What Would You Say?

So my kids left town with Memaw.  It's been 11 days.  The two weeks leading up to their departure I was in full-on panic mode.  Yes, I love breaks from my children.  I adore alone time with my hunny.  But, I've been working from home full time, around my kids, for 7 years.  They're my JOB.  We didn't have plans to go away because Joey was still working so being in the house that usually has 5 people for 2 weeks with only 2 people was an unfamiliar thought to me.  Day 1 was rough.  Josie was weepy when they pulled out of the driveway.  I worried about them on the road all day.  Joel had an abnormal full day of work which left me to sit & wallow alone.  After they were safely in bed at Memaw's that night, my tension eased & the kids have been having so much fun that I've been able to really enjoy having the time to do my own thing for the last 10 days!

In addition to cleaning & organizing & sleeping & eating junk food & watching movies that have been on our DVR since LAST summer, we took a weekend trip to Philadelphia just to goof off. During our trip we were approached by a group of gals out on the town for a bachelorette party.  We were standing by the *LOVE* sign downtown, waiting our turn in line to get a picture when one of the girls said, "Excuse me.  Are you two married?"  Note--this is where, later, I told Joey I wish I had thought quickly enough to say "Yes...but not to each other.  Shhhh..." But I didn't.  Instead, we both said, "Yes??"  You know like, WHY?  Are we gonna be part of some crazy bachelorette dare if we are?  So, the cute blonde says, "Great, my sister over there is getting married in one month & we're wondering if you could give her your best marriage advice?"  Uh........all the girls (there are probably 10-12 of them) get closer to hear our wise words.....and she says "If you want some time to think about it, would you mind taking our picture?"  Joel says, "Sure, if you'll take ours?" 

So, while the girls are getting set up under the sign for their picture, Joey says, "What advice are YOU gonna give them?"  I joked, "Probably don't do it!"  And he laughed, "That's a good one....but seriously what are you gonna say?" 

This man is the love of my life. 

After picture taking was complete, the girls stood patiently waiting for our advice.  I offered that if/when she has children, to always put her marriage first--make time for each other always.  We shared that our 3 children were off visiting grandparents in MO while we were enjoying a weekend alone.  They liked that.  Whew, I passed!  Then it was Joel's turn.  I laughed and said "You can't say Don't Do it."  And the sister of the bride said "Actually, that was the advice of the very first person we asked tonight!  No Joke!"  Eeeek!  And he said, "No, I say keep the lines of communication open."  Whew, they liked that one too!  Yay us!

So, then we went off to dinner.  But while we were sitting at dinner, we couldn't stop talking about the advice.  Well, actually, it went like this...

Me:  Do you really feel like we do a good job of keeping the lines of communication open?
Joey:  Yes, you sure do.

Yeah, exactly.  I talk.  Joey smiles & nods.  But hey, it works for us. 

And while *I* couldn't stop talking about the advice, I kept thinking of others I wish I'd said. Joey just kept nodding & agreeing with me.  So it was OUR kind of communicating.  Here are a couple that we thought of later...

*Make sure you have a boyfriend & he has a girlfriend.  BUT, make sure your spouse is friends with said boy/girl friend.  Otherwise, it just won't work right...
*Remember that your vows are a promise, not a suggestion.  Not sure you can keep that promise?  Then don't get married.
*Being married doesn't mean you have to stop having sex.  In fact, have lots of it! Just remember to have it with the person you married.
*Back to the one I did share--always make time for each other.  We don't have much money.  But we're rich with time together.  It's a sacrifice we've made so that we can keep our relationship & family unit strong.  And when we see couples who have been married 40, 50+ years, we don't *hope* we'll make it that long...we know we will. 

I don't know that bride's name.  I don't know when or where she's getting married.  But I wish her & her new husband the best of luck in their new adventure thru life together!

My Girl

I took 2 rest days post race & today it was time to get back at it. The oldest girl child, Jackie, decided she wanted to work out with me.  She got her presidential fitness results yesterday & was none too happy.  The girl can read, write, spell, tell a story, shoot a basketball....but she doesn't do well with fitness testing apparently.  I decided to try a workout I found on Pinterest (I know you're shocked that I have found ANYTHING on that site!) called Killer Kardio.

Isn't it so colorful?

We went out to the garage & after Set 1 Butt Kicks, we really couldn't sustain a full minute of everything & decided for our first try at this we'd just do 1/2 of everything listed.  That made it more do-able for the Not-So-Fit Wealer Girls.  

Here's just a little glimpse into our conversation:

Mom:  That sweat is just your fat cells dying!  

Jackie:  Oh...I thought sweat was just a sign that I needed to take a bath. 

(while doing our second set of burpees)

Mom:  These are the ugliest burpees ever done!

Jackie:  I bet it's really hard with your long legs!

Mom:  Yeah, and just think about how old I am too!

Jackie:  Oh, you're not that old...it's not like you're even 45 or anything.

(walking to the street to start 3rd run)

Mom:  You ready?

Jackie:  Yes.

Mom:  Ok good, cause I'm not. (panting)

Jackie:  Really?  I'm not either.  I just said I was because I thought you were.

When we got back to the house she decided she'd like to work out with me over the summer to work up to doing this entire workout in full, so that's our goal.  We'll keep you posted!

And It Went Like This...

Saturday:

7:30am--Husband drives Jamison to a friend's house for the day.

8am--9 girl scouts & 7 adults set off in a caravan to downtown DC to celebrate the 100th Year of Girl Scouts at the National Mall.

10am--We are in our spot, blankets spread, chairs unpacked & ready for the day.  Husband leaves us to meet a friend whose picking him up for the wedding he's in at 4pm.

11am--Everyone is HOT.  We're in a field by the Washington Monument & it's at least 90 degrees with no shade & minimal breeze.

12pm--Girls are dropping like flies.  No one wants to eat.  The water line is taking 45 minutes to an hour to refill bottles.  Everyone is CraNkY!

2pm--Done. Stuff is packed. Just waiting to do the Guinness Book of World Records biggest flash mob dance.

2:30pm--Give up on the dance & start to walk away.

2:35pm--Dance starts.  We drop everything, participate in the dance & THEN continue towards our cars.

3:30pm--At cars.  Girls cooling off & perking up a bit.  Load everyone up with snacks & drinks.  I wave goodbye as my girls head home with friend for a sleepover.

4pm--I'm in the parking garage bathroom.  I have a wet washcloth from home, a stick of deodorant, *some* of my makeup (as I forgot my foundation), and a dress.  I do what I can with my hot sticky mess to get ready to meet hubby at wedding reception.

5pm--Arrive at wedding reception. (after roads were closed & the directions I printed were useless) Hubby is super handsome in his suit & I enjoy visiting with friends.

8pm--Remind hubby that I have a 7 mile race in the morning so we should be leaving soon.

9pm--Tell hubby it's TIME to leave.

9:05pm--Tell hubby to say goodbye to bride & groom.

9:15pm--Grab keys & tell hubby I'll meet him in the car.

9:20pm--Watch hubby run across lawn to get into the car that is running & in front of the wedding location.

9:45pm--Rub hubby's back while parked on side of 495.  (I won't go into the details...)

10:15pm--Put hubby to bed with fan & glass of water, big kiss on the forehead & appropriately call him stupid.

10:30pm--Shower the layers of sunscreen & stink off.

11pm--Finally crawl into bed.

**Wake every hour worried that I'm oversleeping.  Or from stomach pain thanks to my nerves.  Or from husband snoring.**

Sunday:


5am--Alarm clock goes off.

5:15am--Can't decide what to drink and/or eat, so make both coffee & water bottle.  Grab granola & nuts, Access bars & backpack.

5:30am--Head to pick up Michelle.

5:45am--Realize Michelle can't get into passenger side of my car without getting hand *dirty* from 495 incident night before.

6am--On the road in Michelle's van to Baltimore.

6:15am--Realize I've forgotten my stop watch.  DAMMIT!

6:45am--Park van on random road near race start.

6:55am--Find one dollar bill lying on sidewalk while walking toward race start. (lucky day???)

7am--Approach Team Fight tent just as they begin Dedication Circle.

7:15am--Meet Sam, who is running with me for this race.

7:30am--Head to race start.  Pretty much feeling like throwing up.  Wondering WHAT I WAS THINKING!?!?

7:35am--Race starts.

**Here's the point where I usually give a play-by-play of my actual race, but this one was so long, that I'm not sure I can remember all the details.  I'll just give some highlights.**

*Since I forgot my stop watch, I had to use the stop watch on my non-smart phone which kept shutting off on me.  And I thought that was super dandy at 7:30am.  No, my race partner Michelle NOR Sam remembered watches either.  We were quite the team. :)

*Sam was a trooper to hang with me.  I told him I get whiny--he said he has 2 sisters. I told him I start to swear when I'm toward the end--he said it would not offend him at all.  We were the perfect pair!

*I was very happy for all the water stops when they happened.  I took a couple swigs of Gatorade, one sip of water & then poured the rest of the cold water on my neck & down my back.  It was glorious.

*At every mile marker I shouted "YAY!  Mile 1 down!"  Sam said, "What's 6 more?"
  When I said "Yay!  Mile 3 down!"  Sam said, "What's 4 more?"  And so on...you get the picture.

*When we hit the Mile 6 marker, it was like hitting a sun-filled brick wall.  There was no shade, no more water & a mile to go.  On my first walking break of the first interval after that marker, I said "I'm gonna walk just one more extra minute."  I was feeling tingly & I thought "I'm not gonna pass out THIS close to the finish!"

*When that second minute passed, I just kept on walking.  I saw racers walking the opposite direction who had already finished with water bottles & wet towels.  I considered tackling one of them for just one swig of water!

*Then we saw Ben with his CT5K shirt & camera.  I said, "We can't be walking in the pictures Ben takes for CT5K so let's get back to it."  Sam figured we were only about 1/2 mile from the finish at that point & that's all I needed to know.

*As we turned the final corner & could SEE the finish, Michelle appeared on the sidelines (superwoman ran it out & left us eating her dust back before the Mile 1 marker) "YAY Jenny!  Sprint to the finish, it's all down hill from here!"  (It literally was a decline in elevation, not just a figure of speech) BUT I was close to the end & my sweet self was no where to be found.  Luckily Michelle loves me & just laughed when I screamed back, "Shut it or I'm gonna punch you in the face!"

*And then there was the finish line and the big clock said 1:33...which is 3 min past my goal time.  And I don't know my official time yet, but EVEN so, I'm way super duper extremely pleased that it was that close at all with the extra walking in the final mile.

*Lady past the finish line had a bucket of cold, wet towels.  She says to me "Honey, would you like 2?"  Um, yes, actually 2 would be great!

Big Goal Race #1 of 2012=DONE!  Next up, training for the half marathon in October.  As soon as we got in the car on the way home Sunday, I told Michelle I didn't know if I could actually run a half marathon.  She said "Sure you can!  We'll do it!"  And I was reminded of a time when I wasn't sure I could even run a 5K, much less 7 miles.  SO...I guess only time will tell.

All I know is THIS is a weekend we will NEVER forget!

Life is good...

I soooo need this shirt! <3

6 Sleeps...

This was me one year ago this week...

I was nervously waiting for my very first 5K to begin.  I had trained for 12 weeks with the CT5K team & Coach Bob.  I had no idea if I could actually run 3+ miles without walking, but this was going to be my first ever try & I wanted to puke just thinking about it.

This is not the face of a confident runner...

But, I did it!

Survivors finishing CT5K Spring 2011

I ran with the team again in October 2011 & signed up for a 5K in December, just for fun.  

This year I am running with Team Fight, another program of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  And in 6 days I will run my first 7 mile race.  If you had told the me in the above pictures that in just one year I would be running a 7 mile race, I would've laughed in your face.  Seriously.  In fact, just a few weeks ago I was laughing at the thought!  

I have been training since January--worked up to 5 miles, 6 miles & even struggled through a 7 mile run a couple weeks ago.  Yesterday morning I got a text from my running buddy & partner in crazy...

One week from now we will be basking in the afterglow of our run!  I'm getting excited!

One week?  Crap.  After some joking back & forth, she sent me off for the day with much confidence that not only are we gonna rock the 7 miler next Sunday, but we'll kick butt in October when we do the half marathon together!  EEEK!  

Well, I decided to pull one more 7 mile training run out before I cut back for the week...and took off to the street with my iPod, inhaler & water bottle.  I was about 1.5 miles into the run, feeling good still, when I saw this cute man coming the opposite direction.  

With eyebrows arched, "Wassup?" he says.  This cute boy decided to run the rest of my 7 with me.  And we did it.  It was ugly.  I got to 5 miles feeling pretty good.  He asked me at one point if he was pushing me?  I said "Honey, you push me even when you're not physically here."  

But that last mile was torture.  Of course, if you know my husband, you know he's a chatty little thing.  He kept asking me questions, to which he expected me to have the breath to answer.  He is also the most optimistic person on the planet & kinda makes me crazy.  He says "Running is stupid" under his breath & then literally runs a circle around me waiting for me to catch up.  "You're doing great!"  "You're so awesome!"   When I told him to just shut up, I reminded him that this was like child labor--I love you, I adore you, I thank you for the thought BUT if you don't SHUT THE F#*K up RIGHT NOW, I'M GONNA PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE.  Yeah, it was kinda like that.  He just laughed & said "I know."  But he did shut it.  Until I hit the ever-so-slight incline on one end of our street & I started swearing.  He goes, "You got this!"  Yeah, it helped.  But don't tell him I said so. 

So, when we got to 6.8, he ran ahead the extra .2 & stood there with his hand out for me.  I hit his hand & immediately--like I had timed it somehow--Martina started singing "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" in my one ear that I still had the iPod attached.  I looked at that adorable smile on my man's face & started crying. He took my hand & we walked back to the house quietly.  

It was EXHAUSTING.  But I did it.  And I know on race day it will be fantastic!  I think Michelle was right--there's gonna be a whole lot of basking & glowing on Sunday!  I actually *might* be excited myself!

Brave

It's All I Seem to do These Days...

Here I am updating you on yet another run...and I've been trying not to bore you with more posts about my progress, but today is a big one for me.  I'm a little proud.

About one year ago I wrote an entry about my first season of CT5K progress.  And it included my first experience of running longer than 4 minutes at one time.  I also mentioned the day that I ran 2 miles without stopping for the first time--26:07 was my time.  I am proud to be slow, by the way.

This year I'm training for the 7 mile Survivor Harbor race coming up in a couple weeks and then the Half Marathon in October.  In my last entry I shared my first 6 mile training run experience & since then have actually completed a 7 mile training run at 3/1 intervals.  Yes, that cute boy of mine suggested I just go for it, so I did.  Just happens that at the 6.5 mark, I was this close to calling it a night--I had finished a personal longest run, it was dinner time & I was TAPPED out on energy.  But, as I rounded that last 1/2 mile loop & started to walk for my cool down, my iPod began playing Martina McBride's I'm Gonna Love You Through It.

Well, dammit.  I took the hint.  Seven miles done with 3/1 intervals in about 1:31.  So now I know I CAN do it!  (AND I was even able to get out of bed the next day!)

Today, I decided on a shorter distance but with no intervals.  I just popped in to note that I finished my first 2 miles today with no intervals in 23:25, one year after doing 2 miles for the first time in 26:07.  It's not record breaking, but it's exciting to me!  

Don't worry--this race is in just about 3 weeks so after that you'll get a break on my running reports.  But, if you're interested in supporting Team Fight and all that they do for young adults & their families during & following a cancer diagnosis, please consider making a donation to me at my website.  If you have any questions about the Ulman Cancer Fund & where the money raised is spent, feel free to give me a call!  This is an amazing organization & I am beyond honored to be representing them on June 10!

I'll take it...

I turned 36 yesterday.  I'm not hung up on age.  You're only as old as you feel right?  Well, honestly, some days I feel 150.  But not today.  After my family spoiled me with gifts last night, I decided today was the day to push my running to the next step & go for 6 miles.  As I was getting ready to leave the house, I mentioned this goal to my ever-positive-and-overly-optimistic-but-completely-adorable hubby.  Today was sunny & beautiful and I had the time to do a long run....BUT....I don't like setting myself up for failure so I mentioned that I didn't know if I'd be able to make it the full 6 miles without getting a drink of water.  No, seriously, I'm such a slow runner that I get thirsty quickly!   He said, "After everything I've watched you go through, I'm certain you can make it an hour with no water. Go run your 6 miles.  You can do it."

This amazing man DOES.NOT.EVER.talk about the things I've gone through. The fact that those words slipped past his lips is all it took.

6.12 miles done.  Time?  Yeah, it took a long time.  But it's the longest distance to date.  And I know that it was his words that gave me what I needed to get it done.

Oh, and the adorable, green iPod Nano he got me as a birthday gift & loaded with my favorite songs last night might have helped too.

Running...

I love Forrest Gump.  It's one of my all time favorite movies.  And it has a special place in my heart because if you knew me before 1994, you only knew me as Jennifer.  But...this one time...at band camp...this cute boy called me Jen-nay (just like Forrest Gump) and it stuck.  Five years later, I married that boy.  And today...I just felt like running.  

I got off track with my training for my upcoming Survivor Harbor 7 miler next month.  A couple weeks ago I was plain ol' laid out with vertigo--seriously!  When I asked the doctor why I got it, his only answer was, "I guess you needed to add one more thing to your list?"  Great.

I didn't decide to go running until about 7:30 tonight.  First I said to that cute boy sitting on my bed, "I think I'm gonna go run."  He said "Ok, have fun!"  I said, "What?  You're not gonna try to talk me out of it?  You don't want me to just sit & hang with you for a bit?"  He said, "No, I know you want to run.  I'm not gonna try to talk you out of doing something you want to do."

Crap.  I really had to go run at that point.  

As I was walking out the door I said, "My goal is 5 miles tonight."  Side note--it's been awhile since I got a full 5 miles in thanks to the vertigo & just plain bein' busy!  This was gonna be a challenge, so I said it with a little snicker.  To which my sometimes annoyingly optimistic hubby said, "Good!  I know you can do it!"  Grr.

I'm an interval runner for now.  And I'm training that way because I'm running a longer distance on my next race than I've ever run before.  The walking part of my interval gives me something to look forward to--it's like my reward every 3 minutes and it makes me happy.  What I'm saying here is that I'm not a fast runner, which is okay by me.  I'm working on my endurance & while I've run 5 miles a few times over the past few months, it's been about 2 weeks.  And it was getting dark.  And my street has no lights.  So, it was also kinda creepy.  And I started making up excuses to stop in my head.  

I ran 3 miles on Sunday, so 4 miles today is good enough. 

It's getting dark & dangerous out here--I'm sure Joey is worried about me.

I can run 5 miles on Thursday--never mind that I have a field trip all day with Josie & a doctor appointment with Jackie after school...I'll fit it in, I'm sure!

It's getting really close to time for me to be online for my webcast appointment--even if C is there to get us started.

When I hit 4 miles, I decided to just do one more 1/2 mile loop & call it a night.  Four & 1/2 miles was a great way to end the night.  

And as I neared the end of that last 1/2 mile loop on my 4.5 miles, I approached my house.  In the dark, I saw a silhouette on my front porch--just the outline against the light from inside the house.  Honestly, it was a little creepy.  And I said so from the street--"Dude,  that's a little creepy.  How long you been sittin' there?"  

He'd just been there a couple minutes & he said, "How much more you got?"  

I was just 30 seconds from the end of my loop--the loop where I was gonna call 4.5 miles the end of my run.  And before I even could think about it I said "I have just one more loop!"  

Crap.

There's something about that cute boy.  I told him I was gonna do 5.  I talked MYSELF out of the full 5.  He comes outside for 5 minutes & I end up running the full 5.  

I'm glad that I just felt like running & I'm even more glad that cute boy was there to hold me to it!

Ta-Tas

We recycle & it's Jackie's job to take the recycling bins downstairs when they get full.  Our "bin" for paper goods is a Save the Ta-tas reusable shopping tote.  Last week, Jackie was putting it back into the pantry after emptying it when she asked me, "Mom, what are ta-tas?"  I honestly thought she was joking, but when I asked her to repeat her question she said, with all the seriousness in the world, "What are ta-tas?" and pointed to the bag she was holding.

I said, "Ta-tas are boobs."  She thought about that for a bit, then came back & said "Why do we have to save them?"

Now, if you know my child or follow my blog at all, you know my red headed child is no dummy.  And obviously ta-tas have been talked about a lot in her short 9 year life.  Even with the Save the Ta-tas poker tournaments we've had, all the t-shirts, car magnets, key chains & bracelets we own, she just didn't get why we were saving them.  She was only 3 yrs old when I was diagnosed the first time & had my bilateral mastectomy.  My reconstruction was complete before she was even in Pre-K.  When I was diagnosed the second time & had the numerous reconstructive surgeries, she knew they were operating on my breasts.  She understood that the doctors were taking away the cancer so that I would not get really sick.  She's seen some of my scars and knows that I have had *work* done on them, but for some reason--probably because she's so young (duh, Mom)--she never connected the removal part of my surgeries and that we're saving other women from having to have their breasts taken off their bodies.

So, I start by explaining that when you have cancer in your breasts, like Mommy, sometimes they have to take that cancer out of there.  And depending on the size of the cancer and the size of the breasts, many times they doctors have to cut the whole breast off of the woman's body--like they did for Mommy.  Then, when all the cancer is gone, the doctors can come back and make new breasts using different reconstruction--which is why Mommy has had to have so many surgeries.  We want to save the ta-tas by helping find a way to make the cancer go away so no one else ever has to have their breasts cut off.  So, we're Saving the Ta-tas.

Whew, this is a lot of info for a 9 year old brain.  She thought for a bit...obviously working through in her mind that I actually had my breasts cut off.  And she said that she understood, gave me a hug, told me she loved me & was off on her way.

The next night at dinner, Joel was wearing one if his Ta-tas shirts...

If loving ta-tas is wrong I don't wanna be right.

Jackie read Joel's shirt at the table, looked at me and said, "Now that I know what ta-tas are, I can never look at you the same again, Daddy."

While we got a HUGE chuckle from that, I know that my girl didn't stop thinking about ta-tas that day.  Just last night as we were fixing dinner a commercial came on the radio for the 2012 Washington DC Breast Cancer 3 Day this October.  Jackie asked me how many years I had completed that walk & I told her four.  She knows I'm not walking this year & understands why, but after a few minutes she looks up & says, "Momma, if they still have this walk when I'm old enough, will you maybe walk with me?"  

Absolutely, my little sunshine. 

 I know there will be many things that will become more clear to the girls as they get older about our 5 year journey when they were so young.  And I want to be honest with them when they ask questions.  But, even though I know they'll be very passionate about the cause as they grow, I pray that the walk will no longer be needed by then.  

Boobs

This totally cracked me up when I saw it online today because I just had a conversation with my boy on the way home from school that went like this...

Boy:  Do boys have boobs?

Me:  Boobs?

Boy:  Yeah, boobs?

Me:  Yes, everyone has boobs.

Boy:  Oh...the girls said boys don't have boobs.

Me:  Yes, boys have boobs too.

((pause))

Boy:  But our boobs are little.

Me:  Yes, you have little boobs.

Boy:  Yeah, all of us have little boobs....'cept YOU!

Me:  What?  I don't have little boobs?

Boy:  NO!  You have BIG boobs!

Yep...that's how we roll around here.  It's just not a normal day if we're not talkin' about the boobs.  And I don't know exactly why the word boob has stuck for my children, but it seems everyone really enjoys saying it!

Wealer Easter sponsored by Pinterest!

I really like Pinterest.  I don't need an intervention yet, but I do find myself getting distracted from time to time. My favorite thing to look up is recipes.  I have already gathered & printed enough recipes to fill a one inch 3-ring binder.  And dinner conversation usually starts like this..."So, is this a pinterest recipe?"  And at the end of dinner the kids give it a rating so we can decide if it goes into the rotation.  So far we've found about 90% are keepers!

It's no surprise that we found some ideas on Pinterest to help us with Easter weekend this year.  It all started with Kool-Eggs!  Who knew you could dye the eggs just using water & kool-aid packets?  They were beautiful!  (And I used all the eggs the kids dyed to make my deviled eggs for Easter dinner.)

Artists hard at work.  

The colors were really pretty!

Our next project was a little Easter treat for our guests on Sunday.  We made m&m pretzel flowers!  These were super simple & the kids were able to do them mostly on their own.  All I had to do was put them into the oven & then remove 5 minutes later.  

Put chocolate kisses on top of pretzels.  I think the rule was place one, then eat one.

Ready for the oven.  5 minutes at 200 degrees.

Adding petals to the flowers after the chocolate kiss is warm & soft.

Peanut m&m for center and regular m&m's for the petals.

The artists are proud of their work! (Yes, that's chocolate on Bubba's forehead.)

Sunday morning we woke up to create our special spring dessert.  Jackie & I looked online for some time trying to find the one that *spoke* to us.  We decided on the Strawberry Lemonade layer cake.  What does it taste like?  Well, strawberry lemonade, of course.  But if that's not a good enough description, I would have to say that it simply tasted like summertime!  YUM!

 Josie adding the lemonade layer.

Jackie creating the strawberry smiley face on top.

Proud artists again!  They said the strawberries were a lion smiley face.  Do you see it?

I must admit that it took a bit of self control not to take over on the layering process of this cake.  In the end, it may not look like a professional cake, but there were NO complaints when we dug in after dinner.  This cake certainly got some compliments as it was a perfect end to a perfect day!

But that wasn't tend end of our weekend--the kids had ONE more day of spring break today, the day after Easter.  And they started in first thing this morning needing to be entertained!  So...Pinterest to the rescue again!  We whipped up some Washable Chalk Spray Paint  for outside fun!

Pink & Blue

The boy chose green.

Outside art is just as fun as kitchen art! (And easier to clean up!!)

We finished off our evening with a new recipe for dinner--not springy or Easter-y, but super YUMMY!  Kids all go back to school tomorrow (whew!) & I'll be working on rounding up activities and recipes for the next break this summer!

Thump, Thump, Thump

Yep, that's the sound the basketball makes when it bounces on our driveway.   And if you add in the kids' voices it sounds like this...((THUMP))  SHOOT IT!!!!  ((THUMP))  ME ME!!!  ((THUMP))  OVER HERE!!  ((THUMP THUMP))  ME ME!!!!

We live on a street that dead ends at a cul-de-sac and there's only one other street off of our street that ends in another cul-de-sac.  We have kids of all ages up & down the two streets.  A couple years ago, a family on one end of the street asked us if we wanted the basketball hoop they had because they never used it anymore.  And yes, we ARE the people you SHOULD ask if you want to get rid of ANYTHING, thank you very much!  We thrive off of hand-me-downs!  Joel brought it home, built a new backboard and we were good to go.

Jackie loves playing basketball.  Anytime we have friends over, the men-folk end up outside playing basketball in the driveway...sometimes WITH the kids, sometimes AS kids.  And about two weeks ago, our  across-the-street-neighbor (college) came over to ask if he & his cousin (7th grade), who has been living with him, could play basketball in our driveway.  It was about 7pm and our kids were already bathed and getting ready for bed as it was a school night.  Absolutely!   They played till dark.  The next day, the younger neighbor, came over to play with my kids after school.  He lowered the net so it would be easier for them & was very patient with the younger children and my kids had a blast.

A couple days later, I was out of town, Joel was out with the kids getting dinner & the boys across the street came over to play ball--about 5pm in the evening.  As the story goes, apparently my next-door-neighbor, on the side of the house closest to the driveway, came out and asked the boys to stop playing because the bouncing was too loud while they were watching TV.  Being that the boys didn't want to cause a stir & neither Joel or I were home, they just agreed and left.

Fast forward about a week--I'm home.  There are kids from up & down the block coming and going, older & younger--all playing basketball.  No one has been here later than 8pm.  No one has been obnoxious or disorderly.  Everyone HAS been active & having a good time.  Then the phone rings.  It was about 7:30pm on an April evening, 75 degrees outside and still light.  "Jenny, this is XXX.  Is Joel home?"  It was *the* neighbor.  I told her he was busy but I'd go tell him she needed to talk to him.  She said, "Yes, we NEED to talk as soon as possible."

After a tall, cold drink, Joey made the call next door.  Apparently, the neighbor said, "Joel, we NEED to do something about this basketball noise!"

I didn't hear the whole conversation, tho I was able to watch Joel's face while he was talking.  From what I understand, the week before, when the boys were playing in the driveway without us being home, she actually made a trip to the POLICE STATION to see if there was a noise ordinance!  They told her--OBVIOUSLY--there's nothing she can do about kids playing basketball on private property.  Joel was nice enough not to laugh out loud when she told him about that--but he did giggle to himself & cover the phone.  When she asked Joel if he could move the goal to the backyard, he politely (oh, so much more politely than I would have...) that they cannot play basketball on the grass but if she wanted to pay to put a court back there, he'd be happy to move it!  After she suggested that we give the basketball net to the boys across the street, he kindly replied that it was here for OUR kids to play with it and he would not be punishing them just because she didn't like the sound of the ball hitting the driveway.  Her complaints of having all the kids from the neighborhood in our driveway led him to agree that while it could be a lot of kids at one time, it's better that they're here playing basketball than walking up and down the street smoking & drinking!   Basically, the conversation ended with him saying, "Everyone has different pet peeves.  This is obviously yours, but there's nothing we can do about it.  Sorry."

When another neighbor told us that about 30 years ago, when her son was 8, this same neighbor forbade him from riding his hot wheel up & down the street in front of her house because of the *clicking* noise it made and she didn't like it!

Let's just say that as I write this, we have 4 kids playing basketball in our driveway.  And in about a week, we're gonna start a 15 yr old+ basketball tournament at 9pm each night.  Just because we can...

Mean Mom

A few weeks ago I was driving with Jackie alone in the car.  She says, "A is my best friend.  And I know we'll be best friends for a long time because neither one of us gets to do things other kids do."

I asked her to give me an example.

She said, "Well, A said she didn't get to have a cell phone until she was 16.  I told her I knew what she meant, even though I know you said I couldn't have one until I'm like 20.  But also other things...she has to eat healthy foods.  Her parents make her go to bed early like we have to.  But I do feel bad for her about one thing.  She's NEVER EVER had soda!  She doesn't even get to have it on vacation at a restaurant!"

We talked about how that just means that her parents must love her a lot to want to make sure she only has good things in her body.  Yeah, Jackie understands as that is how her life is too.

It made me laugh at the time--but also smile.  And I DO hope these girls remain friends for a long time.  Especially since Jackie isn't allowed to date until she's 30!

This conversation immediately came to mind today when I was reading about The Mean Mom Challenge.  Basically it was an article talking about being a responsible parent is sometimes translated into being mean--I'll take it!  Here are 11Ways to be the Meanest Mom Around, taken from iMOM.com.

A mean mom…

1. Tries to get her kids to bed on time on school nights.
2. Limits the amount of caffeine, sugar and processed foods her children consume.
3. Limits the amount of time her kids spend watching TV, playing video games and surfing the net.
4. Is true to her word.  If she says, "You can't watch TV until your room is clean." then you can't watch TV until your room is clean.
5. Knows where her kids are at all times—including her teenagers.
6. Insists on knowing who her kids are hanging out with.
7. Demands that her children show respect to their teachers and other adults.
8. Expects her children to do their best.
9. Screens the movies and music her children want to see and hear. 
10. Disciplines her children, even when it breaks her heart.
11. Knows that being "mean" will benefit her children in the long run.

© 2010 iMOM. All Rights Reserved. Family First, All Pro Dad, iMOM, and Family Minute with Mark Merrill are registered trademarks.

I then asked each of my kids tonight if they thought I was a mean mom.

Jamison:  Yes. Sometimes.  But only when we be bad.

Josie:  NO! (She really wanted me to let her do something I didn't want her doing at the time...so I couldn't get a serious response from her.  Little turkey!)

Jackie:  No. (head tilt and smile) Well....sometimes.  When I don't pay attention or do what I'm supposed to.


The conversation continued with each of them as they agreed that even if I have to get grouchy, it's not because I don't love them.  It's simply because I care about their safety & health.  My kids are geniuses--of course they get it!

But I also plan to print & show them the Meanest Mom Pledge which will be hung in the house somewhere yet to be determined.  I'm not naive enough to believe that my kids will always understand my grouchy is for their own good.  We're not even in double digit ages yet...BUT, I vow to continue to stick to the rules.  And one day they'll thank me.  Right?

And the Answer Is....

I got an email newsletter this week & the subject was "What word describes your marriage?"    And I just can't stop thinking about it.

Actually, I am reminded of a night playing "The Newlywed Game" with friends about 6 years ago.  Do you remember that game?  The wives are asked a question & they write their answer down.  Then the husbands are asked the same question & if you answer the same, you get points.  We were playing with another couple that had been married a tad longer than us, a true newlywed couple & a newly engaged couple.  The question:  What movie title best describes your marriage?  The couple who had only been married a couple of months was the only one to match their answers & get points.
Their answer?  Mission Impossible.

I don't remember what my husband answered--tho I'm sure if I think about it long enough I can remember what he was wearing (I know some of you are NOT surprised about this...).  But I remember my answer:   It's A Wonderful Life.  And I recall there was a round of "awwwwwwwww" that echoed around the room when I reveled my answer.  But this was a time before our health journey that challenged our relationship so deeply to the core over the past 6 years.

The question I have not been able to shake this week is not a movie title, but rather just one word.  In terms of movie titles, I'd have to agree that my answer has not changed.  It is STILL very much a wonderful life.  But what's the word?  How do you describe what we have here on Easy Street in just one little word?  How is it possible that one word can hold all that we have created?  Our 13th wedding anniversary is next month.  We have been a couple for 16 1/2 years.  Last year I attempted to describe the timeline of everything we've encountered in our first 12 years of marriage when I wrote on my man's Facebook wall on our anniversary date.  In short, we've been through a lot.  And like any relationship, we've had our ups & downs.

But, at the end of the day, when I go to bed at night & I reflect on the fights, the tears, the hugs, the smiles, the happiness, the journeys, the pain, the joy, the treasures, the life we have created together...I have to say the one word that describes our marriage is Always.  The thing is...no matter what has happened, is happening, or will happen...our marriage will be.  Always.

My Buddy

Do you remember that doll & the song from the commercial?

Well, I couldn't get this song out of my head after playing outside with my boy last week.  The weather was beautiful so Bubba & I headed outside to play.  And since the girls were at school, he brought his baby, Rex, out to play with him.

Seriously, he could be in a commercial, right?

Bubba taking care of baby Rex.

All babies love to swing.

It can't be helped.  The boy has 2 older sisters.  This is one of his favorite bikes to ride, especially since he can put his baby in the back seat.

I think this could be used as torture down the road, but right now I just love watching him play the role of Daddy with his little Buddy, Rex.  

The Kitchen

Joel & I bought our first house in Michigan in 2000.  It was still decorated as the mother of the previous owner had designed it.  We pulled up ALL of the carpet in the 900 sq ft, 3 bedroom house...we ripped ALL the wallpaper from the walls, the closet doors, the window sills...we painted over the pink/peach/green walls.  We knocked out a wall, built a deck complete with benches & planters and put ceramic tile in the kitchen.  It was a great starter home & we had fun testing out our fixer-upper skills.  I have a complete scrapbook of before/after pictures, if you're interested. :)

My point is that this isn't our first rodeo for DIY projects, but I am over the moon excited about what we've done to our kitchen in our current home.  When we bought this house 7 1/2 years ago, the kitchen had yellow flowered wallpaper on the walls, faux brick linoleum floor, and dark brown cabinets with some 70s style "decorative" hardware that served no practical purpose.  I knew I would need to fix the hot mess when we put our offer on the house, but I was 7 months pregnant with an almost 2 yr old at home so I wasn't in a position to do a ton of work on it.  Then, as you know, next came cancer, another pregnancy with another baby in the house, then another cancer diagnosis, so many years passed before we got serious about making the changes.  

In November 2010 we started with knocking out the wall between the kitchen & the dining room, thanks to a brother-in-law in need of anger therapy.

Brown/white wall is dining room & green is kitchen.  All one room now!
Note the UGLY decorative handles in the middle of the cabinet doors...

We replaced the old faux brick & the carpet from the dining room.

On a budget, I found a beautiful piece of vinyl flooring & we used the driveway to cut it to fit the room exactly.

TA-DA!

Kitchen Complete--Dec 2010:  No more door handles, new floor, no wall, all new lighting fixtures...


So the overall plan was to get rid of the ugly floor & knock out the wall to make it a bigger space for our family of 5.  Mission was accomplished on the budget we had at the time.  BUT...I knew I would eventually want to change those cabinets & counters...so enter KITCHEN UPDATE 2012!!!

I had a "vision" of what I wanted my kitchen to look like...someday.  We played around with some ideas, I googled "counter top redo" and "painting counter tops"--we're still on a budget here & couldn't afford to replace anything.  THEN, I began my relationship with Pinterest.  I will share the details of my secret love affair with this site in a future entry.

I wanted lighter cabinets & we did paint our cabinets in our first home, but if I did white cabinets, then I didn't want white counters.  And painting counters...really?  I also didn't like that little 3D decorative *touch* to my cabinet doors in the middle.  So.....here's what we did....

After we took off all the doors, Joel popped that 3D part off (they were simply nailed on).  Then we bought sheets of wainscoting from the hardware store.  He cut them to fit inside each door.

Then he caulked around the insert, we primed & painted.  Took a trip to hardware store for new handles & our new cabinets were born!

Next challenge was the counter tops.  I first thought about doing this to my counter tops but had a hard time finding a granite design that wouldn't "compete" with my floor.  So instead, I ran across this blogger and decided spray paint was the ticket for me!  

When I explained to Joel what I was going to do, he didn't even bother questioning me--we had this discussion during the first part of the kitchen make-over when I decided I wanted to spray paint our fridge.  Yep, it was white before--now it's black to match all the OTHER black appliances in our kitchen.  It's not flawless, but I cover it with so much junk anyway, it works perfectly for our family!

Cover anything you DON'T want painted & prime the counters.

First couple of coats.

8 cans later--about 5 total coats. 

Adding first clear coat top.

Here's where I have some advice for those who might consider this method.  

#1 We used a stone finish spray paint which gave me EXACTLY the look I wanted, but I had NO idea how much it would take to get the coverage I wanted.  One can did not even come close to putting a full layer on our very small counter top.  It took 8 cans to get our desired look

#2  Just because you're using CLEAR paint doesn't mean it's easy--or unable to mess it up :/  Don't forget to stir before EVERY application.  It WILL leave a foggy look on your counter if it's not stirred & that can make you VERY grouchy.

#3 If you use a stone finish spray and choose NOT to sand between each application of clear coat, don't expect a completely smooth finish.  **Note, we started sanding between coats after the 3rd coat & I don't know that it made a big difference, but we still have some texture after 8 coats & it's PERFECT, just not what we expected.

#4  If you DO get stone spray on anything not meant to be spray painted, wipe it immediately.  While you can touch up over the color, you will have a more difficult time removing the texture if you wait for it to dry.  

5 coats of brown stone paint + 8 coats of clear poly acrylic top coat = beauty!

I also purchased an island--which is a WHOLE different drama in itself, but thanks to the advice of my remote designer, C, I waited until we decided on one to match the paint color for the cabinets.  I think it turned out amazing!

We're waiting one more week to let the clear coat completely cure before we put anything back on the counters, but I was too excited to wait to post the pics.  Let me know what you think!!

     

                                                                                                     

Parenting is HARD!

One of the downsides to my title of Potty Mouth Momma.  Oops!

The Middle Child

I decided I needed to give my middle child adequate blog time since her brother & sister have been quoted in recent weeks so....

Last weekend we had a babysitter & when I was driving her home she was telling me about a little conversation she had with my Josie Mae.  Apparently they were admiring a piece of winter artwork Jackie created at school--a snowman family, with each family member labeled.  Josie tells our babysitter that she's upset because...

"Look at this stupid looking hat she put on me!  AND, I'm the CUTEST one in this whole family!"

The little beauty has spoken!

Sassy Much?

Daddy to 9 yr old:  Are you gonna be sassy all day?

9 yr old to Daddy:  I don't know!  I can't see into the future!

Sunshine

Decided to share a little sunshine here on this beautiful sunny day! 

  And yes, I know he's sideways...I don't have enough tech smart to figure out how to flip him :/   

Just lay your head on your shoulder & enjoy!:)

Can't

I follow this facebook page called I <3 to run.  It's fun to see the motivational pictures & quotes.  I read what the other followers write about their running goals & challenges.  I don't know that I follow it because I really *LOVE* running, but I admit I like it more & more everyday.  (Yes, Coach Bob, I said it.)  And I'm really blessed because I have a huge support group that has always encouraged me in all of my endeavors--from walking 60 miles to signing up to run a half marathon (and seriously, I'm still wondering what I was thinking!!).  I decided to find a weekly training scheduled for working up to the 13 miles online & then sort of modify it for me and my time frame.  I'm right on track here as I finish up week 5.  Today my scheduled run was 5 miles of 3/1 intervals.  Intervals I can do.  Actually, I've been doing 3 miles at a time pretty regularly for the past 3 weeks, even.  But I've only run 4 miles with the intervals 2/1 one time, 2 weeks ago.  And last weekend I skipped my long run on account of no-kid weekend.

I woke up this morning with NOTHING to do today--except the run.  My kids haven't even changed out of their pjs & it's almost 4pm.  Fun, dreary, lazy day here at the Wealer house.  But then I mentioned to Joel that today was supposed to be a 5 miler.  And he said "Well, get to it woman!"  Back to that facebook page I mentioned--many folks on there are running to prove something to people in their life who told them they CAN'T do it.  I actually have the opposite problem here in my world.  It seems that all the people around me have WAY more faith in my abilities than I do in myself.  Last fall I mentioned to seasoned running friends T & K that I was considering a half in Oct 2012 & they both quickly said, "You can do that!"  Uh, did you SEE the challenge the 5Ks have been for me?  My husband is just as bad.  Even this morning when I told him I wasn't sure if I was feeling my inner runner well enough to get 5 miles in today, he said "Of course you can do it, just get out there and do it."

I have these people all around me--near & far.  And they believe in me regarding all aspects of my life.  I had a phone conversation yesterday with a business mentor & while telling her about my ideas for 2012 (knowing me & how I sometimes *tend* to get distracted) she said, "That sounds like a great idea!  I know you'll do it!"

So, I don't have anything to prove to anyone in my life.  In fact, as far as my friends & family are concerned, I have already achieved my goals.  But the doubt lies within & I guess if that's my only challenge in reaching my goals, I can live with that....

Stay tuned for training updates!  It's gonna be an interesting ride!!

For the Record...

I am not necessarily defending the Susan G Komen Foundation.  However, I think the organization has done wonders for breast cancer research & early detection. If you read the book, Promise Me, which I read in one day with tears streaming down my face, you'll understand more of where this organization grew from.  I have walked in the Susan G Komen 3 Day for the past 4 years.  I have multiple blog entries explaining why I did it and also why I have retired my walking shoes.  If you've supported MY fundraising efforts & MY determination to complete this walk 4 times (walking a total of 240 miles), I thank you.  And my guess is that you donated to me to support ME.


Susan G Komen has been in the news over the years for a number of reasons--multiple lawsuits about using the word "cure" & the pink ribbon to pro-life organizations being upset because they offer grants to Planned Parenthood.  It is interesting to me that none of the pro-choice people I know jumped all over social media to support SGK when the pro-life organizations & churches decided to stop supporting SGK.  Yet, as soon as a policy of SGK keeps them from giving that grant to Planned Parenthood, they are all up in arms about it.  Going so far as to say that SGK doesn't even care about breast cancer anymore---HAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


#1 Susan Komen & Nancy Brinker had breast cancer.  Most of you have not.


#2 There are more survivors than EVER because of the screening that has been allowed by SGK funding efforts.  You can NOT deny that the Komen foundation paved the way for breast cancer awareness.


#3 They are not going to stop cancer research or grants for screening across the board.  No news report has said "Susan G Komen will cease funding any breast cancer research or screening forever because we hired a republican VP who is pro-life."  (if you read that somewhere, send it my way...)


#4 There are MULTIPLE places to find low-cost & free mammogram screening in all areas of the country.   I just did a simple google search & came up with the following here.


#5  Do you know why SGK decided to stop funding Planned Parenthood?  They're under federal investigation for financial improprieties.  While that doesn't necessarily mean a problem of any substance, the supporters of SGK don't always understand that & can pull their funding to the organization.   


#6 Before you accuse a runner or walker who is raising funds to participate in a SGK sponsored race of being a right-wing pro-lifer who is ruining the health of poor women across the country, consider asking her WHY she's actually run/walking & you may find it puts you in your place.


#7  (I got this from the FB page of a woman who works at SGK HQ) Just to put things into perspective for some of you, Planned Parenthood grossed $1B in annual revenues during their last reported fiscal year, over double the gross revenues reported by Komen. Komen funded grants of approximately $690K to Planned Parenthood, which equates to less then 0.1% of Planned Parenthood’s funding.


Do I think CEOs of non profit organizations should earn 1/2 a million dollars in salary each year?  Not necessarily.  Do I think it's a little extreme to sue a small mom & pop NPO for using the word *cure* in their organization title?  Yes.  Do I think that this whole Planned Parenthood/Susan G Komen debate is blown out of proportion?  Absolutely.  Support them or don't.  You get to decide where to put your money.  So either give them some or don't.  Women are NOT going to go without screening JUST because Planned Parenthood doesn't have the grant from SGK anymore.  SGK is NOT the only organization on the side of helping women...


And while we're on the subject, why don't we just stop & switch gears?  Let's stop worrying about the cure & spend our efforts finding the CAUSE so we can PREVENT it in the first place.
Dr. Love & the Army of Women deserve some support as her way of thinking has caught my attention in the past couple of years.  


And, then consider doing something for a survivor in your life.  Thanks to research SGK has funded, I am here.  I had SO many screens & tests.  My girls will have access to so much!  It's amazing how far breast cancer detection has come in just 20 years!  But once someone has been labeled "survivor", many times we're left to pick up pieces of a life that is new to us. Unfortunately,  because women are being diagnosed younger & younger, many are left to navigate this new life alone.  You wanna support an organization that has literally changed MY life?  Check out the Ulman Cancer Fund.  Or consider funding my new passion of running.  My fundraising efforts this year will support this incredible organization which has done more for me than words can say.  However, I cannot promise that there are no Republicans working at the home office of this NPO--so if that's a deal breaker for you, then you can keep your money.  


Susan G Komen--love 'em or hate 'em--is still pro-boobies.  And so am I.