

Somewhere in Arkansas

The following story is true, with no fabrications: I am writing this blog as I sit in the parking lot at some former roadside attraction with bar-b-q and old train cars that you can rent as
"cabins" for the night! Lee is shopping in the souvenir shop while I sit in the car with the children so they can "finish out" their naps before we take a scenic horseback trail ride over looking the Lake Ouachita. Vacation sure is different with toddlers, especially in Arkansas.

Funny Kids!

My two children have some very interesting conversations in the backseat as we travel down the road. Sometimes I have to try really hard to keep from running off the road because I laugh so hard. The following is an excerpt from two of their common heated discussions:

Baz - Daddy is at work. Tara - No, Daddy is working. Baz- No, Daddy is at work. Tara - No, daddy is working! Etc., Etc. Etc. They greatly disagree on the concept of "at work" and "working"!!

Baz - Mama Tara- No, her name is mommy. Baz - No, her name is mama. Tara - No, her name is mommy! Etc., Etc., Etc. Nothing like the old debate - is it mama or mommy?


Last week after a fun day of swimming in a large in-the-ground pool with a slide and diving board, Tara told me that "when her pool grew up, it was going to have a big slide like Aunt Nel's pool!" Tara's pool at home is small and plastic with a tiny slide attached. I thought that was sweet because she is always talking about what she will do when she "gets big!"

Finally back to normal life!

Yes, I realize it has been over a month since I've blogged and e-mailed many of my friends. To those who wondered or cared what happened, it's called life with two toddlers and a husband! We've had a crazy last month with the children and I having a bout with strep throat, Bible school, preparing corn and purple hull peas for the freezer and all the normal mommy duties.

I broke down and bought a new pair of running shoes about 3 weeks ago, but just recently got to break them in. I gave up my trusty new balances and moved into the more elite world of Brooks running shoes based on the advice of the salesman (who is also an avid Brooks enthusiast) at Sports and Co. Today's run in the new shoes was so -so. I only got one blister, so I can't complain too much.

I started my morning with a 5:30AM run in the country. I verified what I thought to be true - that a country mile is surely at least twice as long as a mile in town. There was little to distract me from the mosquitoes, heat, humidity and fear of a strange dog attacking at any moment. I listened to my tunes and made sure my trusty dog Target was close by. The only traffic I encountered was a grain truck. I did manage to pick-up a stray dog along the way, so now we have a border collie which happens to be a great cow dog. I loaded my little boy on the 4-wheeler and returned the puppy to what I thougth was its home, but found out I was mistaken, so the little thing followed me home again. The kids are exited to have a new friend!

Here's a funny from my little angel. As most moms know it is important to keep a regular check on your child's poop, so I wasn't really surprised when Tara came to tell me that I needed to come to the bathroom to see her production. I was surprised when she exclaimed "it looks like a dragon!" Hurridly, I made my way to the bathroom b/c this I had to see. Sure enough, my little darling had discovered what many professional and novice researchers have been unable to - she found the Lochness Monster. I kid you not, Tara's poop looked exaclty like this allusive beast! Who would've thought something like this could happen in Goodwill? The imagination of childen never ceases to amaze me!

All for now. I've go a lot of online shopping to do while my internet is cooperating.

What in the world?

Yesterday evening I was relaxing before bedtime and read a couple of chapters in the book Women Who Run. The first couple of stories that I read were pretty inspirational, and then I was shocked/ horrified as I started to read another chapter. This chapter was about a "trans-gender" runner who was previously a male and changed to a female!

I could not believe that a book about women runners would have a chapter like this sandwiched in between stories about women who had used running to triumph in life! I only read the first paragraph before getting sick at my stomach and moving on to another chapter.

To change the subject, here is my funny toddler quote of the day. After counting to twenty with my 3 year-old, I asked her what was her favorite number and she replied "Well of course, it is my telephone number!"

Back Pain!

I enjoyed a relaxing, easy three mile run Friday afternoon, but haven't hit the pavement since due to an intense lower back pain. Today's plan is to visit the chiro. to get some much needed adjustment/intervention. Hopefully, all will be well for a run on Tuesday.

I've been reading a new book entitled Women Who Run. It is a collection of stories about women from all walks (I mean runs) of life and their motivations to run. I've learned a lot about ladies who pioneered the world of running for women, especially at marathon distance events. Some of the stories are really motivational. It is surely a recommended read to any running enthusiast.

Good Thursday Run

Yesterday afternoon's run was very good, despite the absence of my running buddy. I ran about 4 1/2 miles at a 9 min. pace. As the temp on the thermometer went up, I turned up my tunes to drown out the whining voice of tiredness in my head. I only struggled for a moment or two, but easily regained my running rhythm . It felt great to have an enjoyable run on a sunny afternoon with no mosquitoes. There is no better stress relief!

4-Hour Marathon

I just started reading a new book about training to complete a marathon in 4 hours within a 4 month period. It started off okay, but the 2nd chapter knocked the breath out of me. The chapter shares the horrifying information that Oprah Winfrey completed her first marathon in 4 hours! That is 29 minutes faster than my first marathon time! Boy, do I feel extremely slow!

I guess this bit of information did fulfill its purpose of motivating me to finish reading the book and examine how I should train to improve my time drastically so I won't be embarrassed to say that Oprah runs faster than me!

I'm hoping for a good run this afternoon since a sudden rain storm kept me from hitting the pavement yesterday afternoon.

Success at last!

Today was a great run - 5 miles with cool weather and a light breeze! Conditions couldn't have been much better. I had enough energy to cook a good ole southern supper of greens, corn bread and pork chops after I got home from a full day of work and running. No dessert need, thank goodness b/c I ate about 3/4 of a pan of brownies by my self over the weekend! (maybe I should've done 10 miles today?!)

Heat and Devastation

Yesterday afternoon my run was horrible due to the heat, my whining and the fact that it was Friday afternoon. I barely ran/walked maybe 2 1/2 miles. ugghhh!

Even worse, this morning I slept in and made "french market donuts" like those from Cafe De'Mond for breakfast. I will have to step-it-up a notch this evening for a decent run. Now it is time to clean, do laundry and be mom!

Yep, I'm crazy!

Just checked the temp outside and it is 88 degrees, with a heat index of 98. It is insane to run in this kind of temperature, but as the old saying goes "no pain, no gain"!

4 heated miles!

Due to my work and life schedule, I currently have to run in the afternoons. This means I get to "enjoy" the peak of Louisiana heat and humidity. Thankfully, I have a witty and very reliable running partner to help keep my mind off the heat, pain and agony of this training endeavor. If I am really struggling to complete my mileage, I turn on my trusty mp3 player to listen to my tunes. I think you can really get a better understanding of the complexity of humans by examining the variety of music on one's mp3 player. My player has a mixture of 90's country (Travais Tritt, etc. ), heavy metal, rap, alternative, and contemporary rock.

Today's run will be determined by the weather and my attitude. Hopefully both will be sunny!

New Blog on Running in Louisiana and Parenting Two Toddlers

Just decided to create a little blog to share my thoughts on parenting and to record my progress as I train for another marathon.