S Club Mama

I think that that worst run was just the kind of motivation I needed to keep going. I got some excellent encouragement via comments (seriously, I have the best readers). Thank you all for being so sweet. I will say that my friend Shannon's comment about my running meaning a lot to her and inspiring really stuck with me this morning on my run. I think that encouraging others is one of my motivators. I am not a runner. I am a former softball athlete running. Maybe some day I'll really think of myself as a runner, I don't know. I don't love it but I do enjoy it (most days). And I'd love for me running to be inspiring enough to help others to do it for themselves. I know Mariah has said I inspired her to run, too - honestly that means so much to me. I have always looked to others for inspiration and motivation. But sometimes I think we find it inside ourselves. I started running to of course, lose baby weight but also to encourage my children to live active lives. B

44 minutes + maybe 2 miles + really hot outside = one tired, tired, tired, tired runner. Isn't that awful time? I felt awful. Right from the get-go, I felt out of it. I know it's been since Thursday or Friday since I ran (Big A was out of town camping with his buddies so I didn't get my long weekend run in), but you would think I'd feel refreshed. I almost feel like I'm burning out running. I don't want to; I'm over halfway to the half-marathon. I need to start doing yoga again; it's been over a month. I don't think I'm cut out to be a hard-core runner; I get bored. With music, with podcasts - it'd be different if I had someone running with me who ran at my own pace and wanted to just talk (but walking is more conducive to talking). Any motivators out there? I think I need a pep talk.

I wanted to share with you this morning this cute little blog and shop that I've found (and read about through the blogosphere lately). Half-Pint House is (as her blog subtitle says) an acquired chaos. Well, I think it's more adorable than chaos. Megan blogs about her family and faith (sounds familiar to me). She has a great talent for writing and a big love for God - both things I greatly admire in a person. Megan also has a talent for sewing and she has been sewing her little heart out making little zippy bags and pencil holders and such. Why? To fund her way to the Relevant Conference this year. She's so close to her goal and I wanted to help. Since anything not in the "need" category has been outed in this household budget, I thought I would spread the news to you, my lovely readers. I'm personally in love with her Very Hungry Caterpillar zippy bag . That's my and Moose's favorite story - and the book that Squirt flips through most often, I

Last Thursday, we met up with some friends (one from MOPS and one from church) at a nearby campground/swim area/play area. It was such a beautiful day to hang out - look at this sky! My pal, Sarah , is SO talented with photography. She brought along her camera and took some shots of us in the water and on the beach. AND she did while holding her youngest son - that is some major talent. And I wanted to share the ones she got of my boys and I (please don't judge me on the hat; it's Moose's and I had nowhere else to put it and I do realize I look like a boy). Oh seriously...have you seen a more perfect day?? Moose had such fun splashing in the water - although he tried to drink it, too. Gross. Me and my friend, Kim, with all the kiddos hanging out. The kids all behaved SO well! Squirt was so tired (but isn't this a great picture of him?).   He'd been up since 7:30 or so and we were out there until about 1:00. Such a trooper!! And he had fun splashing - no

If you laughed yesterday at the Mommy Rhapsody (or if you didn't), you'll die laughing at this. Hilarious - probably because one of the dads reminds me of a dad I know. Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo .

Seriously such a funny (and true) video. Come share a laugh with me today. Mommy Rhapsody from Church on the Move on Vimeo .

Squirt has a fond appreciation (or possibly an obsession) with trying to get the most used devices in our home: i.e. computer keyboard, cell phones, remote controls, Wii controlers, and the toilet flusher. Generally speaking, I don't allow him any of this because it does become an obsession when he gets it (just like when Moose was littler). However, at their birthday party a few weekends ago, I gave up momentarily. Big A was sick so I was handling the children (and hosting the party) by myself. So when his Auntie Alyson gave him her cell phone, I was like "whatever." And he was ecstatic! Moose is a ladies' man. Always has been (despite old people constantly mistaking him for a girl - btw that's a BIG girl, people). Here are a few of his crushes of late. Miss J, of course. He has had a love affair (or possibly just a BFF affair) with her since...he started walking, I'd say. He loves her mom and dad (which is good), her siblings don't really seem t

I have the opportunity once again to work with CSN Stores on a review and/or giveaway! I just wanted to give you a heads up because I haven't had a chance to look at each of their websites. There's just so much to choose from: from bathroom sink , to pet supplies , even playground equipment . I will be back with more to post about this opportunity once I get a chance to look over... everything. While I'm at it, you should take a chance to run on over to CSN Stores to take a look yourself. I bet you'll find something for, well, everyone!

I sat down with Moose to watch "Hermie & Friends: Who is in Charge Anyway?" DVD. Not sure if you're familiar with Hermie but he is Max Lucado's brain child. A way to bring the love of God to children. There are books and movies - we also have a growth chart. Very simple and cute idea. Anyway, so this DVD was "Who is in Charge Anyway?" and focused on Freddie the Flea. He talks to God after overhearing a couple of little girl ladybugs ask their mom what's so special about Freddie. They talk about other insects and creatures with great talents and attributes, but come up short with compliments when it comes to fleas. God reassures Freddie that He made him (Freddie) special, just like He made everyone else special. God shows Freddie that others are only who they were because God made them that way - even small fleas. What a pick-me-up kind of movie. I think that even as adults, we sometimes feel that we aren't as special or talented as so-and-

My friend TMB at Racing with Babes shared a peek inside her refrigerator last week. She then challenged her readers to let others take a peek inside their own fridges. I'm always up for a challenge, so here you go: First here is the outside of my fridge (as is! no cleaning or straightening up).  Then I took some pictures of the inside of my fridge: I added some pictures of my freezer, too, because a freezer can be as telling as the fridge itself. Then there were questions:  I'm turning the challenge on you, friends. Go take a picture of your fridge (inside & out). Show us what you are putting into your bodies! Tell us what you love in there, what you can't live without, what you need to ditch, and what you want to add.  Let me know if you take on my challenge, I'd love to peek inside your fridge.

Ever since we got married, I have wanted a home that has decorations for specific seasons; namely Halloween, Christmas, and Easter (followed by Independence Day, Valentine's Day, and St. Patrick's Day). For reasons that I shall name "the economy," this just has not happened past Christmas decorations. Until now! Carrie from Scaredy Cat Primitives sent me this adorable "A Jolly Halloween" sign. I love the unique saying on it and the scaredy cat. Too many signs when you're looking online look the same from site to site. That can be said of many products, which is why I'm a fan of Etsy. There are many signs about Christmas out there but not so many for Halloween (a pretty big holiday in my family). The workmanship on this sign is excellent. The paint job is really great and the words aren't bled together at all. I love the orange with black - and there's some sort of rubbing on the corners to make it look more rustic. It's pretty sturd

I told you all about my sisters' tattoos. What I didn't tell you is that since they didn't ask me to get matching tats with them, that I decided to get my own. I wanted to share cake pictures with you from the birthday party. It wasn't what I wanted but it turned out pretty cute. And this way all the kids (except Squirt) got to take home a toy. Poor kid got jipped; we didn't even get him a present (I just kind of forgot plus he's getting something cool for his actual birthday). We got a picture of Great-grandma Maxine with all of the great-great grandkids. I wish we could get one with the great grandkids too but it's almost impossible to get all of us together. Two of my cousins live out of state (Utah and Oklahoma) and my oldest cousin is next to impossible to get to family functions (and apparently he's moving to Texas with his girlfriend so make that impossible instead of next to). And I thought this was a cute picture of Squirt with his Auntie

We made it back to my parents' yesterday around 10:30, just in time for the town's jubilee parade to start. Moose got a lot of candy (that he doesn't really know what to do with). It was adorable to watch him pick it up piece by piece - when he wanted to; mostly he just wanted to be up on Big A's shoulders. The weather did not cooperate. I'd seen that it was supposed to be upper 70s there - it was more like lower 60s. I did not pack for that weather. I'd dressed the boys in tank tops, I had flip flops on. Luckily my mom at least had t-shirts for the boys & jeans she'd gotten them. I borrowed a jacket from my sisters. After the parade, we headed on over to the football field where they were holding races & such. The little kids' shoe kick was first. I asked Moose if he wanted to and he told me "noooo" but he did. He kicked it probably about a foot or foot and a half. So cute. Big A did the shoe kick too but I missed it because I had

My mom calls me last night and asks if I knew about my sister's foot. I asked which sister & she said my little sister. I assumed she'd hurt her foot somehow (because that girl is always hurt). Not the case. Apparently a few weeks ago my older sister & her went to get tattoos. Keep in mind my little sis is 18 so legally it's her choice. But my mom is super bent out of shape about this. I mean threatening to kick my sister out. I'm sure she laid into my sister, too. My mom says she doesn't like that she wasn't told that makes her most mad. But like I told her, if Aly had asked, Mom would have said no. Let me just say that my sisters make me look good! Amber (big sis) got her belly button pierced before she moved out of my parents' house & now this tattoo. Ha! I listened to my mom vent and tried to help cool the situation down. I think she needs to look at the big picture: Alyson is a good kid. She doesn't drink, smoke, or do drugs.

Registration Confirmation for: Omaha Marathon 2010 Dear Randi, Congratulations! You are now registered for Omaha Marathon 2010 . Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.omahamarathon.com View your complete registration details » Registration Details Confirmation #: ************* Date & Time: 09/26/10 Location: Downtown Omaha ( Map ) Purchased at: 06/08/10 Category: Omaha Half Marathon Name: Randi S

I know I can run at least 30 minutes without stopping, which is close to 3 miles for me. However, lately I can't. I can't seem to run 30 minutes without stopping or walking. I know it's a mental block but I don't know how to get past it. Doesn't matter if I'm inside or outside. I'm running along. I walk before I even get to one mile. Then I run and walk. Run. Walk. So frustrating. Does anyone else get like this? How did you get past it? Someone suggested to mix up my runs with tempo runs and something else...I have no idea what that means.

It's a challenge for me to wait. I'm not a particularly patient person, especially when it comes to my kids' milestones it seems. Currently, I am impatiently awaiting Squirt's first words. Preferably "mama;" however "dada" or some variation of his brother's name will suit me fine. Standing on his own will be coming soon, too, as this first birthday approaches. I think that given Moose's age, I was ready for him to start potty training. It's difficult when your MIL has been not-so-subtly hinting that you should be potty training for two years (yes, folks, that's right). Or when it seems every other child you know has potty trained closer to 2 than 3. So despite his zero interest in the potty or getting out of diapers, we started to potty train. Despite the fact that he cannot tell us at this point whether or not he needs to go potty, we started to potty train. And although I fear he may be slightly disappointed that he won't

I HATE POTTY TRAINING! There. I said it. I hate potty training! I see no reason the kid can't wear diapers forever. He's perfectly happy in them. I can live with changing him....ok maybe there's a purpose for potty training. But it's frustrating. We can't go anywhere because we sit on the potty every 20-30 minutes. And he sits there for 5-10 minutes. I read a story (and another and another and another). I feed Squirt his bottle while sitting on the big toilet. We've had no more than 2 episodes of success in a day (yesterday). The most frustrating thing is when we just got off the toilet and he goes to the living room or kitchen (wherever) and pees on the floor. Why couldn't he have done that a minute beforehand? I honestly don't know that he understands. He can't answer questions (well) so when I ask him, "where do you need to put your pee-pee and poopie?" many times he says, "ummmm...." He isn't as upset as you would

The doctor called this morning (I was wondering who would call me before 8). She said that Squirt had: campylobacter jejuni Scary stuff but thankfully it goes away on its own. I think he spread it to me, too. I am feeling a little better today, though.

What's a Hutterite? Don't worry, I had no idea either. Judging the book by it's cover (I know, how awful of me), I figured it was a community of people like the Amish or Mennonite. I was wrong and I was right. Of course the Hutterites are a community of people with the same religious, moral, and all other values. They dress the same. Their community is focused around their faiths (an anabaptist faith like Amish and Mennonite). And they are only found in certain parts of the world (US and Canada - although they did originate in Europe so maybe there are some sects there?). However, the Hutterites are even more communal than the Amish & Mennonite. They literally have one big kitchen and dining room for everyone (separate for children & adults). They have a big kindergarten (more like our daycare) and school (although children attend both "English" and Hutterite school). I just wanted to give you a bit (very tiny bit) of background before I told you ab