Sad, sad, sad - I'm a sucky blogger!

I don't know how all you consistent bloggers do it! Especially those of you with lots of kids, homeschooling, and even some of you work outside the home! I just want to say how much I admire all of my mom friends for all that you do. You are all beautiful, amazing women, and I am one blessed woman to have you all in my life.

Because I love you so much I dedicate the following poem to you...

True friendship - A.K.A. None of that Sissy Crap

Here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship. You will see no cutesy little smiley faces on this card - Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1. When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much Worse it could be until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words..

7. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

9. This is my oath .... I pledge it to the end 'Why?' you may ask; 'because you are my friend'.

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel it's true warmth.

Remember: A friend will help you move. A really good friend will help you move a body. Let me know if I ever need to bring a shovel...

Final Results

I know...it's like looking at Kate Hudson or Reese Witherspoon. I can't tell you how many times I've been stopped on the street for my autograph. The resemblances are eerie. 

Day 5 & Day 6

Congratulations if you found me. I tried to shorten my blog name and as a result couldn't find it on the web so I changed it back. It's a mouth-full A Little Piece of Sanity for Me but oh well. I'm neither technologically gifted nor have enough time on my hands to figure out the problem so hopefully going back to the original name and address will work out. 

Here is an update on my attempt at Peeling back the years. 

Day 5: Peeling Forehead and cheeks and chin

Day 6: Peeling in the hairline, near ears, and neck - under chin

(this picture really grosses me out)

Happy Groundhog Day!

I hear the little critter has seen his shadow and we all know what that means. But seriously, if he'd just turn around and face the sun he'd see the light not his shadow. I'm actually enjoying this "winter" weather so I don't mind if we have another 6 weeks of it. It's good for my face, right.

The Real Day 3 ~ The chin has begun to peel.

Day 4 ~ chin, upper lip, cheeks are peeling

Reflections in a mirror...
Do you see a resemblance?

DAY 3 Chemical Peel

Wow! Who knew I had a full beard and mustache hidden away under all that old skin! I guess it's time to visit the laser center. :)

A Week in the Life...

of one homeschooling family...

*note that we fit in workbook type work (aka traditional schoolwork) in between classes

Monday: get up, drink coffee, make sure kids eat, take care of personal hygiene, get dressed, do chores

start some workbook school work which gets done off and on in between classes*

writing class for boys 10-11:30

reading, writing, and math with TJ 10-11:30

spanish tutor comes to our house for boys 12-2

Take TJ to spanish tutor 12:30-1:15

music TJ 3-4

music Mr. Kai 4-5

Guitar for Pickle 5:30-6 (I drop off and dad picks up)

Tuesday: same morning as Monday

see note*

German for Pickle and his friend V here at our house 10-11

do school work with Mr. Kai and TJ 10-11

Art class at our house with all 3 kids 11:15-12:30 ish

this is the afternoon I try to schedule appts, run errands, etc

Wednesday: same morning as the other days but more of a scramble because we have to be somewhere early

Earthroots 9-2

babysit in the afternoon 2:30

Thursday: same morning as the other days

see note*

Chinese at our house all 3 kids 11-12

PE at the beach 1-2

every 4th Thurs we have a meeting with our E.S.

some Thurs we have BookClub in the afternoon

first semester we did Craft/Social Studies with two other families in the afternoons

babysit in the afternoon 2:30

Friday: same morning routine

on a good morning we fill in the holes from the week

Homeschool Park Day 11:30-1:30 This is really the highlight of our week! We have a great homeschooling community and I truly believe it's the key for surviving the ups and downs of homeschooling.

Aikido 6:15-7

Weekends: Even though it's the weekend it doesn't mean learning ends. Sometimes we go places that I consider educational but more importantly it's fun. Sometimes dad will do things with them that we couldn't fit in during the week like science experiments, bike rides, skate park, visiting great grandma who is almost 97, going to the recycling center, going to the grocery store, going to the library. Because we homeschool, I see the educational value in all the regular activities of life. Learning never ends. It doesn't only happen M-F 7:45-2:05. It's 24/7/365.

PE at the skatepark

Running for my life

A little background: I didn't start running until I was 34 years old. I consider myself a turtle - slow and steady. I started running because I wanted to lose weight but after I started I got the running bug. I set goals for myself - first a 5k, then a 10k, then a half marathon (I actually got talked into this one and thought I was crazy for even considering it). And then, the big one - the full marathon. If I can do it, anyone can do it. I'm posting my race reports from my two full marathons. I am signed up to do another one this year in October but I don't know if I will make it to the full. I might down-scale to the half - you know what they say about half marathons - half the distance, twice the fun.

June 4, 2006 San Diego Rock and Roll Full Marathon

RACE REPORT

My Friends! Thank you for the emails!!! Well...total honesty...here it comes...IT WAS BRUTAL! I felt great for the first 20 miles...really...I was cheering on other people that weren't doing so well. Then after 20 came 21 and I hit the proverbial wall. I kept telling myself NO, the wall isn't real, it's just psychological, but my legs were saying Bullshit...I'm done. Slowed down, I made it o.k. to 22 but by 23 I saw my family and I was bawling. I told them This is Brutal but they gave me so much encouragement I had to keep going. It was critical to have them there. (They saw me at 14 looking SO STRONG and at 23 crying). At about 21 I started saying in my head This is Brutal, This is Brutal and then I realized I had to stop so I said YES, it is Brutal but I am strong and I can do this! I'm raw...but I've been through harder things in my life than running a marathon and I CAN DO THIS! So after seeing my family at mile 23 it was really just about getting across that finish line...it felt like I was barely picking up my feet and my body was tired but my mind was strong. I didn't walk...I didn't stop...I didn't get on the bus...I ran across that finish line...5 hours almost to the minute! And then I thought I was going to throw up and pass out so I slowly made my way to the medical tent where they gave me a pack of salt to swallow and water, ice on my knees which were going into rigamortis and I laid on the cot...sucked on pretzels and viola I felt better. I got up and joined the others in the *walking wounded shuffle.* I ate a little yogurt, a little bagel (very little), a banana, and an orange. I felt SO much better. I met up with my family and really felt great. I DID IT!!! I met my goals...I made it across the finish line, I ran the whole time/no walking for me, and I did in a reasonable amount of time. It was my first and I am SO proud of myself...and even though it was so physically brutal it was so emotionally wonderful that I will probably do it again. Am I crazy? Maybe. ;)

July 29, 2007 San Francisco Full Marathon

RACE REPORT

Thanks for the good wishes on my marathon this past weekend. Here is my official race report...

My race was AWESOME!!! I'll start off by saying that I took a friend's advice and incorporated strategic walk breaks into my race this time, and along with some other nutritional changes, it made a HUGE difference in how I felt at the end of the race. AND...I finished faster!!!!

As most of you know, I ran my first full marathon down in San Diego last year...my goals were to finish and to run the entire way. I accomplished my goals but I felt like crap at the end. I felt like I was barely running b/c my legs were so heavy and fatigued. When I crossed the finish line I was dizzy, nauseous, and I thought I was going to pass out. I had to make a b-line to the Medical Tent. Thank goodness for those people. They saved me. They dosed me up on salt and I felt much better. I drank way too much water...not enough electrolyte replacement, and I should have walked, stretched my legs during the race. Live and Learn. Finish time was 5 hours.

Fast forward to Sunday, July 29th (my daughter's birthday). This marathon experience was 180 degrees from last year. My plan was to walk the hills to save my quads and consume table salt the last half of the race. I did both of those things. I walked almost every hill but I walked briskly. I stretched my legs a few times. I carried salt packets with me and consumed those on the last half of the race. I drank Cytomax at the water stations. I took one Energy Gel and ate half a banana during the race. I felt so good. I kept thinking I was going to hit the wall. I knew I could go 22 -23 miles feeling pretty good but I was scared about the wall after that. I was especially concerned b/c my last long training run was 22.5 miles and I threw up a lot of water & felt awful. Unfortunately, I had a migraine on Saturday before the race so I was really just hoping to make it to the race and finish in 5 - 5 1/2 hours without getting sick.

Well, not only did I finish this race without getting sick...I never hit the wall, I felt fantastic and I finished in 4 hours 40 minutes. 20 minutes faster than last year in San Diego. I couldn't believe it! My husband was shocked! He had to hustle from mile 22 to the finish line to see me finish. My kids were cheering me on! It was so amazing! I couldn't stop smiling! I could have kept running, I felt that good!

The walk breaks made all the difference in the world and the salt replacement for me was key. I am thrilled and I can't wait to take on the challenge of a triathlon and dare I say an ultramarathon sometime in the future. :)