after 10 weeks of running.

It took 10 weeks of running for me to have my breakthrough run.

10 flippin' weeks.

The first 9 weeks were hell on earth. Seriously. They were the "by the time I get back to my house I am going to puke all over the steps" runs. I was a dying mess.

Last Monday, the beginning of week 10, I noticed something. I was halfway through my run and I wasn't dying. I didn't have much kick left at the end of my run, but I wasn't about to throw up on the steps either.

Progress.

Then yesterday something happened. I finished my run with a sprint, an uphill sprint. I finished and thought to myself, Is that it? Shouldn't I keep going? I am not even dying yet! Then I realized. I had broken through. The coveted "breakthrough" run was mine.

Yippee!

Your Own Food Revolution

We are big fans of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I love what he is trying to accomplish in the schools, but do you know what I love even more? I love that it challenges me to think about the food I eat and the food I feed my kids.

Cause really, Mac and Cheese 4 times a week isn't impressive to anyone.

So, Mike and I have been inspired. We have started making small, baby steps, in the food department. We didn't go out and start buying all of our food at Whole Wallet (oops, I mean Whole Foods), but we are trying to make healthier decisions. Here are a couple of steps we've taken in our own food revolution.

1. Offer as many food groups as possible at each meal-- Sounds simple right? Yeah, will it also sounds obvious if you want to be healthy, but can I tell you how many times I am guilty of just throwing something on the kids' plate and hoping they'll eat it because it is just way past naptime and they are screaming (and most likely I am stressed cause I have a million things to do and don't want to take time to prepare something thoughtful).

2. I eat lunch with the kids-- For a long while, Lacey and Miles were eating separate foods. (i.e. baby food and solids). Well, we are past the point of that and they eat the same things. But the thing was, I wasn't eating what they were eating. I was waiting until nap time to eat in peace, or skipping lunch all together. I realized however, that when I started to make a meal that we would all eat, it became much more well balanced and colorful. I don't know about you, but soy chicken nuggets from TJ's get really old, really fast.

3. Make it from scratch- We make bread, pizza dough, cookies, and recently chicken nuggets, from scratch. First of all it's cheaper, it's also healthier, and the kids actually prefer it!

4. Talk about fruit and vegetables-- I am not going to let Lacey or Miles be the first grader that doesn't know what a tomato is. Please, I was so embarrassed for our country that day. Since then I have worked a little bit harder with her on learning what everything is. Play food helps make it much easier!

What can you do for your own "food revolution"?

Childcare-how to find it?

I have been trying to research childcare options for next winter. It's a really scary thing for me. I hate researching things like this, plus I think its hard to know what is the right option for our family. Each option has positives and negatives that come along with it. However, in my beginning search, I did come up with some interesting facts.

1) Did you know that Minneapolis, MN is rated the most expensive city for child care in the nation?

2) The average costs for infant care is $1,000 a month. My friend worked at a daycare center and for age 0-2, they charged $1,200 a month. Average rates for in home care are $630 per month, per child. This is past age 2.

3) The average family in Minneapolis spends 15% of their monthly income on daycare.

OUCH.

I guess this means a few things. This means that we will really have to count the cost of me working with putting the kids in daycare. We may have to leave the "city" and move to the suburbs. Maybe we can get friends or family to help a day or two a week. I don't know. All I know is this is stressing me out!

If you use daycare, what percentage of your income do you spend on it? How did you find it? How did you know they were going to take care of your child the way you were comfortable with?

what did you do today?

I woke up later than I wanted; drank 4 cups of really good coffee; finally got the kids dressed, changed, and fed; made 2 loaves of banana bread; forgot to rsvp to my nephew's birthday party, felt bad; read 4 chapters in my book for school; did not get dressed until 1:30; cleaned up my bedroom; let lacey nap in my bed, which i am sure will become a bad habit; drank a jamba juice; changed 3 messy diapers before noon; smiled when the kids ate lunch and didn't throw it on the floor; gathered all the library books together; kissed my boy; and painted lacey's toenails;

and a whole lot more, but that's all I can think of!

Summer Days

It dawned on me this past weekend, that this is possibly the last summer I will be spending at home with the kids.

How sad is that? I graduate in December and I am hoping and praying that I will get a job beginning in January, so I can work my first busy season, but this is my last summer at home? Really?

I totally want to work. That's not the point. Ever since I became pregnant with Lacey I knew that I would be a working mom at some point. Having 2 so close together, life changes, and with being in school, it has just made more sense for us to keep me home.

They won't even remember this summer. But I will. So on Monday morning I gave my 2 week notice at the coffee shop I was working at. I decided that I need to make this summer count. This fall is already booked with finishing up classes and preparing for graduation, it's already packed to the brim. But I decided I am going to enjoy the lazy summer days that are coming up, I am going to take the kids to the zoo, library, pool, and park. We can have picnics and skip naps (occasionally), and blow bubbles and goof off. We can eat melty ice cream outside when it is 90 degrees. We can take lots of pictures, and even if they won't remember this summer. I sure will. And I am bound and determined to live it up!

she's kicking my butt (and she's only 2)

Oh, Lord. Is this what the "terrible two's" are? Or maybe she is acting this way because she is well on her way to 3, and all parenting veterans say three is worse than two, and it doesn't really get easier until four.

Perfect.

She is at that perfect age where re-direction doesn't work, and neither does rewards. Plus, I seriously do not want to bribe her with every.little.thing. I want her to learn a little concept called listening. Like if I tell you to put your shoes on because we are leaving, you put your shoes on. I don't want to give you something for putting your shoes on. Because seriously, when would it end?

We tried that anyway, and she kept making those bribes bigger. (No, mom. I need 2 M&M's).

Some concepts are totally lost on her. Like sometimes no just means no. It doesn't matter if you suddenly say please, or if you stop whining. It's still no. It's no because I said so, and because sometimes you don't need to watch TV at 8:00 in the morning.

Help please! Any books that you've found useful? I am like a lost puppy.

...because I have 2 toddlers in the house now....yikes.

food.

I think if I weren't married I would either be totally broke and overweight, or totally broke and super, duper thin. Why?

I hate cooking. It hasn't always been this way, but after over 4 years of not really cooking myself a meal, I don't really enjoy it anymore. My creative juices aren't flowing in the cooking department. My husband does about 97% of the cooking and restaurants do the other 3%. So when the kids are with grandma and grandpa, and my husband is working late, I don't eat.

If I were single I would order take out, or go eat out, probably every night. Therefore I would be broke and most likely overweight. When I know he is going to be hungry when he gets home, I just wait, and starve in silence (okay, it's not that bad cause if I were really truly starving I would eat). I'll just wait for him to cook for me.

Plus we have to go to the grocery store. We are majorly out of food. I'm not allowed to go to the store without him for groceries. I tend to buy a cart full of stuff that sounds good, but unfortunately doesn't make meals. Plus, I buy too much candy.

I could seriously inhale p.f. changs or big bowl right now. But now we have a restaurant budget too. I can't really just go to a restaurant without thinking about it.

Okay, this post is going nowhere fast. Sorry! Basically 1) I am bored 2) I am hungry and 3) I hate monday night t.v. so there is nothing on to entertain me right now. I'm stuck with the computer.

isn't it funny?

Isn't it funny how one day, you can be elated as a parent, everything just seems to click and flow smoothly. You receive compliments on how well behaved they are. Then, the next day, you're up to your ears in messes, and the only child not crying is the one you're holding, and your "i've been potty trained for 6 months" daughter pees all over your white rug and laughs about it.

Isn't it funny how all morning you plan on cleaning the house during naptime, but then naptime comes and all you can think about doing is sitting on the couch and doing nothing at all. I'd like to invent a self cleaning house. I'd make millions.

Isn't it funny how you can be all in love with Target one minute, and then all mad at it because you went over your grocery budget and had to put things back, and they have those stupid toys in the check out lanes that encourage tantrums?

The grass is always greener, the sky bluer, and the food tastes better somewhere else. At least today!

grades are in.

4.0

Still.

Going.

Strong.