Running

I grew up playing sports, primarily soccer. Soccer was what I did and did a lot of most of my life. I was division 1 and traveled allllll the time playing. It was fun, and challenging. Once I got out of playing (after my freshman year on varsity), I never looked back and did not miss it at all. However, the other day, I drive my presenter stadium with a bunch of girls playing soccer and it hit me hard that I missed being out there and playing and loving it. I LOVED playing in the cold weather, so that is what I miss the most.

Anyways, that was a total rant. Back to running. When I played, we had to run a lot! Soccer is virtually allll running. So when I was done, I never wanted to run a day in my life again. And I have gone back and forth ever since. I'm trying very hard to love it again and enjoy the peace of running. I realized a couple months ago that I simply could not run any kind of distance anymore, so last week I decided to start the couch to 5k program. I was so reluctant to do this because I never considered myself as a couch potato so the name of it made me hate it! However , I decided after not being able to run much distance anymore that I needed to start from scratch and train again. So here I am, on week 2. This program is great! Really, it's easy and gradual and I know that it the 8-9 weeks program, I will be good and back to my old self. (And hopefully 15 pounds lighter!!).. Though my diet is a whole other problem.

Anyways, I'm back to running and need some tips on some running shoes. Thoughts?

And the hubs comes to the rescue!!

After 4 days of feeling like poo, Clynt took the day off today. I was feeling okay this morning and the boys both had dental visits so I decided to go with him because neither boys likes the dentist and it is hell by yourself (even I bring my mom with me when I take both of them!). It was hell as always, but we made it through and both kid's teeth looked perfect. :).

Then Clynt brought me home and he took the kids to chuckee cheese so that I could rest. Corbin and Garrett had a blast and Corbin came home, ran to me on the couch and have me the toy he won with all the many tickets he had gotten (according to him) and said he got it for me to feel better. Talk about feeling loved! I love that little guy. Then the boys napped and Clynt did some work on some stuff and now he is at the store with both boys letting me rest more since I now have a high fever and chills.

Clynt is also going to make dinner. If u know Clynt, this is kind of a big deal! To give you a couple recent ideas of how uncommon it is for Clynt to be in the kitchen, here a couple funny momentS. I used the self cleaner on my oven for the first time ever and when it was done, I asked Clynt if he thought it made a huge difference (which it did!!) and he says "I have no idea what it looked like before. I've never looked in the oven!!". Oye! Then yesterday, I was prescribe some cough syrup and ask him to bring me a teaspoon to take it, and in he comes with a tablespoon. Lol. I love that Clynt doesn't have to do a thing in the kitchen because part of my joy every day is feeding him and him loving what I make. The way to his heart is really thru his stomach and I love I can cook! :).

Anyways, so Clynt is going to make spaghetti, jarred sauce I'm sure but still, it's so nice of him to help me in a way that is not his strong point. It means to world to me! He also asked me what he can clean. To him my house is spot less but to me, I havent dusted, swept, mopped, or vacuumed in 4 days and its makes me crazy. So he is taking on those tasks for me, which is so so so appreciated. I love love that he is willing to take off work and just help me with my 'work' so that I CAN actually take a sick day.

Thanks sweet man!! I love u!

Education

Education has proven to be one of the hardest things to make a decision on in parenting. Do you send to preschool, and where? What kind of curriculum do you want to use? Do you send to private school, public school, moved so your in better public school, homeschool, or what? What do you do? And how do you know what to do?

All of these discussions are in clynt and I's daily discussions. I think all parents do what they think is best and whatever you decide is best. I can only pray I'm doing the right thing. I also think that people value educations a lot differently. Some people don't think that having an extensive education is very important and may not put as much priority on it, other people think that a bachelors degree is a great level of education to achieve, some people have doctorates and think that is a more suitable education to achieve. Clynt and I both have our undergrads and seriously value an education, and hope our children are just happy in life and are as success as they want to be.

I do find myself emphasizing education and reading and math with Corbin a lot, and I also find myself getting frustrated when he won't write his name like I know he can (which Is so so bad on my part, if there is one thing I do know, it's to not get frustrated about things or he won't be excited to learn).

He is also in a private preschool and will be next year also. We have yet to make a decision on where we will send him to kindergarten. I see the benefits to every form of education that people do for their children and give major props to everyone for making the decision best for their own family.

This blog post has no answers whatsoever. Because I don't have any answers and you wouldn't want to hear them if I did anyways. I'm just writing this as I am searching the Internet for kindergarten preparedness information, and realizing their I'd a fine line between over preparing and under preparing a child. I don't want him to get into school and be bored out of his mind, but I also don't want him to get into kindergarten and be behind and frustrated. This is what has led to my confusion and this totally random blog.

Thanks for reading my ramblings,
Deana.

Sick days

When I was working, if I could get sick, I would just take the day off. It was great! I could rest, get refreshed and be ready for work soon. As a stay at home, that luxury is gone!

I could not stay asleep last night because I was just uncomfortable. I woke up this morning to a low grade fever and a massive headache. I have no choice but to get up, fix lunch for Corbin, sign paper work, get both boys up and dressed and get Corbin to school. Then take Garrett to the store to get me some Meds. I then have a very busy toddler boy to take care of. And will need to get him up, go get Corbin and take him to his OT and come home and hang out with them. I have to take care of my kids. It's a must. I don't get to be sick and do nothing and it kind of stinks!! All the guys have their flu shots, but I don't because of the same thing. I don't have 30 kid less minutes during the day to go get a shot. This is just my life!

However, today, I feel like crap and just want to sleep!! And it's just not an option. This is part of the stay at home l contract. No days off, but lots of time with your kids! :)

Feeling loved

Do you ever have weeks that you feel particularly loved? This week has been one of those for me. My hubs got me 2 different sets of rodeo tickets and our best friends got us another set. (In case your wondering, I will be at Kenny chesney, Luke Bryan and GEORGE STRAIGHT! )

I have had dinner with our friends once this week and another set of friends tomorrow. I have spent time with at least 10 mommy friends over the course of this week. And even my kids have been really sweet and loving to me!

Monday is my bday and this weekend, we already have 4 sets of plans with loved ones to celebrate. And even my in laws will be driving 2 hrs to take me to dinner. As we speak, (at 9:15 pm), clynt is at the store buying me a bottle of wine and my boys are asleep (well, Corbin is working on it!).

It is just one thing after the next making me feel loved. I'm not sure I could ask for better family or friends. Really. Thanks to all of you for making this an amazing weekend and week for me. I'm on cloud nine, thanks for listening :)

Boundaries

I have some very active boys. And when I say active, I mean ACTIVE! When Corbin was two, he would run, run, and run some more. Even last year when we would go to the children's museum, I would lose him 100x the whole time we were there. I think that leashes were made for him, though I never bought one. However, as he has gotten just a little age on him, he has learned some boundaries. Every day, I'm amazed at certain things he has learned behavior wise.

This blog comes after a morning where I was very impressed. A good friend and I took all our boys to the children's museum this morning. I have to say, I was dreading it the whole trip up there thinking Corbin would be running off the whole time, but if I didn't do things I was afraid to, then we wouldnt go very many places. I really just have to swallow my pride (and fear) and just go for it. He seriously stayed with me the whole time. (Though he did manage to get soaked in the water works area as he ran around there). However, that is Corbin liking to be dirty and wet and fun, so that was expected.

Anyways, after a successful trip in the museum. My friend said she wanted cafe express for lunch, which sounded really yummy to me. It was several blocks down the road, and so we decided to walk to get us all some exercise. Corbin walked slowly on the way there because he was still soaking wet, but on the way back, he wanted to run. We were on the streets of the museum district, so there were cars. I was nervous he would run off and not listen to me say stop. However, he would run several feet in front of us and I would say "ok Corbin, that's far enough" and amazingly he would stop and wait for us to get closer. It was amazing! Not that this is the first time Corbin has listened or anything but it's Just recently gotten consistent that he has some kind of boundaries.

He is still 100% a wild and crazy boy, but a wild and crazy boy with boundaries is a whole lot easier to deal with than one that runs off and doesn't listen well. This week has been perfect and the boys have not gotten into any trouble at all (at least nothing major). Every week proves to get a little more manageable and manageable means a little more fun!

Blessings!

Corbin's party

Last weekend we had Corbin's 4th bday party. We have a huge family. Clynt's the baby of 6 and there are 12 grand kids and so just our families alone we have over 30 people. So there ends up being 60-70 people at our boys parties. We have so many loved ones and Corbin has lots of little friends who he wants to come. So needless to say the parties are impossible to do at our house, unless we want to tell Corbin, no friends. We cant do the park either (which would be fantastic!) because it is too cold out. We tried one year and it snowed. No beuno! So we have to do his party somewhere and this year he really wanted spiderman. So we decided to rent our church auditorium and hire spiderman to come. He was so much fun with the kids!! I hired a company that does lots of entertaining at big places around town bc I was hoping they would do well with the kids. I questioned it when he first walked in, because, let just say, spiderman needed to work out a little. But the little ones could care less about that, and he and his assistant were fantastic with the kids. They did lots of 'Spider-Man excersises' and Kung fu time, and then he did photos with the kids and sang happy bday to Corbin. Corbin had an absolute blast and that was what it was all about. Love my little guy! Can't believe it's been 4 years!! Here's some pics!