Running Plans

Because of illness in my running buddy's family, we are not doing an organized half marathon now. We are however, going to run our own private half marathon. We are still training, we will just have to bump it back a few weeks. We are looking for fun names for our race if there are any suggestions? Tomorrow I am running 10 miles by myself while my children are at school. Thank goodness for my IPOD which, by the way, has a wide variety of music on it. I have Christian alternative, celtic, folk, bluegrass, and rock. The only criteria is, it-must-keep-me-GOING! I do plan to Gu up halfway at mile 5 and hopefully the wind is not a deterrent. Next weekend I am running in a relay race and I am running 2 legs, AND I am the slowest one on the team. Hope they don't think we're breaking any records! I am just thankful and grateful to be out in the Spring air. I truly enjoy it!

My Big Girl and Her Bitty Baby

For her 3rd birthday, we bought Alaina her first American Girl doll. We decided on the Bitty Baby because she is younger and it was much more affordable. Plus, she LOVES to play with babies. Several family members went in on the gift with us, which included the baby with the same eye and hair color as Alaina, a backpack to tote the baby in, a blanket, matching pjs for the baby and Alaina, a bottle, a bib, and two extra outfits. These dolls are of really good quality and Alaina loves having matching pajamas. She chooses this doll over every other doll she has, and she has several dolls to choose from. When she gets older, if she wants, we would like to get her the larger doll version which is quite pricey. I foresee many fun years with this doll. I highly recommend it!

Don't Worry, It's Not Child Labor

If you walk into our elementary school, you may see a jolly, freckly-faced little fellow pushing a mop down the hallway alongside the school's custodian. Mr. Muskodian is what Nolan calls him. He's had a fascination with both the custodians all year long. So his teacher had the brilliant idea of having him help "Mr. Muskodian" as a reward for working extra hard. And Nolan has been thrilled! Since typical rewards don't interest him, this is right up his alley. He is currently involved in a research study at KU, involving teaching social skills to children with autism using different teaching strategies. So the students working with him asked me what motivates him. I promptly said, "Ceiling fans." They thought I was joking. Uh....not. As I was walking down the hallway at school today, I introduced myself to "Mr. Muskodian" as Nolan's mother. He was so pleased to have Nolan help him, and I think he is really enjoying being useful in that way also. I am so thankful for Nolan's Kindergarten teacher. She is so creative, supportive, and resourceful!

Superhero

A little boy in a black cape
Leaping tree houses in a single bound.
Pure joy bursts from this superhero
As he flies round and round.
With his freckly face and bouncy step
He brings smiles to whoever he sees.
He dreams of touching the stars from heaven
And meeting the Doctor of Peace.
He's quirky, moody, fast-paced, and flighty
As all superheroes can be.
He's not worried what others think
From his own world it's hard to flee.
He saves people by being a light
And shows them a unique way of living.
This superhero is a gift from heaven
Direct from the Father of giving.

March 2009

Boo to Me.....

After one week of not sticking to my not eating after 9, I have gotten nowhere. Ugh, my willpower is very sad. Oh well, I'll keep plugging along, cutting back here and there and see what happens. In the meantime I'm dragging those 10 pounds along every time I run. Our 7 mile did go very well, so we'll see...

On another note, a month ago I took a class at The Merc, a whole foods store. It was a class on natural options for children with ADHD and Autism. Even though it was an overwhelming amount of information, I learned many useful things. They gave us a list of the most and least contaminated fruits and vegetables and suggested buying the most contaminated ones organic. So I thought I'd share:

12 Most Contaminated Fruits & Vegetables (Buy Organic)

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes-Imported
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes

12 Least Contaminated Fruits & Vegetables

1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn-frozen
4. Pineapples
5. Mango
6. Sweet peas-frozen
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Bananas
10. Cabbage
11. Broccoli
12. Eggplant

Since this class, I have started giving my boys pure fish oil, magnesium, and B-6 vitamins. All of these promote brain function. Specifically, the magnesium acts as a calming agent. I must say in the last month I have noticed an increased focus/attention and calmness in both of my boys. Nolan will now sit through any book I read to him. He doesn't look at it the whole time, but he gets something out of every book I read to him. He will also sit and write for a longer amount of time. This is very exciting for us! The challenge has been getting them to take their "cocktails", as I refer to them. I have mixed the cod liver oil, magnesium powder and B-6 in smoothies, V-8 Fusion, and Sprite. Brendan prefers to take the cod liver oil in a chewable soft gel form. Nordic Naturals makes them in a strawberry flavor. I also give Alaina the gummy fish bites which aren't as natural. I will try every little bit I can to help, and would recommend a class like this one to anyone who has children who struggle.

Here We Go Again

This weekend I started the official training for a half marathon. It is in April, and this will be my 6th half marathon. Fortunately, I am training with two fun ladies which is so much more motivating than training on my own. I am excited to be working towards a goal. However, I have a slight problem. I'm dragging around a load of extra weight. I can handle the mileage I'm doing, I just feel like I'm running with my legs in cement. So, I'm officially committing to losing 10 pounds. I could definitely stand to lose atleast twice that amount, but you'd be surprised how much difference 10 less pounds can make when you're running. First thing on the agenda, no eating after 9:00. I am horrible about snacking on chips, crackers, cheese, and chocolate all hours into the night. Isn't that just awful?! So, I am going to snack on nuts while I'm doing my nightly reading instead. Wish me luck! So maybe I'll be carrying around a few less pounds next weekend when we do our next long run which will be 7 miles. I'll let you know....

He Has a Dream

As I'm on the phone with a friend this afternoon, I hear the oh so pleasant sound of Nolan's screeching coming from the backyard. I high-tailed it outside to find him frantically lining up some lawn chairs to give his "speech". Lately he has been just a little bit obsessed with Martin Luther King Jr. He says, "Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of peace." And he asks, "Is MLK Jr. in heaven?" and "Does MLK Jr. wear a watch?" The list of questions and comments goes on and on. So needless to say, he was upset that the neighborhood kids did not want to sit in the lawn chairs and listen to his "speech". He's been carrying this book around for 2 weeks and is extremely upset whenever it turns up missing. I even caught him the other day standing on top of a wooden table getting ready to give his "speech" on his "stage". All I have to say is what a wonderful role model for him to have right now! Nolan has a dream.....to be Martin Luther King Jr.!