Sleeping Beauty

Some way or another we have fallen into a different sleeping pattern. Logan has not been napping much during the day lately; which is not fun for me considering I use his nap times as the time to get everything done in the office.

Yesterday was another no nap day. We ran around the house playing, built a village out of blocks around his train track he got for Christmas, watched a movie, and just had fun. I thought all of this play time, followed by a hot bath would knock the kid out...nope.

Usually without a nap more temper tantrums flare up, but this was not the case. He was pretty good all day. Finally after dinner, with red cheeks and rubbing his big brown eyes, my little guy could not fight it any longer. Around seven-thirty he was out. It is well past eight in the morning now and I can just hear him stirring.

I think my sleeping beauty needs to get back on mom's schedule.

Is There a Santa Claus?

I have been laughed at in my adult years for still believing in the magic of Santa Claus.

In today's society there is too little of the "pixie dust" in the eyes and hearts of our young. Children at school who no longer believe bring down those who still do. I remember how angry my older brother got when a kid at school told my nephew that Santa Claus was not real.

I read an article the other day from a mom who's son came home and asked her if Santa was real. The little boy's father had told him that Santa was a lie parents tell their kids. Wow! Dad of the year there.

Even some of the media is in on it; I've heard them voice that "scientist so and so proved that there is no possible way Santa can deliver his gifts to all the children of the world in one night, even with the time difference." Um...it's MAGIC. Why voice over the radio, t.v., etc. something like that for the children with still a spark of innocent in their eyes to hear?

I pray that my little Logan will always keep the spirit, wonderment, and magic of this wonderful time of year and of Old St. Nick.

So I leave you, dear readers, with a few quotes from the ever so popular news article: "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" I urge you to click on the link www.newseum.org/yesvirginia and read the full story written in 1897 by Francis Pharcellus Church. It is truly heartwarming.

"Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist..."
"No Santa Clause! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

Oh Christmas Tree

We finally went up into the mountains to cut down our Christmas tree. I am one of those people that get their trees the weekend before Christmas and then leave it up well after the new year; it's just another family event I look forward too during this time of year.

Logan was pretty excited, he kept pointing at the trees and telling us...something (I couldn't understand him.) He was in the tree and kept trying to help dad saw it down.

Once the tree made it home and the hot chocolate was warm in our hands, I strung all the lights on, and began carefully unwrapping ornaments that have been with me since I was a little girl.

Logan was so enthralled with the whole process that he tried to take some ornaments off the tree and ended up pulling the whole tree down. I had just finished filling the stand with water which now was all over the carpet. As soon as the tree was back up and the water soaked out of the carpet, the decorating began again.

We spent the rest of the day watching movies and hanging out. As soon as nightfall hit, we drove into Madrid (an old mining town about 20 minutes away from us) which is always covered in colorful lights this time of year. Of course, Logan not having taken a nap throughout the whole day fell asleep before we even got off the ranch. So when we got into Madrid, we took him out of the car, the cold frosty air nipping at our noses and our cheeks; walked a little ways looking at the lights until the little munchkin woke up.

Back in the car we drove through the town, Logan smiling and pointing at all the lights saying, "Ah" and "Look at that!"

When we reached home yet again, our little Christmas tree was glowing. Logan took my hand, got his dad, and brought us to the tree. We all sat beside it (even our dog Biscuit) and enjoyed the last hours of our Sunday.

Angels by Day

I read somewhere that toddlers tend to act up more with those who they are most comfortable with - those they are around the most. Therefore, I get the brut of the temper tantrums, while Dad usually gets the fun, loving Logan.

To kill time before the Christmas party/Rosary we attended last night, we decided to run some errands and do some last minute Christmas shopping. In public and at other people's houses Logan is an angel; since he has been able to walk we've let him walk on his own. He always grabs our hands and never wanders too far. Sometimes he will go up and show someone something of his (but never without mom or dad there.) At the Sportman's Warehouse, he decided to show one woman (who was actually on her cell phone with her 2 year old grandson at the time) and her husband his shirt underneath his coat. She thought Logan was so cute that she gave him a five dollar bill for a Christmas present.

Logan slept through most of the Christmas party. When he did wake he sat there quietly watching all of the people talking and eating. I showed Logan the host's Christmas tree (always spectacular), from then on whenever Logan wanted to see the tree he brought someone with him.

A while back we were at our friend's house in Albuquerque visiting, Logan sat there on the couch with his hands folded in his lap. When our friend let their dog's in and Logan wanted to play with them, he wouldn't unless he had our friend with him.

He sits in the cart at the stores nicely and looks around, sometimes pointing at something and telling me about it. When in a restaurant he'll talk with us and eat is food; watching others around us.

Once we get home, the little angel (as my friend puts it) sprouts horns. He runs frantically throughout the house getting into everything. When I tell him "no" to leave something alone, Logan gives me a dirty, angry look and screams.

For the most part, Logan is a good kid. When he is not acting up he is loving, affectionate and a little jokster. But once the evening comes and the tiredness sets in, the little demon emerges and I do my best to put him at rest.

Boys = Demolition

Remember that old song we used to all sing as a kid: "Girls are made up of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Boys are made of snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails." For one reason or another this song as been chiming through my head. Perhaps it's due to the recent discussions I have been having with people on the never ending debate between boys and girls.

It has been said time and time again that boys are easier to raise than girls. Only twice have I heard that girls were the easier ones. At our company Christmas party, I was talking with one of the wives who had three girls all grown now, she was telling me how quiet her house always was. The girls would go about whatever it is they wanted to do. She continued on with her story to when her grandson arrived, the house was no longer quiet, she couldn't keep him out of anything!

Another couple friend of ours has two girls and a boy. The dad told us, "you could childproof a house for girls and not have to worry. Boys on the other hand, go right through it all. It is impossible to childproof for a boy."

I have been contemplating all of these discussions and realized how right everyone was. Now I don't have a girl so I can not compare the two, but with Logan all the stories have been right on. My father-in-law came to visit not long ago and put child safe locks on all my cupboards - Logan opens each one.

A little toy horse that Logan received last year for Christmas is now his mobile step stool to get into anything and everything unreachable. From the kitchen sink to the top of the washing machine.

My house is constantly covered in toys; last night Logan and I picked them all up and put them in a box. Next thing I know, he is running around the house laughing, pushing his box of toys and chasing our dog Biscuit with it.

I have discovered that little boys are a walking demolition machine. Nothing is safe, nothing will go untouched no matter how many times you say "no." They will take the time to sit there to figure out how things work. I've watched Logan take apart an item and try to put it back together again. You could see his little mind working out how each item fits and what it does.

One thing is for sure, there is never a dull moment when you have a little boy.

The Puppet Master

Before our little ones learn to voice their needs, wants, and concerns; they communicate by body language, pointing, or in my son's case taking my arm and "controlling" it to the item he is wanting at the moment. For example, we were eating at the Texas Roadhouse in California with a cousin and her daughter. Logan wanted to eat the peanuts from the bucket on the table but they were out of his reach. He took the sleeve of my shirt, lifted my arm and placed it in the bucket. I, in conversation with my husband and cousin, without thinking grabbed some peanuts, cracked them and gave them to Logan.

Our cousin watched all of this and while laughing compared me to a marionette with Logan controlling the strings.

I have been accused for Logan's lack of verbal communication because of this; and though I was offended and a little angry at first I realized something. We are all in a way some sort of puppet. As parents we love our children unconditionally and want to give them everything - whether that be love and support and/or all the materialistic things we didn't have growing up, therefore we leave ourselves vulnerable.

Children learn at an early age which "strings" to push or pull in order to get what they want or need. They know the strings to our emotions, our hearts, and they know how to manuever the strings to toy with our feelings.

Though Logan is becoming a little chatterbox, somehow I don't think our family will ever let me forget how I am a puppet, and my soon to be two year old the puppet master.

Mimicking

You never realize how closely your son/daughter is watching, learning, and doing the things you do. For example, the other day I was playing video games (yes, I am a closet gamer) I was getting frustrated with Mario for missing his jump (I know, I am the one controlling him but I can't yell at myself!) I shouted out to Mario, "OH MY GOD!" Then I heard a little voice behind me say, "oh my God." Mental note to self, be more careful about what is coming out of my mouth.

Sometimes I will see Logan walking around the house with my purse over one arm and a cell phone on his ear talking to someone. Whoever it is, they sure are having an enjoyable conversation because Logan is always laughing when they talk.

Another situation approached itself last night. I was at the table going over our budget, when I decided to get a glass of water and make some tea. I turned around and found that Logan was fine tuning my calculations. (I was also lucky enough to get a picture of it!)

I have a friend with a boy a year older than Logan, she has called me on some of the things her son has mimicked her on. I always laugh at the situation, then she tells me, "Just you wait, it's coming! Soon Logan will be doing this to you." And sure enough, as I watch closely, Logan is doing everything Mom and Dad are. From what we are saying to how we go about our days.

It's a little scary to think that we are this little person's teacher. That he is learning from us the way to work; how to have and be in a relationship. He is learning from Mom and Dad all about the world, who he is, and who he is going to be.

Tis the Season

What is it about the holiday season that makes your normal happy go lucky people turn into complete monsters? Or those who have relatively predictable moods turn into a 9 month pregnant woman in summer heat?

Personally, I love the holidays. I love when the brisk autumn wind comes blowing in because then I know, three months of absolute chaos and fun are about to begin.

The kids' excitement on Halloween. Each child in his or her costume that, if old enough, took hours of contemplation to decide on (I'm always interested to know why that child picked that particular costume.) You can hear their laughter echoing through the night along with "Trick-or-Treat". Pumpkins line porches and send off an eerie glow with jack-o-lantern faces carved in them.

Good friends and family gathered around the table for Thanksgiving; the drone of chatter while they are complimenting on this dish or that and the laughter from the latest stories or events happening in their lives.

The day after Thanksgiving, the holiday lights come up. Festive music is played over the radio. Soon you start seeing cars driving around with trees strapped to the tops. Families gather around to decorate the tree, hang stockings, and bake holiday goodies. The kids anticipation start to show as the days get closer to Santa coming.

Then on to the New Year. How each person is going to bring in the next, their resolutions that they swear they are going to keep this time may be posted on the fridge to remind them of what they want to work on during the year. Laughter and drinks are passed around until the countdown to midnight.

And as quickly as it came, another year is gone. Everybody falls back into the same old routines they had back before the frenzied bliss began.

This is definitely my favorite time of year!

Good Days and Bad

As with everything, there are better days than others of motherhood.

Some days in the office Logan is fussy and unmanagable. Others, like today, he played quietly with his toys.

Last night he decided to pour 6-7 loads of liquid laundry detergent on the floor. He knew he was in trouble the moment I caught him because he started to cry as soon as I did.

Today, Logan was all smiles, playful, and loving. We spent the morning chasing each other around the house and playing other games. It has been snowing so we tested out his new snow gear. We even took our time coming home from work so we could play a while in it before it got too dark.

Whether the days are difficult or easy; this is just another stage in all of our lives that we will remember in the years to come.

Negative Four

Negative four - that is the temperature outside right now as I write this. It's funny how when I was a kid living in Alaska, I never seemed to be cold. Maybe the 50 below temperatures froze my memory of those days. I do remember having the beginnings of frostbite on my fingers a couple of times; but not much else besides ice skating, sledding down the piles of hills that the snow plows made, and just plain lots of kid fun.

Yesterday was not so cold, 15 degrees with 20 mile an hour winds. I had to take Logan out and meet the guys to give them some paperwork before heading to the office that afternoon. We had bought Logan a new pair of snow boots; I looked down at him, a big smile on his face as he trudged through the snow. And then it happened. He tripped and fell face first into a pile of white, wintery, bitterness. I felt so bad! My poor little boy with his face and hands red with cold (the wind was not helping the situation), screamed until I got him back in the house and warmed up.

It's amazing to me how little cold weather gear there is around here (of course it's not Alaska.) My husband and I had to go to three different stores just to find snow boots. And the gloves, thin knit ones (for adults and kids.) Apparently the only place to find any good outdoor gear is REI and though I love shopping there, I felt they were too expensive for little boys who outgrow their stuff in a week. However, I was ready to break down and spend the $35-$50 it cost for toddler snowboots; until I found a pair at Target.

Thankfully my mom, having four kids and living in Alaska, is an expert at kids cold weather gear (and finding it); and has mailed Logan a thinsulated pair of mittens with some other cold weather needs. I think until they arrive, we will be spending most of our time playing indoors.

Dinner and a Blood Sample

Last night we ate dinner at our Balloon Fiesta friends house. The mom is a nurse and has the ability to look at a couple drops of your blood to see how well you're eating, if there are any problems, etc. A talent that apparently hospitals and doctors frown upon because it allows the patient to know what to do in taking better care of themselves; instead of the here's your system and a long list of drugs to take to cover it scenario that doctors seem to like to give us.

So after dinner and dessert, she took my husband and myself to her "lab" (the den in their house) pricked our fingers and put two drops of blood from each on a slide. Everything was so fascinating. She showed me where a virus was dying off (my cold I had a week ago)and where my white blood cells wrangled up any other existing virus to fight the bad guys off.

Though I snack on carrot and celery sticks and have vegetables everynight with dinner, my "cookie cutter" blood cells show I am still not getting enough veggies in my diet. To aid my grouping and gapping in my white blood cells; a cup and a half a day of red raspberries, watermelon, and/or pomegrante.

For an hour she scrutinized my blood and told me the good things I am doing and what I could work on. On the way home, my husband and I compared notes - what he needed to work on compared to me. Some are similar and some are not. We discussed what to change to make ourselves more healthy and have decided to slowly start working on these changes.

I hope with these improvements that we are making in our diet, we can impart on Logan the importance of health and that you really are what you eat.

The Magic of Toothpaste

Having a toddler around, you never know what they are going to get into. My latest findings have been permanent marker all over my sewing machine and the bookcase at work. Being a little bit obsessive compulsive, I can not seem to concentrate on my sewing with black ink scribbles covering the area. The same goes for at work. However, the work situation was more of "get rid of the evidence before the manager walks in and sees what Logan had done."

In a frantic I cruised the web for what gets permanent marker out; the result - toothpaste. Not toothpaste in the form of a gel, but plain white toothpaste. With scepticism, I smeared the white goo over the black marks on my sewing machine, waited for about 10 seconds and rubbed with a sponge in circular motions. The marks were gone! I couldn't even tell that my sewing machine had been black.

And the result was the same when I brought my travel sized tube of toothpaste from home and worked on the bookshelf at work. No evidence what so ever of a little boy having fun with a permanent marker.

I think toothpaste is now a permanent object in my bag.

Naturally Born

Some people are naturally born at certain things. Whether it be sports, music, or even motherhood.

I always knew that I wanted to be a mom. In my head I would have a hallmark scenario with my family at a fall picnic or decorating the Christmas tree. However, I have discovered that no matter how much you prepare, you are never ready for the true aspects of motherhood.

Don't get me wrong, I do not consider myself a bad mother; but I am certainly no June Cleaver either. And I absolutely do not consider motherhood a bad thing. I love being a mom, some days I love it more than others.

I never expected it to be easy, but I wasn't ready for how hard motherhood is (especially in these early years - I am not ready to even think about how the teen years are going to go.)

All I know is that I love my little boy unconditionally. And in the end isn't that what matters most?

Trunk & Treat

I think I was the most excited about getting Logan all dressed up and out trick or treating for Halloween.

A couple of the local churches were having trunk and treat; cars park in the parking lot and you trick or treat out of the trunk of them. Some folks really went all out decorating their trunks with carved pumpkins, candles, witches, and ghosts. One church gave hay rides and both had a carnival which we did not attend.

Logan dressed as a bumble bee; a costume I believe to be too sweet for him. His dad and I joked that a goblin or gremlin would have been more appropriate. However, Logan was a hit of the night. Parents would joke for him not to sting them or say they don't have anything sweeter than him. One parent and his son approached us and asked to take Logan's picture, "because he looks so cute." Of course Logan had no idea about what was going on or why people kept putting things in his bag. Still, he squealed in excitement as all the other kids ran around dressed up too.

A tradition we have on Halloween is to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", but after the excitement and cold of the night, none of us could stay awake for the whole 25 minutes.

Random Thoughts

Isn't it funny how we as parents are the ones who are suppose to be teaching our children, when in reality I think Logan has taught me more so far than I him?

Aren't boys suppose to like getting gooey, dirty, and play with all things disgusting? While carving pumpkins the other day, Logan refused to touch the "guts." Last year he couldn't stay out of them. My husband finally took Logan's hand and forced it inside the pumpkin, Logan began crying. I told my husband to not force him otherwise pumpkin carving is going to turn out to be a traumatic experience and Logan will never want to do it.

I often wonder how badly I am screwing Logan up...

The other day I was drinking my coffee, only to have it start tasting like soap. Not understanding why and thinking perhaps it was because I had just drank something else right before hand; I swooshed my coffee around in it's cup and found a bar of soap at the bottom. Little boys are so sneaky!

A cardboard box is a wonderous thing.

I wonder if Logan likes the sound of running water; he is constantly going into the bathroom and turning the shower on. As soon as I go in there and shut it off, he's back turning it on again.

Office supplies make some of the best toys.

No matter how hard you try to prevent it, something you don't want to be ends up colored.

If I had known that being a parent meant I would never get a full night sleep again, I would have slept more when I was younger.

What Weekend?

When I tell people where we live and what we do, they immediately ooh and aah and tell us how glamorous our life must be, and it is in a way but one of the snags of living the life we do is that it is literally a 24/7 job. We are on call all the time; weekends, holidays, cattle still need to be fed, doctored, worked, whatever.

This past weekend was so busy and chaotic that it seems as if there wasn't one at all. In fact I awoke this morning wondering if it was Saturday yet, only to discover that the weekend had past us.

We had planned to carve pumpkins on Sunday evening but due to other circumstances relating to work, it never happened. Yet another aspect of this kind of life flexibility is a must!

The new plan, pumpkin carving after work and dinner tonight!

Fun in the Mud

I am a firm believer that children need to play outside no matter the weather. In the summer heat and the winter cold. It rained here for two days which in the desert, turns any area into a flowing river and many good sized mud holes.

I bundled Logan up and we headed out into the cold to stomp around. He decided that it would be great fun to move one puddle into another. So for over an hour he and I had our cups, scooped out muddy water from one mud hole and poured it into another. Since he is still learning the pouring technique, he got rather wet. I think I was colder than he was though!

When lunch time hit, we went inside to some dry clothes and hot bowls of chicken noodle soup. It was a great time to spend before heading off to work for the day and Logan had quite a nap!

I am looking forward to winter fun with Logan. Sledding, building snow forts and snowmen will be quite exciting for the two of us. Until that first snowfall though, we will keep playing in the mud.

Bargains and Propositions

Isn't it funny how whenever something "new" comes into your life, it suddenly becomes a bargaining chip? For example; when my husband and I first got our dog it soon became "if you take him out this time, I will..."

And the situation does not change with children. In fact I think that children become the prime bargaining chip for everything. And not just bargaining; propositions suddenly become available. My husband told me yesterday that if I went and watched a specific scary movie that just came out in theatres, he would stay home and take care of Logan. Of course it is a movie that I would never want to watch because I know how freaked out I'd be.

But then there's the other side of things. I could go and 'pretend' to watch the movie just to have time away. But then I'd have to lie and it would become a whole hassle. The truth would eventually come out that I drank coffee and browsed the bookstore instead.

Oh what to do?

Pumpkin Patch

It has become a tradition that every year on our wedding anniversary we visit the pumpkin patch. This year was quite exciting considering Logan is now able to do some of the daily activities. Okay so he was about three months short for them, but we figured he was close enough.

Yay! This moo-train is fun!

Ready to go on the hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

Logan and I with our pumpkins.



Into the corn maze.
This is feeder corn, but that did not stop Logan from trying to eat it.
He would not let that corn cob go.
Thanks for visiting!

I Should've Stayed in Bed

You know those days where you wake up and immediately nothing is going right? Today is one of those days.

I awoke to my normal routine; make my husband a cup of tea and breakfast. Now on any other day I follow this with making myself coffee and breakfast, kiss my husband goodbye and start my household chores (laundry, dishes, etc.) before Logan wakes up. However, this morning while removing the tea bag from my husband's cup it tipped over pouring boiling water on the left side of my abdomen and right foot. Luckily my husband hadn't left yet because all I could do was stand there and try to keep my clothes as far away from my body as possible.

After taking a cold shower to ease the burning, I applied first aid to my now blistering burn. However, it is moments like these when you realize how long it has been since you updated your first aid kit. For example, I have burn cream in my kit. It had never been opened because I had never had to use it until today. I opened the first packet of cream to find it hardened. The next packet was the same way. I looked at the little box they came in to find that they had expired in 2002. Of course.

Since the day is just getting started, I am curious to find what other things life has in store for me today. Perhaps I should have just stayed in bed.

Cranky Husbands

We all get cranky sometimes. Some more than others. However, around this time of year, every year my husband is at his crankiness. Why? Because this time of year and March through April we have so much more going on out here on the ranch.

Being on a progressive cattle ranch we embryo transfer. The embryo flush is on Monday so all of last week my husband was outside at six a.m. and again at seven p.m. to synchronize the recipient and donor cattle. This of course is on top of all the other things that has to get done during the day. Some nights he wasn't done synchronising until 8:30 p.m.

Over the next three days, we are photo shooting our cattle for our annual sale in April. This is not an easy task. The cattle has to be facing a certain way, you have to keep them from moving around, etc. (Think of trying to do those professional family photographs with young children.)

Monday is our flush; so it will be a another day full of moving cattle around and helping the embryologist.

I know for these next few weeks my husband will be overly tired. I know that he will be short tempered and say things he wouldn't usually say. Because I know all of this I try to stay calm. Take deep breaths and remind myself that things will calm down again soon and my husband will be back to his normal, cheery, annoying self.

I Don't Remember....

1. The last time I sat down and got to eat the whole meal on my plate (including dessert!)

2. The last time I got to take a shower uninterrupted.

3. The last time I was able to read more than three pages at a time in a book.

4. A time where I walked around without baby drool all over me.

5. A time where my house was a bit cleaner than what it has been lately.

6. A time when my life was not so chaotic.

7. The last time I had a quiet night where I could cuddle up on the couch under a blanket, listen to music, and just let time melt away.

8. How I ever got along without my little boy in my life!!

Another Late Night

Last Sunday my family and I were invited out to the Anuual Balloon Fiesta. We woke and dragged ourselves out of bed at 4 am to get to the park in time to meet with our balloon pilot friend.

Logan was in ah with the colorful ballons inflating and soaring into the morning sky. He being too little (don't I use this phrase a lot) stayed on the ground with Dad so Mom could fly over Albuqerque.

There is a tradition afterwards where you initiate the first time flyers, you toast with champagne and feast on meats, breads, cheeses and fruit. During this time we met a family of five. The girls are 14 and 12 and the little boy 8 years of age. Logan took a shine to all three immediatley! He would take the hands of the girls and show them "stuff," give them handfulls of grass for presents. They had a kite with them that they allow Logan to fly (with help of course.)

Before parting for the day, the family and us exchanged phone numbers. The next day the mom called my clan to their house for a dinner party. Last night we took off work early to drive the hour drive out to their place (which is right next to the Balloon Fiesta. Last night was the glowdeo (balloons inflate and pilots make them glow in the night) so what would usually be an hour took us two with all the traffic.))

There house was very exciting for Logan, they have a pool, a goat, sheep, chickens and two cats which Logan enjoyed chasing around. A fire pit was built in the back yard and burning hot (perfect for the chilly fall evening.) Philip, the little boy, brought out his firework collection (a few sparklers and pop-its) to show Logan. Logan dragged the 12 year old girl around the yard and showed her how he can open, close, and lock their gate leading out to the pool.

The whole balloon gang was there as well, the french crew and our friend with his wife. We drank wine, beer, and margaritas while chatting around the fire pit until it was time to eat.

It was another late night for us but we enjoyed every minute of it.

Body Image

Why are we so obsessed with body image? Girls hear it while growing up from their mothers, women hear it through the media, family, friends, etc. Society places a huge stress on women to be "perfect." The new craze in diets is always flooding the newsstands, girls and women starve themselves to get skinnier. Even if they are already thin, they are not thin enough. Many go to unhealthy means to lose that last 10 pounds.

I read an article yesterday about a place in Africa where heavy women are ideal. Instead of like the United States where we send our overweight kids to fat camp, they take their daughters and send them to binge eating camp. The heavier the daughters get the better they are to be suited as a bride. I mean, these girls are on a 14,000 - 16,000 calorie diet a day!! Quite a bit more than the 1,200 - 2,000 calories a day that we all have heard is the healthy amount to eat. If the girls throw up, they eat that as well. It's as much food as they can pack in to become bloated roley polies.

The idea in this area is compared to men and livestock in the days of yore. The more fat livestock you have the wealthier the man. In this case, the heavier the wife you have, the better off the man is financially. It shows that he has enough wealth to care and feed his wife.

I grew up with my mom on diets, some not so healthy like those "cleansing" diets that are all the rage in Hollywood. The idea behind these type of diets are to "detox" your body of harmful chemicals. I did some research on this and found out what these diets really do. This is taken from an article by Mehmet Ox, M.D.:

"After a few days of massively scaling back food intake, your metabolism starts to plummet. Your brain senses that there isn't enough food coming in so it tells your body to cling desperately to the fat stores it already has, and starts to burn lean muscle tissue for fuel - two things that ultimately increase your percentage of body fat. Also, levels of omega-3 fats in your brain fall (your brain is made up of around 30 percent of these fats) causing you to be more prone to depression."

I made two promises to myself many years ago while watching my mom begin looking like a ghost on the so called "rave" diet.

1. I will not go to the extreme to lose weight. I will be healthy and in turn happy. If weight loss is my goal it will be done in a healthy manner. (Do not skip meals, eat small balanced meals throughout the day, never go more than 3.5 hours without food, lose no more than 1-2 pounds a week.)

2. I will not degrade my daughter (this goes for boys as well, but girls do tend to get the brut of the ideal image more) on her appearances. I will teach her a happy and healthy lifestyle.

In a country where the average woman is a size 12-14, let's make it our goals as women to become better role models for future generations. Let us teach our children not to base their happiness on the latest body image, but on a better, healthier life.

Mary Poppins

It took us two days to watch Mary Poppins, but Logan cuddled up with me on the couch and watched it. The first movie he has ever sat down for. Logan laughed as Burt and the chimney sweeps danced upon the rooftops singing "Step In Time." As Mary, Burt, Michael and Jane raced through the derby on their carousel horses Logan looked at me with his little eyebrows raised and said "Oohhh."

I was not brought up to be nor do I believe in using the television set as a babysitter. But I have to admit it was nice to sit with Logan quietly for a while, him sipping his milk and me my tea. Our days lately have been so cold (average this past week has been lows 30 and highs 60 with 40-60 mile per hour winds) and a little hectic. So this little break with Mary Poppins was quite the treat...

For Mom anyway.

A Bigger Family

My best friend is pregnant, as is another friend of hers. Another friend of mine wanted to start trying for another about six months ago. It is so exciting to see a little one come into the world. To watch them explore and see everything for the first time. Each child is a blessing.

Back when my husband and I were dating and had that "how big of a family do you want?" chat we came to seven kids. However, him and I have always been a little late on the big life events. After seven years of dating, we got married; five years of being married and we had our little one. Now when we have the family discussion the numbers have dwindled to two, maybe three. I mean let's face it, he and I aren't getting any younger. He was almost 30 when we had Logan and I was three weeks shy of my 29th Birthday.

I come from a family of four kids all two to three years apart. My husband has one sister who is nine years his junior. He has made it extremely clear that he does not want Logan's sibling(s) to be that far apart in age. His sister and him are from two completely different worlds.

Logan is almost two and I still remember the pain of having him. I remember how much I hated being pregnant. Everyone was telling me that pregnancy is wonderful! You get doted upon and spoiled. That never happened in my case. I would be throwing up (morning sickness was awful) and was told that once I got working and moving I would feel better. In which I concluded that nothing makes you feel better while pregnant.

I still debate whether I do want more children. My husband has also made it clear that he does not want Logan to be an only child. However, he is not the one going through all the pregnancy changes and pain of child birth! I have been told by family, friends, even strangers (the produce guy at the supermarket put in his two cents) that a second child would be perfect, especially if it was a girl to balance out the family so to speak (apparently the produce guy is clairvoyant-he says my next will be a girl.)

When debating the bigger family argument in my head, I wonder how in the world I will be able to work with two young ones in the office with me. Logan is still a little young to be heading out working cattle all day with his dad. And I am already beside myself with just Logan in there with me. This was actually a discussion I had with the manager's brother. He said that I'm tougher than I think and that I will figure out a way to make it all work.

Either way, I am still up in the air about the whole thing!

A Night at the Rodeo

Last week my husband received a call from an old employee from the ranch. He and his wife had two extra rodeo tickets and wanted to know if we would like to attend with them. Well, of course my husband said yes.

Becky (the wife of the employee) and I got on the phone with one another and finalized Saturday night. We were to meet them at their house, then off to dinner and the rodeo.

What a wonderful night! It has been a while since we've been out with another couple. Dinner was outstanding; Texas barbeque. The arena where the rodeo was held was like any other, cramped seats with no leg room. Not exactly the best seating arrangement with a toddler on your lap but Logan did pretty good.

When the lights went down and the loudspeaker blared, Logan jumped up and wrapped his arms around my neck...I think it made him nervous at first.

The bucking horses and bulls at the rodeo were amazing. Some of the best riders were on these animals and they were still getting bucked off. Cowboys were flying everywhere!

One of my favorite moments was after the last rider walked back into the chute, the lights turned off and the spotlight came up to another chute where they let out a beautiful mare named Cajun Moon. The announcer told the crowd how attending the fair is a family event, you look thorughout the crowds and see generations sitting there or walking throughout the fair grounds. He talked about how these rodeo animals are family too. That is when another spotlight came up and a little filly, Cajun Sunrise, came running out to meet her mom. The two of them ran around the arena while the announcer continued on with his story.

A concert followed the rodeo, some new country artist. I only recognized one of his songs. It was about halfway through the concert that Logan was getting tired of our cramped quarters. My husband took him out to run around outside while we stayed and finished the concert.

We did not get home until 11:30 last night, an extremley late night for us all. However, the lateness was well worth it.

Graduation

My little boy has graduated from a crib to a toddler bed. On Sunday we changed out his lifetime's crib to a toddler railing. He was so excited and even "helped" with the process! After the change was complete, Logan would hop in and out showing us how he can do it all on his own now. It seems with this new freedom he is sleeping better through the night (for the past month or so he would wake up screaming and I would hear him tossing and turning over the baby monitor.) Of course that could just be me. All I can think of is how he is growing up so fast.

Weekend Plans

It seems rare that we spend a weekend doing something other than grocery shop. However, with the holidays fast approaching more and more of our weekends are going to be spent doing other things such as this weekend. Today we are heading out to the New Mexico State Fair. Luckily the weather is holding up as it has rained for the past three days!

Past fair days (before a little one came along) was spent riding rides, eating food, looking at exhibits, and playing games. Now we are all content in looking at exhibits (especially the animals even though we see cattle and horses daily here, it's still nice to see what the 4-H kids have done) and filling up on heavy, greasy fair food. We have yet to bring Logan to the rodeo portion, maybe when he's a bit older.

Happy Fair Days!!

To Throw or Not to Throw

Back in college, my apartment was the place to be. That is where everyone hung out; younger starving college students would come over and I would feed them, talk to them about difficult classes, professors, their love life, relationship crisis and so forth. I would have a dinner party one night and a group quilting get together the next. In the Fall, a trip to the local pumpkin patch and then back to my place for a carving party. Before Christmas break my little kitchen would be covered in cookie ingredients; my living room decorated with a Christmas tree and other holiday paraphernalia. I was once told that my apartment always smelled like something was baking, and usually something was.

I have come to miss those days. I love "playing" hostess but have seen the lack of it since I have come to live and work here. And now I am craving to play the part again.

For the past week I have been debating with myself on whether to throw a Halloween party or not. Since the only people I really know here are my coworkers; them and their families will be on the invite list. My mind has been filled with ideas for decorating the yard and house, a buffet style lunch/dinner and treats, costumes, pumpkins, and activities for the kids (ranging from the ages of 10 years old to 19 months old.)

Then I think about the other side of things. All the time and work that goes into it. This never detoured me before but for some reason it has over the past three years. Have I just gotten lazy? Sure things have changed since those college days; I now have a son, but shouldn't that be more of a reason as to throw these type of things?

So my question out to the world (and a decision quick from me as Halloween is coming up fast) should I throw a Halloween party this year or not? (Any ideas/activities would also be appreciated!)

Nesting

A thought came to my mind when my father-in-law was visiting last. He was questioning me about why I haven't done this to my house or why I haven't done this to the yard. My response to him was that I think we are still in college/apartment mode. Though I have discovered now that this was just another excuse.

After three years here, we have not hung up so much as a picture. The yard is still the same from when we first moved in, a bunch of weeds. When we first moved here I had made up plans for the yard, but never put forth any of those plans into action. Ideas I had for decorating quickly dissipated. I always blamed the hours; ranching is a 24/7 job.

I was talking to my husband about this the other night because for some reason it kind of bothered me. He said that he simply doesn't care whether our house is full of pictures, furniture, etc.; but that I need to stop living like I am going to pick up and move on at any moment. I relflected upon this statement and realzied my whole life has been like this. Being in a military family you never know when you might be transferred to another base, city, or state. While growing up, we rented all of our houses and because of this my Dad did not allow us to hang things up on the wall (it would put holes in them) or re-decorate (it's not our house), and so forth.

But I have found myself in "nesting" mode ever since my father-in-law came to visit. Any spare time I have it has been spent pouring over decorating magazines for ideas, ideal flowers for this area, new lawn plans, paint colors, and so on. All of these new ideas I have had, I ran by my husband(though he says he doesn't care he does live here too.) He stated that he loved all of them, just as long as I don't expect him to do anything and I start with the bathroom.

So, a new tablet of graph paper, some colored pencils, swatches, and measurements; I have thrown my excuses out, come to terms with my faults, and I am finally putting forth my decorating schemes.

Friendships

It was truly amazing to be at my Grandmother's 80th Birthday party and see all of her old friends; some of whom were from junior high school. Other guests included friends of my Uncles since they were in elementary school.

As I sat there talking and listening to all of the wonderful stories from all of these people, I reflected upon all the friends who have come in and out of my life. The reasons behind why some of them and I drifted apart are unapparent now.

Everyone has heard that the amount of true friendships one will have in his or her lifetime can be counted on one hand. Though I no longer keep in touch with the ones I met in elementary or junior high, and rarely speak to friends from high school; I do have one that is constant in my life. We met in college and immediatley became inseperable. Even now, 1500 miles apart, we talk to one another at least once a week. And I know that someday we will be sitting there at our 80th Birthday parties telling wild and crazy stories to our grandchildren.

Friendships are one of those sacred treasures. I thank God that I have been blessed with mine everyday.

In Desperate Need

For all those Moms: does this sound familiar? “I will do (fill in the blank) for myself as soon as I get little Jr.(fill in the blank) and dear hubby (fill in the blank) and the laundry washed, the dishes done, etc., etc.

It is a well known fact that most Moms put herself and her needs on the back burner. With all the roles she plays her needs and wants seem to dissipate into thin air. Over time she finds that she has been losing herself and her well being in keeping up with the everyday bustle.

I am no exception to this. The difference, however, is that I know what is going on, yet have not done anything to change this snowball effect. Whenever I discuss my daily dealings with family, somewhere amidst the conversation is a lecture on how I need to take time out and do things for me; do things to keep my sanity and inner peace. There is always the inquiry, “But what did you do today for you?” In which I usually reply with silence as I rack my brain for anything that might justify "me time."

For the past week I have found my mind telling myself, "I could really use some pamper time...a pedicure or massage sounds nice." Or, "Today, I will take time out to finish my book!" (Still haven't done this one.) Another example, "I wonder if JP (my husband) would be willing to watch Logan for a while so I can take a little 'me time' shopping trip?" Even, "My hair is driving me crazy! I desperately need a haircut!"

Though I hear myself saying these things, I never voice them or take the time to put them in action. I tell myself, "We need this and this, maybe next month I"ll losen the budget a bit to do one of these things for myself." It seems I can always find an excuse (as I'm sure most Mom's can) to not take the time needed for me. Even as I write this, I am beginning to feel guilty with being so selfish. All of these "I's" and "me's"...

And so the snowball keeps growing as it rolls downhill.

First Haircut

Though I loved Logan's curls, they were simply getting too long. Not brave enough to cut them off myself, I searched the phonebook and internet for a speciality salon in children's haircuts.

We took him to the shop (Mop Tops-perfect name!) and sat him on one of the toy cars. He screamed and latched to my neck. So, I ended up sitting on a barber chair while he sat on my lap, screaming, squirming, and crying. Even bribery did not work (the hairstylist tried to give him a lollipop.)

I know that the hair stylist did this for a living and that she has cut many a squirming kids; but I was impressed by how Logan's haircut came out with him moving around the whole time.

Logan received a certificate stating it was his first haircut and for mom, a lock of curl.

California

We just returned from a small trip to California to celebrate my grandmother's 80th Birthday.

The first day was spent in Monterey to show Logan the ocean and feel the sand between his toes; a trip my grandmother used to take me on when I would spend my summers there. We walked down Fisherman's Wharf and sampled clam chowder. Logan and my husband were looking out over the dock when a sea lion popped out of the water just below them. Of course I was off somewhere else at the time. When I came back, Logan kept pointing down at the water and "telling" me what happened.

The Birthday party and after parties were nice. It was such a pleasure catching up with family and friends I had not seen; some in 22 years.

It was a nice little trip and great for Logan to meet some of his family.

Boys

I have discovered that boys will be boys whether they are young or old. And Logan is no exception.

A while back we went out to dinner at the Olive Garden. Across the room was a little girl in a high chair eating dinner with her parents. Logan, in his own high chair was yelling at her and flirting. So my husband took Logan over to the table to meet the little girl. Immediately, Logan turned shy. The little girl on the other hand already knew the way to a boy's heart by trying to share her chicken fingers with Logan.

Another instance; while out on the town a little girl came up to Logan, grabbed his hand and led him over to the play area of where we were to play. She showered him in hugs and kisses in which, Logan being a little boy, walked away from her and "wiped" the kisses off his cheek. However, they soon were good playmates.

It all just goes to show, boys talk and play a big game but when all is said and done; they are as timid as a little puppy.

My Little Hiker

Several times now I have heard people say that it is best to take your child hiking when he is at the age of three. Whether they mean overnight backpacking trips; it is not specified.

I have taken Logan on numerous hiking trips (all day long ones) and he does great! He can usually hike the majority of the trails himself without too much trouble. And when we come to a rough spot, he just takes Mom's hand to help him along.

Recently we took Logan for a day hike in Bandelier National Monument. The trails are easy and non strenuous; it was when we got to the ladders that he had a bit of a problem, his legs being too short to reach each step. Dad would grab Logan and haul him up and down the ladders.

Logan loved going into each little cave "house", exploring the tiny dirt rooms, and seeing the views from the windows. As we descended down the trail loop to the bridge with the creek, Logan began playing "tour guide" and pointing out to everyone passing by the water rushing beneath them.

My goal is to embark upon Logan the importance of protecting and respecting mother nature, to enjoy and take in the beauty around him, and to see what a wonderful gift our world is.

Unforgiven

Back in June, I took a trip to Iowa and left my son Logan for the first time. Now this trip just wasn't a day or two, it was a whole week.

I have heard several mothers say that the mom takes it the hardest than the kid when being apart for the first time. Therefore, days before I left I mentally prepared myself. I told myself if I just stayed busy than I wouldn't have time to mourn the fact that Logan and I were not together.

When I came back and met Logan in the airport, I didn't know what to expect. Would he run and cry to his dad? Would he be mad and not want to have anything to do with me? I saw Logan running my way in baggage claim and got down to greet him. He stopped, gave me a huge smile and wrapped his arms around my neck. And there he stayed.

Of course I was ecstatic! But now, two months later, I don't think I have been totally forgiven. He has been more clingy than ever since I left and cries if he doesn't know where I am.

I have been told over and over that I need to put Logan in daycare. Get him out to socialize with kids his age. The predicament here is that I live so far away from anything that I would be spending a minimum of three and a half to four hours a day just driving him back and forth. How would that be advantageous?

Though I agree Logan needs to learn that it is okay to be away from Mom and Dad; that we will always come back, I just have not figured out a way to do this yet.

Family Visits

One of the great things about having long distance family come visit is that they want to spend every waking moment with my son, Logan. This allows for Mom and Dad to have a small break.

For the past week and a half, my father-in-law stayed with us. My husband and I had a "date" night where we watched a movie in an actual movie theatre and without subtitles! My son is still unable to sit through even 15 minutes of a movie; we all sit down at home to watch one and before the previews are even over, he is running around the house playing, grabbing our hands to show us his new findings, and yelling, chasing our dog. Hence the subtitles and the worn out rewind button on the remote control.

Besides date night, I had the opportunity to go to work child free. The office seemed eerily quiet at first; but being able to get everything done without looking over my shoulder to see what trouble Logan was getting into every minute made it well worth it. Even when I had projects brought to me an hour before quitting time; I did not feel any stress what so ever. I knew I had a few more child free days to get them all done in.

Though I get a little stressed before family arrives (finding time to clean the house, work, grocery shop, plan meals, and chase Logan around) once they are there I feel as though I have more free time to do what I want to do. For example, I got to read several chapters in my book. This doesn't sound like much, but before Grandpa came it took me three days to read nine pages!

Several days I came home from work to find that my father-in-law installed child safety latches, fixed broken items around the house, put together items we hadn't found the time to do yet, and cleaned.

It just goes to show that grandparents are not just there spoiling their grandkids; Mom feels pretty spoiled as well.

Play Time

Though I absolute-ly hate it when the weather decides to throw us 100 degree heat days, one thing I do enjoy is playtime. Water hoses, sprinklers, mud, anything to cool you down makes excellent outdoor activites.

I am a firm believer that kids need to be kids, little boys need to be little boys, and little girls need to be little girls (no matter if the little girl is a girly girl or a tomboy.) If this means making a mud hole in my garden or backyard so be it.

Back in April during our sale; several inches of snow had dropped making the ranch a beautiful post card picture, but as the day warmed up, all that snow turned to mud. I wasn't going to stop Logan from playing in it (nor was my girlfriend going to stop her son-that is why we are friends.) I remember people telling me, "I can't believe you are letting him (my son) play in the mud like that!." Why? What's wrong with it? Him and my girlfriend's son were having the best time!

I believe that too many kids are trapped indoors with video game systems, television, ipods, cell phones, and other electronic devices. What happened to the great outdoors? Perhaps it's because their parents never gave them the opportunity to get diry so they go outside and don't know what to do out there.

A blog posting written by the same girlfriend mentioned above said that she can judge a good day for her son with how much dirt he has on himself. This is so true! You know, not just by the gleaming smile on their faces, that they truly had a chance to run and play. A chance to be themselves; a kid.

Bare Cupboards

Last night as we were all about to eat dinner; I got up and opened the refrigerator to pour a couple glasses of milk. My husband then commented on how bare our fridge is. I had noticed but not thought much of it. After dinner, however, I took a good look in the fridge and cupboards; it was like looking in a college student's kitchen - minus the beer.

Usually we go into town on Saturday to take care of grocery shopping, dry cleaning, or whatever other errands need to be taken care of. These past few weekends we've gone into town, but did not go to the store. We were so excited to break away from our usual routine that food was not a priority on our weekend to do lists.

My husband has so much faith in me; he thinks that I can concoct an elaborate dinner out of ketchup and noodles however, I prefer to have a little more to work with. So today Logan and I will be making a special trip into town to fill our bare kitchen back up and do ranch odds and ends. Grocery shopping is not my favorite way to fill a nice day, but at least it will get us out of the office for a while.

My Running Partner

I have read it over and over; the best way to keep motivated in your workout regime and lose weight is to do it with a friend. Some workout with their spouses or a group of girlfriends. This may be true for those who have spouses who are interested or friends nearby however, I don't have either. I tried the online sites where you workout virtually with a partner, but even those only kept me motivated for so long before it just became ridiculous. I have Biscuit.

Biscuit is not only my running partner but also my security alerter. Recently we have had the cougar and bear approach themselves closer to home and me running around in their territory may not make them all that happy. But I know if even a rabbit or coyote is nearby when Biscuit is around.

Like anybody else, there are days where he does not want to wake up before the sun to go out running with me. On several occasions now after passing the first cattle guard, he'll stop and watch me. I run a little further and ask him if he's sitting this one out or coming along. When he stops before the second cattle guard I know he's staying home. But he is always at the gate waiting for me when I get back!

The Inner Child

I purchased sidewalk chalk for Logan while out and about. Both he and I go out to the back porch to draw and color. Of course I am usually still going long after he quits. However, he does enjoy "erasing" my art work with the water hose!!

The water hose then becomes a spray of sprinkles for us both to run under; a mud hole for us to stomp in, a puddle where my art used to be to splash around...

Sometimes I sit here and wonder how I filled my days without him. What did I do? I have become so accustomed to spending these days with my inner child that whenever I am not around my son bringing that child out of me I feel...lonely? I don't know how to describe it.

Either way I am enjoying running around and being a "kid" again!

Race Ready?

Only ten more days until my first 5K race. Am I ready? Nope. I really began fretting over this last night after I talked to a friend of mine. Here I am just shooting the breeze, filling him in on what we've been up to, asking him about this and that, when I tell him about this race. He got all excited and asked more details; then said that he is going to go and watch! Uh oh.

The time just flew by so fast! When I had signed up for this race I had 3 weeks of training. Now as I look at my calendar I can not believe where the weeks have gone. I have run the distance plus more over the course of these weeks however, I have not put in as much speed work as I would have liked. Thus, I will more than likely not meet my race pace goal. Still, I will go out there have fun and let the adrenaline and excitement lead the way.

Opinions and Judgements

What is it with people who always have to have a say in everything you do? Particulalry with your child? For the past week I have had people give me more opionions and judgements on Logan than I care to hear.

1."He's not potty trained yet? My kids were all potty trained by 14 months."

2."When are you going to cut his hair? It's getting long. He should move to Madrid." (a nearby "hippy town")

3."He's still drinking on a bottle! He should be off that by now."

Good grief people. Sometimes I sit there and let the judgements/opinions go in one ear and out the other. Sometimes I retaliate. Usually when the latter happens I get another comment such as, "Well...he's actually not that bad," or "He is still quite young."

My favorites come from those who don't have any children of their own but feel the need to tell everyone else how to raise theirs. I have heard everything from what to do when he's fussy, how I should put him down to bed, where he should sleep, how he should sleep, when I should be feeding him, what he should be eating....I bet I can compile a list several pages long!

My opinion; this is all a learning process for everyone. Kids do not come with a manual. So just filter those comments you feel you can use and forget the rest.

Petroglyphs National Monument

Saturday was a lovely day hiking the Petroglyphs National Monument. Poor Logan, some of the rocks were like rock climbing for him, but he did a terrific job! I have a hiking carrier to haul him in, but he was content on doing things on his own. The only downfall was the heat. It was so hot and no shady areas. This was the cause of not hiking all the trails available. Next weekends hike; in the woods with lots of shady tree cover!!

Test Run

A while back I had purchased an infant carrier to take Logan on family hikes. Since then, it has sat in his room collecting dust. Part of the reason for this is that I wait on my husband to want to be a part of the things I would like to do. However, I have decided that I am tired of waiting; Logan and I are going to go do things with or without him.

It all started on the fourth of July when I researched and picked three different events for us to go to as a family. A rodeo and firework display in Morarity; a parade, fireworks in Albuquerque; and fireworks overlooking Elephant Butte lake in Truth and Consequences, NM. After sitting down to discuss these choices with my husband I was told, "Unless it can outdo the Fire Festival on my game, I don't want to go." So, another fourth of July passed that we stayed home and did nothing; and for me, this was the last straw. I wasn't angry. I just came to a decision.

Now, I never considered myself or was even the type of girl who couldn't do things on her own. From movies to eating out to hiking; I have done lots of things by myself. But somewhere in my mind I had events and trips planned that I figured we should enjoy as a family. Everytime I planned a trip it got shot down by my husband just wanting to stay home and play his online game. I understand that this is his way to unwind and forget about work; everybody needs this time. However to me, the game seems to rule everything and everybody else out.

Finally I asked myself, "Why should I sit around waiting for him to be involved while life is happening?" My decision; I sat down and planned several day hiking trips for Logan and I. Since he has never been in his carrier before, I decided to give it a test run last night. He climbed right in! I lifted him up on my back and away we went, first around the house. We walked through the bathroom so he can see himself in the mirror, through the living room and bedrooms. Now for outside. Away we went walking around the ranch, not too far away from home in case he had enough. When we came back to the house and I put him down, he didn't want to climb out. Success!!

Let's see how we do on our little trip this weekend!

Running

I never considered myself an athlete. Three years ago I talked to a fitness trainer about different cross training programs to add to my runs for my first half marathon. While discussing these programs she mentioned "...an athlete like yourself..." Me? I looked around to see who else was in the room; no one.

It was not until after that first 13.1 miles that I said to myself, "Maybe I am!" Now, after a long break from any kind of fitness regime, I am in the midst of training for yet another half marathon. Although I have to admit that this mornings run was not as graceful as previous runs. I woke up late, therefore not getting my full stretch and warm up in not to mention water intake. Then while crossing one of the cattleguards, I tripped and hurt my elbow.

It's moments like these that I agree with all of those who call me crazy for doing this in the first place.

Facebook

Well, I have done it. I have succumbed to the technological socialites and joined Facebook. I have heard that Facebook is a great way to network; you can post pictures, vidoes, tell your Facebook friends what you are doing every second of the day, and network for jobs.

Yes, I have fallen into the new age way of communication. No more cards, pens, envelopes and postage stamps. You can send all of that plus "gifts" via Facebook.

I admit I haven't done much on this vast networking engine; mainly because I don't quite understand it. There is an area where you type in what's on your mind, you can write on people's walls (which lets all of your other friends read it as well,) and applications for quizzes, etc.

Since I have joined, I have been able to get in contact with some of my sorority sisters; and my husband found some high school friends he lost contact with. It is interesting to see what everyone has been up too since high school and college.

Each day I take time to figure out just what the Facebook fuss is about and add more to my profile. I'm sure that once I get everything figured out I too will be a Facebook socialite!

Getting Lazy!

I think I got lazy on my trip in Iowa. For three days I had absolutley nothing going on; so I slept in, took a walk in the gardens (and smelled every rose in it,) cruised the college campus, etc.

Now that I am home again I have been working on getting back to my normal schedule. I have always been the first one up in the mornings already cooking breakfast and making coffee just as my husband gets in the shower. When he leaves I go for a run, cross train, strength and core train; whatever is on my fitness agenda for the day. When Logan wakes I get him ready for the day, we play and read together, then take care of all the household chores before heading off to work. And the day proceeds with cooking dinner and having family time, etc.

However, since I have been back my husband has been having to wake me up every morning and I haven't ran or done any of my fitness plans (which is going to make it hell for my marathon coming up.) The rest of my day is still on track but these mornings have been brutal!

I know what I need to do. I need to get to bed a little earlier, set the alarm, and when workout time comes; don't think about it, just do it!!

My Little Helper

I love this age when the little ones want to help. They want to copy and do everything mom and dad is doing. Not only do I get his furniture built in a timely manner, a clean house, and a nice raked yard; but he is actually having fun doing it!! It's playtime with a twist!