five and a half miles @ 7:40 am
one hour, three minutes, thirty one seconds
11:27/mile
I had to run without my running partner today, so I started much later than normal. It was blazing hot and I felt sick when I was finished. That is why I should run earlier. I also need to find some way to keep cool.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
June 29, three and a half miles
three and a half miles @ 6:30 am
thirty seven minutes one second
10:35/mile
thirty seven minutes one second
10:35/mile
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
June 21, five miles
five miles @ 6:30 am
between 50 & 55 minutes (we ran inside so I didn't have my gps watch plus we ran some on the treadmill and some on the track)
11ish/mile
between 50 & 55 minutes (we ran inside so I didn't have my gps watch plus we ran some on the treadmill and some on the track)
11ish/mile
Monday, June 20, 2011
adjusting to summer
In my house, probably like most, there is some adjustment when summer comes. Schedules and routines have to be modified. For us, in addition to my children being off school and home, my husband is as well. I have had several friends say, "That must be nice to have him home all summer." I usually say, "Yeah." But I am thinking, "You would think that would be nice but it is not as great as it sounds."
Usually, there is a period of adjustment and then we all settle into being around each other all the time. Right now, we are still adjusting.
During the school year, my husband is gone a lot. Since I am home all day it often feels like it is the kids and I and then he sometimes joins the three of us. When the end of school comes, suddenly he is around all the time. We have our regular schedules and routines, the way we do things and then he is there throwing a wrench in things.
Then, in the fall we have another period of adjustment. For the past several years each fall has been a different adjustment. In addition to my husband going back to school, one year we had my daughter start preschool, two years later she started kindergarten (half-day) and my son started preschool, the next year she started first grade (full day), this year my son will start kindergarten (our district just switched to full day.) Fall has been a time of a lot of change for us. After this fall, things should start to feel a little more regular.
So far this summer, I haven't yet figured out the best schedule for us. This is the first year the kids have taken summer school so the first four weeks of summer have them gone in the mornings. When I was making our tentative schedule I figured it would be similar to last year. The kids would have morning jobs, we would have some kind of activity, some daily reading, etc. School starts at 8, so there is no time before school to do a morning job. School ends at 12 but we don't get back home until about 12:30. By the time we finish lunch it is already 1. I haven't been able to figure out where to fit in reading, activities, and jobs yet.
The other adjustment I am having to make is having my husband around all the time. As much as I love my husband and enjoy being around him, we are not used to being around each other so much. It can cause quite a bit of tension. Plus, I always think, this summer we are going to split the work 50-50. He is going to learn how to do everything around here. No more is the burden for so much going to be on me.
But, as usually happens, I am just glad to have him around more so I am less annoyed by what he doesn't do. I am less stressed overall because I don't watch other kids in the summer. Some of the burden of the work load is relieved simply because he is here to help with the kids, do some cooking, and help with the dishes. We are no where near 50-50, though.
I know some of it is my fault. We have fallen into the habit we do each summer, which is very much like what we do all year. I still do the majority around here. It is just easier to do things myself. I would prefer he do something with the kids so I can clean or organize. I prefer things be done my way and I get a sense of comfort and accomplishment having cleaned and organized. That doesn't help me in the long run, though. He still doesn't know what needs to be done around the house or how things need to be done. I think he thinks he is doing a great job because he does something. I think something is the minimum. We should be able to have this house really clean and organized with the two of us being home. Especially with the kids being gone all morning five days a week.
We don't have great communication. I've tried to have the conversation about what needs to be done. Since he truly has no idea of everything that needs to be done around here (I'll have to write about how I think his mother created this monster) he says he wants me to give him a list of things to do and he will do them. In reality, he doesn't want me to tell him what to do. He doesn't like feeling like I am bossing him around. He also doesn't like me telling him how to do something.
While yes, I like things to be done a certain way, my standards are very low. It's not like Sleeping with the Enemy where all the can labels have to be lined up. It's more like when you do the dishes, I don't want to have to come back into the kitchen and finish putting left over food in the fridge (yes, I have had to do that) or if you use a rag to wipe down the counters, please rinse it (tonight I picked up the rag and it was full of pizza sauce.)
I swing from being so irritated and tired of those same things happening over and over to thinking, "Really, is it that big of a deal?" On one hand, no it's not. On the other hand, yes it is. Those are the kinds of things that drive me over the edge during school. When we are not spending time together and he is not home, those are the things that build up. Now, they aren't that big of a deal. But, in about 6-8 months when he is gone several nights a week and a couple weekends in a row. They will be a very big deal.
I have no idea how to figure this out. What I have done to this point, has not worked. I need to get him to do more this summer and all year but I have to get him to do it without feeling like I am telling him what to do. I guess I also need to let go of some things. Which, I have done but I guess I can do more.
Here is what I think I am going to try...
I am going to ask him to do some job every day.
I have had him swish & swipe, I do ask him to empty the dishwasher, we take turns dropping the kids off and picking the kids up. Actually, that has been huge. I have been running a lot in the mornings. I get up and out the door before the kids get up and he has to feed them, get them dressed, and ready to leave. That is what I am going to try to do with things around the house. I am going to give him the same kinds of opportunities.
I am going to have to really be focused on doing that. I tend to revert back to what my mom always did (which I have written about before) try to make everything easy on my dad. Instead of requiring him to do his share she did everything she could so he wouldn't have to anything once he got home from work. It didn't matter whether she was home with little kids all day or if she was also working full-time. That is a hard habit to break though. When I think about it, I get frustrated not only at myself, but also at my husband. Now, he is no where near like my dad. He does do dishes without being asked, he does stuff with the kids, he will cook. But, he is also fine letting me do a lot more than he does.
We'll see how this works, I'll keep you posted.
Usually, there is a period of adjustment and then we all settle into being around each other all the time. Right now, we are still adjusting.
During the school year, my husband is gone a lot. Since I am home all day it often feels like it is the kids and I and then he sometimes joins the three of us. When the end of school comes, suddenly he is around all the time. We have our regular schedules and routines, the way we do things and then he is there throwing a wrench in things.
Then, in the fall we have another period of adjustment. For the past several years each fall has been a different adjustment. In addition to my husband going back to school, one year we had my daughter start preschool, two years later she started kindergarten (half-day) and my son started preschool, the next year she started first grade (full day), this year my son will start kindergarten (our district just switched to full day.) Fall has been a time of a lot of change for us. After this fall, things should start to feel a little more regular.
So far this summer, I haven't yet figured out the best schedule for us. This is the first year the kids have taken summer school so the first four weeks of summer have them gone in the mornings. When I was making our tentative schedule I figured it would be similar to last year. The kids would have morning jobs, we would have some kind of activity, some daily reading, etc. School starts at 8, so there is no time before school to do a morning job. School ends at 12 but we don't get back home until about 12:30. By the time we finish lunch it is already 1. I haven't been able to figure out where to fit in reading, activities, and jobs yet.
The other adjustment I am having to make is having my husband around all the time. As much as I love my husband and enjoy being around him, we are not used to being around each other so much. It can cause quite a bit of tension. Plus, I always think, this summer we are going to split the work 50-50. He is going to learn how to do everything around here. No more is the burden for so much going to be on me.
But, as usually happens, I am just glad to have him around more so I am less annoyed by what he doesn't do. I am less stressed overall because I don't watch other kids in the summer. Some of the burden of the work load is relieved simply because he is here to help with the kids, do some cooking, and help with the dishes. We are no where near 50-50, though.
I know some of it is my fault. We have fallen into the habit we do each summer, which is very much like what we do all year. I still do the majority around here. It is just easier to do things myself. I would prefer he do something with the kids so I can clean or organize. I prefer things be done my way and I get a sense of comfort and accomplishment having cleaned and organized. That doesn't help me in the long run, though. He still doesn't know what needs to be done around the house or how things need to be done. I think he thinks he is doing a great job because he does something. I think something is the minimum. We should be able to have this house really clean and organized with the two of us being home. Especially with the kids being gone all morning five days a week.
We don't have great communication. I've tried to have the conversation about what needs to be done. Since he truly has no idea of everything that needs to be done around here (I'll have to write about how I think his mother created this monster) he says he wants me to give him a list of things to do and he will do them. In reality, he doesn't want me to tell him what to do. He doesn't like feeling like I am bossing him around. He also doesn't like me telling him how to do something.
While yes, I like things to be done a certain way, my standards are very low. It's not like Sleeping with the Enemy where all the can labels have to be lined up. It's more like when you do the dishes, I don't want to have to come back into the kitchen and finish putting left over food in the fridge (yes, I have had to do that) or if you use a rag to wipe down the counters, please rinse it (tonight I picked up the rag and it was full of pizza sauce.)
I swing from being so irritated and tired of those same things happening over and over to thinking, "Really, is it that big of a deal?" On one hand, no it's not. On the other hand, yes it is. Those are the kinds of things that drive me over the edge during school. When we are not spending time together and he is not home, those are the things that build up. Now, they aren't that big of a deal. But, in about 6-8 months when he is gone several nights a week and a couple weekends in a row. They will be a very big deal.
I have no idea how to figure this out. What I have done to this point, has not worked. I need to get him to do more this summer and all year but I have to get him to do it without feeling like I am telling him what to do. I guess I also need to let go of some things. Which, I have done but I guess I can do more.
Here is what I think I am going to try...
I am going to ask him to do some job every day.
I have had him swish & swipe, I do ask him to empty the dishwasher, we take turns dropping the kids off and picking the kids up. Actually, that has been huge. I have been running a lot in the mornings. I get up and out the door before the kids get up and he has to feed them, get them dressed, and ready to leave. That is what I am going to try to do with things around the house. I am going to give him the same kinds of opportunities.
I am going to have to really be focused on doing that. I tend to revert back to what my mom always did (which I have written about before) try to make everything easy on my dad. Instead of requiring him to do his share she did everything she could so he wouldn't have to anything once he got home from work. It didn't matter whether she was home with little kids all day or if she was also working full-time. That is a hard habit to break though. When I think about it, I get frustrated not only at myself, but also at my husband. Now, he is no where near like my dad. He does do dishes without being asked, he does stuff with the kids, he will cook. But, he is also fine letting me do a lot more than he does.
We'll see how this works, I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I am the worst mom ever (the tooth fairy forgot to come to our house)
My daughter lost her seventh tooth yesterday. "Lost" is misleading. She actually yanked it out.
I forgot to leave her money...again.
Yep. This is not the first time the tooth fairy has forgotten to come to our house. It is like as soon as I walk out of her bedroom at night the thought flies right out of my head. (I thought I wrote about this before but my search didn't turn up a post about the tooth fairy. Maybe I just thought about it.)
She's lost seven teeth and I have forgotten at least three times.
Last time I told myself I was going to set something on my bed so I would see it before I turned in and would be reminded that there was something I needed to take care of. I forgot to do that, too.
The first time it happened she came into my bedroom a little upset saying the tooth fairy didn't come because her tooth was still under her pillow. I said maybe the tooth fairy let her keep the tooth because she wanted it so badly and we should go to look for the money. I took the money with me and put it under her bed so it looked like the money fell there. That seemed to work.
The next time it happened I was running when I realized I forgot to leave her money. My running partner had her phone so I called home. I think she was awake when I called so I told her that I asked the tooth fairy not to come because I had a special present for her since it was her golden tooth. (It was her sixth tooth and she was six.) I had picked up a Belle barbie for the tub and was waiting for a good time to give it to her. That worked well.
This morning she came in and said she didn't look in her tooth pillow because she wanted me to look with her. I'm wondering if she was testing me. Did she already look and know the tooth was there and wait to see if it would be gone when we went back in? I had gotten a gift for her because she is seven and lost her seventh tooth, another golden tooth. Actually, I had to pick it up yesterday because I wasn't expecting her to lose her tooth yet. She hasn't talked about a loose tooth at all. Last night when she went to bed she said nothing about a loose tooth. Lately, when she would talk about a tooth maybe being loose she would talk about it being another golden tooth and about the special gift last time. (When I accidentally started the golden tooth tradition I didn't think she would have a second golden tooth.) I had her stay in my room while I went to get the gift. I slipped into her room and hid the money (a quarter for each year of her age.) Again, the tooth fairy must have let her keep the tooth since she liked it so much. (She took care of it all day yesterday and brushed it before bed.) The money was under her mattress, right below where her pillow is, technically it was "under" her pillow.
How many times am I going to do this? I refuse to take full responsibility, though. My husband has never helped me with this. Not once has he reminded me to leave the money. My guess is he never thinks about it either. (Although, that probably is another issue entirely. The fact that I do almost everything like this that has to do with the kids.) I hope I get it together soon. This little girl is going to figure it out soon enough and I don't want it to be because of my screw up.
I'm linking up to Works for Me Wednesday.
I forgot to leave her money...again.
Yep. This is not the first time the tooth fairy has forgotten to come to our house. It is like as soon as I walk out of her bedroom at night the thought flies right out of my head. (I thought I wrote about this before but my search didn't turn up a post about the tooth fairy. Maybe I just thought about it.)
She's lost seven teeth and I have forgotten at least three times.
Last time I told myself I was going to set something on my bed so I would see it before I turned in and would be reminded that there was something I needed to take care of. I forgot to do that, too.
The first time it happened she came into my bedroom a little upset saying the tooth fairy didn't come because her tooth was still under her pillow. I said maybe the tooth fairy let her keep the tooth because she wanted it so badly and we should go to look for the money. I took the money with me and put it under her bed so it looked like the money fell there. That seemed to work.
The next time it happened I was running when I realized I forgot to leave her money. My running partner had her phone so I called home. I think she was awake when I called so I told her that I asked the tooth fairy not to come because I had a special present for her since it was her golden tooth. (It was her sixth tooth and she was six.) I had picked up a Belle barbie for the tub and was waiting for a good time to give it to her. That worked well.
This morning she came in and said she didn't look in her tooth pillow because she wanted me to look with her. I'm wondering if she was testing me. Did she already look and know the tooth was there and wait to see if it would be gone when we went back in? I had gotten a gift for her because she is seven and lost her seventh tooth, another golden tooth. Actually, I had to pick it up yesterday because I wasn't expecting her to lose her tooth yet. She hasn't talked about a loose tooth at all. Last night when she went to bed she said nothing about a loose tooth. Lately, when she would talk about a tooth maybe being loose she would talk about it being another golden tooth and about the special gift last time. (When I accidentally started the golden tooth tradition I didn't think she would have a second golden tooth.) I had her stay in my room while I went to get the gift. I slipped into her room and hid the money (a quarter for each year of her age.) Again, the tooth fairy must have let her keep the tooth since she liked it so much. (She took care of it all day yesterday and brushed it before bed.) The money was under her mattress, right below where her pillow is, technically it was "under" her pillow.
How many times am I going to do this? I refuse to take full responsibility, though. My husband has never helped me with this. Not once has he reminded me to leave the money. My guess is he never thinks about it either. (Although, that probably is another issue entirely. The fact that I do almost everything like this that has to do with the kids.) I hope I get it together soon. This little girl is going to figure it out soon enough and I don't want it to be because of my screw up.
I'm linking up to Works for Me Wednesday.
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