My personal thanks on Memorial Day

I tend to write here when I am feeling some emotion rather strongly. Right now it is of deep gratitude for those who have served and still do serve in our miitary. This Memorial Day weekend means a little more than usual as I prepare to send my husband off to war yet again. This makes his 6th tour in the desert since arriving here four years ago. I also think of my brother John who spends more than half of each year away from his wife and baby to serve his country. How can I not also think and thank my father for his years of service. I am thankful that I had the unique opportunity of growing up in the military and inheriting the traditions that go along with that experience. Then my mind turns to my grandfathers who served in World War II to protect our precious freedoms. My heart is full up to the spilling out of tears from my eyes, something not common for me. I hope that my love and support and passing these feelings on to my own children will be enough.

Entertaining Website

For any of you who read my blog, you may find the following website pretty funny: http://thepioneerwoman.com/

I am quite amused by it and am determined to try some of the recipes. I have been mulling over in my mind all week the need for me to eat a healthier, better balanced diet. I don't necessarily eat horribly, although I tell most people that I do, but there is always room for more veggies! I don't think that I could ever give up breads and sweets because I find way too much enjoyment in them! It's ironic that my two of my very favorite things in the world are so incredibly mismatched: baking good things to eat and running. I would probably be a faster runner if I could eliminate sweets, but I would be a big fat oinker if I gave up running!

Mixed Feelings

I haven't written anything for a while, but today I have a moment to write as Marc is gone with the kids to their games and I am at home with a very sick baby. That's not what I want to write about though. Instead I will tell you about my race this morning. I ran another 5K and did not meet my goal of running in under 30 minutes. That was disappoionting and I could blame it on a number of things....but the fact is that I just didn't do as well as I hoped to. If that were not enough, one of my friends finished first overall for the women. While I am happy for her, I would like to accomplish that one day. Will I? I have no idea. Will I keep trying? Yes! Do I love running? I do and this has become a "life" goal for me. My dad really inspires me as he runs all of the time in spite of injuries and not much free time. He has run as long as I can remember. When I consider that a year ago I wasn't even able to run around our neighborhood at all I realize that I have come a long way. I guess that now my goal is to continue forward! As John told me, "Mom, slow and steady wins the race." Wise words from a 7-year-old!

So Many Things to do

This week has been filled with so many things and it seems that it is so hard to accomplish all that I want to do. For instance, my "to do" list for this week included items like finish sewing tablecloths for YW, put together presidency notebooks, finish painting the girls' furniture white, and paint the kids' bathroom. Mind you, this is in addition to planning and cooking meals, having my turn for carpool, taking kids to teeball and baseball practice, attending YM/YW, going to the dr once for Emma's ear infection and then again to the ER with her yesterday because she sliced her finger open on our bike pump (there is still blood on the floor of the garage that I need to clean so that is another item to add to the "to do" list). Then there is managing to get my running and lifting weights in and try to sometime put on make up. I am exhausted by the time I put my kids to bed and right now I feel like crawling up under my covers and maybe reading a book to stop thinking about all there is to do. Did I mention that I still need to transplant my rapidly growing herbs to bigger pots, weed and plant more flowers in my backyard, clean my carpets and bathrooms, wash and fold and put away my family's laundry, try to work in a eight mile run tomorrow and also try to have some quality family time? Just writing this is kind of stressing me out. On the other hand, I am almost to the point of laughing it all off. Did I mention that John's birthday is next Friday and we are going on a three-day two night family camping adventure? It is a surprise, so that also requires more planning. I think that I should really break all that I have on my plate into different categories and then prioritize those things. Family time and playing with my children is definitely my highest priority, but in evaluating things, it doesn't seem like it is. I find writing to be very therapeutic for me. Even if no one reads this, I will be grateful that I took the time to write a little and vent about what I do and need to do. One of my laurels asked me this week what I did to have such busy days. I must have really unloaded on her because after I finished, she could only say, "Wow." Marc made the mistake of assuming that my days were footloose and fancy free to which I really laid it down for him all that goes on around here when he is at work. I know he has to deal with a lot of crap at work, but I get to deal with a lot of literal crap here at home. It is not my favorite part of this job. It is funny, but I have been planning on going to work when my kids were all in school, but this week while Abigail was helping me to paint her table and chairs I realized that I wouldn't trade anything in the world for that moment of having fun while painting and I don't want to miss any moments like that in the future. I don't know that I would be able to find a job that would allow me the opportunity to be with my children when they are not occupied with school. We shall see on that one. I am beginning to ramble, but another thought about being home with my children.....There is a quote from (wait I need to quote it correctly because I hate the people who say, "A prophet, I'm not sure which one, once said....)okay I found it and will include the entire quote because it has imprinted itself on my heart. It is from Pres. Harold B. Lee:

Mothers, stay at the crossroads of the home.

Keep the mother of your home at the “crossroads” of the home. There is a great danger today of homes breaking down because of allurements to entice mothers to neglect their being at home as the family members are coming to or going from the home."

I want to be there in all of my children's comings and goings and influence them for good at every chance I can. Life is tough and there is so much to do, but when I think about what is important, everything becomes much clearer!

Crocs

I cannot believe it, but I actually bought a pair of crocs yesterday. They were not for me, but Abigail. I think they are probably the ugliest shoes ever made, but I think that they will be great summer shoes and a lot safer than flip-flops. Emma had to get sandals with much better traction so that her chance of wiping out as she runs around corners will be less!