Blogging Live...

...from Ohio! (Tom has a wireless card for his laptop so I am actually posting this while we are driving. Crazy!) We drove out of our driveway last night and made it through Connecticut and to the NY/PA state line. Today we have driven across the entire state of Pennsylvania and are almost through Ohio. We are stopping over at our friends' house (Isabel's godparents) for the night and then on the road again tomorrow. I'm very excited about tomorrow's leg, because it promises something very exciting! Are you curious? You'll have to check back to see how it goes!

*We are currently driving past what we can only imagine are windmill blades on huge trucks. Very interesting!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Woohoo!

I tell ya...there's something about my girls and Boston.

The World According to My Husband

While watching Alexis eat pancakes for the first time, Tom says,

"I love it when they (the kids) eat the same thing we do. It's a miracle!

Like when they take the trash in the morning."

Oh, and Tom wants me to let you know that he was the one that made the pancakes.


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See Mommy Run

I've been meaning to write about this for a while. Sorry for the delay! A little over two years ago, I was introduced to the website seeMOMMYrun.com through a friend's email. It came at a time that I was desperate for mommy companionship and desperate to get in shape. I think this desperation was key for me, otherwise I may have been too nervous to "put myself out there." Basically, it is a networking tool for mom's who want to run/walk with other moms. When you register (no cost) you select your state and then they show you all of the running/walking groups in that state. I haven't messed around with all of the tools too much, but I think you can look at different groups based on city, pace, distance, etc... The greatest thing though, I think, is that the site is so supportive of running/walking with a stroller. This was key for me! They also send out a newsletter with articles and promotions at some of the sponsors. Again, I have not taken advantage of most of this, although I did use some of the links to research jogging strollers.

The first "group" I found was back in May 2006. I found a nearby town that I knew I could navigate to and signed up. The group only consisted of one other runner, I think. She emailed me back (they don't give out emails or last names, just last initial) and we set up a meeting time at a park. I was very nervous about meeting a "stranger," but the public location and the fact that we both had small children helped me get over it. To make a long story short, I met a great lady with a little boy about 6 months younger than Isabel. She was in much better shape than I was (another obstacle I had to overcome), but she was so supportive and encouraging on our runs. She was interested more in the companionship than a super workout. We met weekly and soon had a third mom and her two kids join us occasionally. We even let our kids play on the nice playground nearby after our runs somedays. We talked about lots of different things that were going on in our lives and shared tips and experiences. It was a great place to vent. I stopped running with her after I found out I was pregnant in August and was so terribly sick. Fortunately, she had found some other women to join her by then. She did end up coming over to my house and walking with me a few times and we had little play-dates with the kids after our walks. She ended up moving that winter because her husband got a new job, but we still keep in touch.

Last summer, after Alexis was born, I looked for a new group to join. I also considered starting my own (an option on the site as well). This time I found a group in my actual town. The funny thing is, the "founder" of the group never got back to me, but I was able to connect with another woman through the group and we just decided to meet on our own. She had twin boys who were in between Isabel and Alexis. We met at the pond I usually walk around near my house which was great for me. Again, it worked out wonderfully. This time though, we walked. I don't think she has an interest in running and Alexis was so small that I knew I wouldn't be running for a few months with her anyway. We kept meeting about once a week, although not a specific day, just whatever we both had open, until the weather turned bad. We started back up again a few months ago, and today we had a great walk with a stop at a playground nearby for the kids to play at. (We hadn't done this before).

The other blessing that came out of this was that both of these women that I randomly met are Catholic. We are all at different "stages" of our faith, but it was great to discuss things and just have that support and understanding that I know I was having a difficult time finding elsewhere. Obviously, it was God providing for me, in a most unexpected place. Needless to say, I have had a great experience with seeMOMMYrun.com. I've already started checking out the groups in Colorado Springs and there are quite a few. We'll see if I have the same good luck!

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Way Too Cute!

H/T to Smithflections

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And God Laughed...

I went to the gym yesterday.


Have you stopped laughing yet?


First, you know it's bad if you go to the gym to "cool off." Our downstairs window a/c is not working and it has been wicked hot (had to get "wicked" in before we move). So that finally motivated me to drive to the base because the gym has air conditioning. Of course, now I'm kicking myself for not going sooner. They have a nice room with a handful of cardio machines and dumbells and a place for your kids to play!!!! It was great because I could watch them while I was on the treadmill. Until a couple of months ago, we belonged to a gym that was closer, but I never felt comfortable leaving my kids at their daycare, which is what I'll use as my excuse for not going ;)

Anyways, back to God laughing. You know, the whole thing about making plans...Well, I went with what I thought was a realistic goal of what I could run. Yeah right! Without going into the gory details, I'll just say it was a sad realization of how out of shape I am. Needless to say, I have reevaluated some of my goals. Well, maybe not my goals so much as the timeline in which to achieve them. But, looking at the brightside, I am just happy I got off my rear end and went to the gym and it was a good experience for everyone involved. Now let's just hope I can find something as great when we move.

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Wordless Wednesday

Breast Cancer Awareness

This is an issue close to my heart as my grandmother passed away from it when I was a senior in high school.

I've been tagged for an important meme by Kristina. This meme is to help spread the awareness on the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’ month of June. Please help our fellow women in passing on the importance of regular examination and early detection of breast cancer in order to catch this disease when it first erupts, maximizing the chance of survival and recovery.

Here are several facts on breast cancer that everyone should know about.

• The first sign of breast cancer usually shows up on a woman's mammogram before it can be felt or any other symptoms are present.
• Risks for breast cancer include a family history, atypical hyperplasia, delaying pregnancy until after age 30 or never becoming pregnant, early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), current use or use in the last ten years of oral contraceptives, and daily consumption of alcohol.
• Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival.
• Ninety-six percent of women who find and treat breast cancer early will be cancer-free after five years.
• Over eighty percent of breast lumps are not cancerous, but benign such as fibrocystic breast disease.
• You are never too young to develop breast cancer! Breast Self-Exam should begin by the age of twenty. (Ladies, this is important to teach your daughters when they hit puberty. If they get in the habit when they're young, it's much more likely they'll continue as they get older.)

Resources: American Cancer Society National Cancer Institute Komen Foundation. You can help the lives of many women by spreading the word about The Breast Cancer Site pink button as many times as you can. If The Breast Cancer Site receives 8 million clicks on the pink button in June, their premier sponsor -Bare Necessities- will donate $10,000 for more free mammograms. CLICK the pink button today!


I tag Jane, Kate, Kat, Melissa, Barbara, and Margaret Mary. Of course, I would love MANY more to participate. If you do, leave a comment, and THANK YOU in advance.



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The Eyes Have It

After asking Isabel to put down the makeup brush so that she could brush her teeth, she informed me that,

"I can't, Mom. I have to do my eyes."

Before Becoming a Mommy...

...I didn't know that the contents of a diaper could bring joy. (In this case, showing that a little girl's tummy is all better.)

Tips for Moving with Small Children

For months I've been waiting for June to come. I am very ready for this move to happen. But now that June is here, the stress level is skyrocketing. Tom has an appointment today to set up the movers to get our stuff. We're aiming for 3 weeks from now. Ay! And of course, I've lost a weekend. (We're almost 100% recovered, thankfully.) And a new development (more to come on that later) might have us leaving earlier than planned and may even have me driving by myself with the girls before Tom can leave. Sooooo... I'm asking for any advice you may have on moving across country with 2 small children, especially from those of you who have experience. Last time we moved, we didn't have any children, so we only had to take care of ourselves and had each other to keep us entertained. Do you have tips on how much, or little, we need to take with us in the car? Obviously, I'd like to keep things as simple as possible, but I also like to be prepared. The other thing to note is that we will be able to stay with my parents until we figure out housing, so we are not in a rush. This means we may not have our household goods delivered right away. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! I really am trying to be organized about the whole thing. Thanks in advance!!!

It's June...

...and I almost missed it. A nasty bug has done its damage here in our house. It really hit Isabel hard, and then last night, Alexis and I became victims. There was a bath at midnight and a shower at 4am involved. Wonderhubby has been taking care of us. He's doing a great job, although he is not a natural-born nurse. I most appreciate his cleaning efforts. I don't do well in this situation. Tomorrow we're headed to the doctor's office.