The "poor me" post

WARNING: There might be excessive whining in this post.

I am tired and sore. Today was our half marathon. I didn't think 13 miles would be a big deal, but it is. Well, let me explain. (And here's where the whining comes in.)

First, I have weird feet. I've always known this...it's genetic. I have really high arches and have had bunions ever since I was a kid. So right now as I'm sitting here, the most sore part of my body is the top of my foot, on top of my crazy arches. They are in so much pain.

The second thing is that I suddenly decided that I should run part of the half marathon today. Yeah, I guess it wasn't enough to walk 13 miles. I thought it would be fun to run part of it, too. I'd walk one mile and then run the next. I did this for about 4-5 miles total. But I got really sore as the run went on and just resorted to walking at the end.

But aside from being tired and sore, it was a really good experience. It was really cool to see the full marathon runners pass me toward the end. It's crazy to think they can run 26 miles in the time it takes me to walk 13. There were great volunteers and people cheering the whole way. It was fun to see the community come together for something like that. So it was really cool to be part of the experience. And by the way, my sister-in-law, Maggie, and mother-in-law, Vicki, both did the half marathon with me. They did great, too. Even Vicki with a gimp knee. (Sorry to phrase it that way Vic.)

I once thought I wanted to work my way up to run a half marathon. But I'm starting to think I'll stick to the 5K. I'll blame it on my funky feet. Ask Steve, they are freakish.

Gymboree & Birthday Greetings for Tina

The two subjects have absolutely nothing to do with one another, but I have two things to write about tonight. So those are the breaks, kid.

First off, I went to Gymboree tonight. (For those who don't know, Gymboree is like a "cool" kids clothing store. It's not a snobby boutique, but it's definitely a step up from say Target. Though we do love Target, for the record.) Anyway, the kids needed a few more items to complete their fall and winter wardrobes. My friend, Amber, shops here all the time, and I always insisted I wouldn't be sucked in. Guess what? I totally got sucked in...$200 later and $100 worth of "Gymbucks," which you can use for later purchases, I finally left. I gotta say, though...the only way to shop that place is for sale items. I got some really, really good deals on the sale racks. (That's what we always tell ourselves, right?) My super smart friend, Amber, told me seasonal changes are the best time to shop them. She was right.

And by the way Heather, they have some GREAT boy pants in there that aren't just jeans. I was very happy with the selection and think that alone was worth my trip.

Now on to more important business. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TINA!!! She turns 28 tomorrow (Thursday). It's crazy to think my best friend live hundreds of miles away, but that's the case here. Tina and I had some "non-talking" years after high school, but I'm glad we reunited. This girl is a wonderful, giving person. She's the kind of person that would do anything to help you out. Plus, she's this great dresser, smart, crafty girl who is a great photographer. I hope you have a great birthday Tina. Here's a picture of us from the Mall of America. And you know I must especially like her because this is a great picture of her but a lame picture of me.

PTA

I've entered a new area of parenthood. Tonight I went to my first PTA meeting at Jack's new school.

I'm a big advocate of public schools. Coming from a family of educators, I know how hard these teachers and administrators work. So I was all excited to attend my first meeting.

After dropping Jack off in the gym to play, I went into the meeting and was shocked to see only a handful of people. The kids brought home notes in their folders and we even got a reminder phone call at home about the meeting. The "officers" of the group (mostly teachers) were there, and then there were probably 4 to 5 just "regular" parents there. The officers were ecstatic that there were so many parents there. Yes, people. There are more than 300 kids at that school, and the PTA was excited to have 5 parents. Yikes! That's sad, isn't it?

Steve tells me this sounded typical to him, but it seems crazy to me. I mean, it's only one meeting every couple of months. And they provide free child care! Seems like a simple commitment to me, but I don't know. I admit I'm a "joiner" type of person. (Unlike my friend Jamie who simply insists that she is not a joiner.)

Anyway, it was a good meeting. I'm already volunteering to cut Box Top lids or something like that. I don't know. I'm kind of crazy about wanting to help out with that stuff. Since I work full-time, I'm extra sensitive about still getting to do stuff with my kids' schools. So a lot of times, I end up being that overachiever mom. Oh well, it gives me something to do.

Countdown to Half Marathon

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but my mother-in-law talked some of us into walking a half marathon on Saturday. Now it's not like my friend, Amanda, who will actually be running this same half marathon. But still, walking for 13 miles is definitely a commitment.

I've been doing pretty good with running and exercising and whatnot. Some weeks I do great, and then others I don't. But in this past week, I've really been working hard to get my exercising in. It's back to the Jillian DVDs. She's really good at strengthening me overall and improving my endurance. So I hope to stick with Jillian workouts this week. Wish me luck. I fear her more than the half marathon walking!

One more thing...

By the way. The best part of the story (below) is that my wonderful husband didn't even question me. "Maybe Jack will want to be Spiderman for one Halloween event and then a Power Ranger for another," he said.

He's come to know me well over the years. :)

Yes, I have a problem

I've always been a girl who loves a bargain. I blame my mom; she's the best bargain hunter I know. She used to give us a budget for back-to-school clothes shopping. I learned really fast that my money would buy a lot more if I was a smart shopper.

I don't know what it is about finding a good deal...I think it's because it gives me an immediate feeling of satisfaction. But honestly, the best part of finding a good deal is the hunt! "Bargain" places are just so-so for me. It can be fun, but you're expected to find bargains there. The real pleasure for me is discovering bargains where you don't expect them. For instance, I was at Target today and just happened to find some great jewelry and good-smelling candles (not the stinky leftovers) that were all 75% off. I think it made my whole day.

But back to the title of the post...how I have a problem. I've been searching for craft items at Goodwill lately because I'm planning to make a lot of our Christmas presents this year. Earlier in the week when I was there, I just happened to come across a cute princess dress as well. Well that lucky find of the princess dress led to a horrible obsession of me hitting three more Goodwill stores today. (Jeez, it really was three; I'm kind of embarrassed.)

My sole purpose of going was to find other cool costumes. Not that we need them...my mom is making Anna a princess with wings costume (her request), and I bought Jack a Power Rangers costume off of eBay. But I still went, eager to stock our budding dress-up bin. With all my trips to Goodwill, I ended up with the following:

• Spiderman costume (dress-up)
• Dory fish costume from Nemo (I don't know why)
• Cinderella dress-up dress (dress-up)
• Fairy dress-up dress with wings (dress-up)
• 2 pairs of wings (I know someone who needs wings for a butterfly costume, honestly!)
• 2 Incredibles costumes (because they had 2 and now Jack and Anna can pretend together!)
• Dalmation costume (won't even fit my kids, it was just so darn cute)

Looking at the list, I'm kind of shocked at my obsession. Of course, it's not like a spent a lot of money on these. But still, I admit it's kind of crazy.

I'll likely end up selling Dory and the dalmation on eBay. Unless anyone out there needs them. (Any takers? Here's your chance!) One thing is for sure, though. We're going to have the coolest dress-up bin around.

First Day of School

I've been a neglectful blogger. Sorry about that.

Jack started "big kid" school yesterday. He goes for about 2 1/2 hours in the mornings. Our daycare buses him over and then goes and picks him up before lunch. I was excited that I got the chance to experience taking him in for his first day. I was there with all the other proud mothers, cameras and hands and nervous as can be.

Jack did really great until I came to pick him up and I informed him that I would then be taking him back to his old school. "No! You take me home!" he said. The next 1/2 hour went from bad to worse. He did NOT want to go back into his "old school." He cried and screamed and made a big scene. At some point, he even whacked his head on the door because he was trying to keep me from leaving. Looking back, I now realize that I never should have gone to pick him up myself. I should have just let the bus go and pick him up. Oh well, I'll know for next time.

Today, Steve took him into school, and Jack was very excited to tell me about riding the bus to and from school. I think it was the best part of his day. "I get to ride the bus every day, right Mommy?" he asked. I assured him he would, and this made him very happy.

Here are a couple of pictures of Jack on his first day. I had to take one from behind to show how big his backpack is. They insisted on the kids having full-size backpacks to hold library books and folders and such. (Watch out Am; that cute backpack will eventually need to be replaced!)

And just so I'm not leaving Anna out, here's a picture of her in a princess dress-up outfit we found at Goodwill. We were there looking for craft supplies, as I'm on this big kick to make our Christmas gifts this year. When we found this dress and then a leotard with a tutu attached, we just couldn't resist. She love, love, loves them.

Online charity auction

I'm giving a shameless plug to the online charity auction we are holding for my former teacher, who is near and dear to my family. She is facing Stage 4 cancer.

100% of the proceeds will go to benefit her family. There are some awesome jewelry, art prints and more available through this auction. Please take a moment to check it out through our Ebay store. We have over 100 items listed and only about 9 days to raise money. To learn more about our efforts, go to www.helpsolveforx.com.

Here's the link to the auction. You can navigate through the store easily by using the categories listed on the left.

Who Says Girls Can't Pee Standing Up?

Anna is potty training right now. It's going pretty good, considering. She's a very stubborn girl, and she frankly doesn't see the need to suddenly stop what she's doing and conform to someone's demands. But we're making some progress.

HOWEVER, I'm not sure what happened today can be classified as progress. We were at the zoo with a friend of mine. The kids were on the playground when I look up and see a little girl's white butt shinning across the way. Uh-huh. It was my little girl. Her pull-up was at her knees and she was waddling through the crowd. I ran to her and quickly got her decent and ask her WHAT she was doing.

"I'm going to go pee on a tree," she told me.

I was horrified at this response. "No you're not!" I told her firmly.

I offered to take her to the potty, but she just shook her head, and we moved on to the carousel. (We do actually see the animals at the zoo, but this was the end of the trip.) So we go on the carousel and then get ready to leave when my friend, Emily, asks, "Where's Anna?"

If you guessed that my little girl had gone to find a tree behind the carousel, then you'd be exactly right. She found a secluded little area that conveniently had a tree and she leaned her little belly forward and let it rip.

"Wow!" Emily said. "I don't think she got a single drop on herself."

Part of me was proud that she had good technique, but a bigger part of me was mortified. Come to find out, when my mom was here a couple of weeks ago with my nephew, she LET Anna pee on a tree like the two boys.

I made my mom talk to Anna and tell her that it's NOT okay for girls to pee on trees. When Anna got on the phone, she said, "I peed on a tree just like the boys Grandma!"

Oh the joys. :)

Fair Weekend

We had a lot going on this weekend. The State Fair was Saturday, and we had free admission tickets that Steve got.

We got there bright and early and made our way through all of the animal areas within an hour. Then we hit the kiddie rides and invested big bucks in the $20 wristbands that allowed the kids to have unlimited rides. (We figured we'd use it since riding the carousel would have been $8 for 2 kids by itself.)

It was worth it. The kids had a blast going from one kiddie ride to the next. Most of them required you to be 36 inches, so Anna just squeezed in. I never thought we'd have so much fun on the kiddie rides, but I'm starting to think it's better than going to Disney World (at least for rides, that is). When you go to a big theme park, there's usually only 3-4 little kids can do, and of course, they are all packed. But here, there were probably over 20 rides they could do, and there were no lines. Of course, you can do the math and our "free" State Fair tickets ended up costing us plenty with $10 on parking, $40 on wristbands and a little more on food. It was fun, though.

On another note, our friends are in from Singapore and we went to their little girl's b-day party at McDonalds. The kids had a blast...it was their first birthday party that wasn't family, and there were kids EVERYWHERE. Jack kept asking when HE got to have his birthday at Old McDonalds. He was disappointed to find out that Anna, Dad and me all have birthdays before him. Here are a couple of pictures from the fair...

Girl Who Knows What She Wants

Anna definitely knows what she wants. Today, she wanted to float on her raft in our little tiny pool. She sure had fun. This picture just cracked me up.

Girls' Weekend

I feel very lucky that I'm still able to keep in touch with three of my best friends from high school. To say that we were silly growing up would be a major understatement. For the most part, we were very "good kids," and our mischievous behavior consisted of taking weird pictures at Wal-Mart or driving through Taco Bell and ordering hamburgers. Oh yes, we actually thought we were funny.

Anyway, the four of us came together last weekend after 9 years of high school. We met at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, and we had a blast. (I've never shopped so much in my life.) It's funny to realize how much (and how little) we've changed. We still know each others little quirks, and unfortunately, we still think we are WAY funnier than we actually are. :)

Overall, I must say that I really enjoyed myself with the girls. We're all very different and have various views on politics, religion, etc. But on that same note, we've grown together, too.

We have the news producer who has her life completely organized and shines at everything she does.

We have the stay-at-home mom who is a lot smarter and talented than she'll give herself credit for (even if she lacks the motivation).

We have the dreamer who has yet to fully discover her passion in life, but we all know she'll find a way.

And then there's me. I analyze things too much and can be a little rough around the edges, but the best thing is that these girls take me for who I am. We all do. It's great to have a good group of girlfriends...even if they do live hundreds of miles away.

Stick it to the man

I just posted an article to my sorely-neglected personal blog about credit monitoring services, and how it's really not necessary to pay for those services, given your rights under FACTA. Just trying to save people $10-$50 per month, and maybe interfere with the ability of credit bureaus to profit from their shoddy data handling practices.

4th of July Fun

Here's a quick late posting of the fun we had on the 4th. I was waiting to get some pictures from the weekend before I posted. Otherwise, it would have been too difficult to describe Jack's pimp hat.


All the kids loved the fireworks.


Anna recently discovered face painting, and she loves it.



And finally, here's Jack in his pimp hat at the parade. It's all furry and feathery. He had a little flag sticking out of it earlier in the day, but once they started throwing candy, he had to get down to business.

Evil Thought

I just had an evil thought. I find it quite hilarious, though I'm not sure everyone else will.

First of all, I should tell you that I'm totally against abstinence. I realize this might upset Amber's mom, so please Amber, do not show this to her. So anyway, I was looking at volunteer opportunities and I saw this one as a facilitator for the Abstinence Coalition. Then I had this thought...wouldn't it be hilarious if I went through the facilitator training and then went to my first class with a bunch of scared kids whose parents forced them there. Then I could start handing out condoms and bananas. Oh man...just the thought cracks me up again.

Oooo, I have an evil mind.