Monday, March 3, 2014

Where is Spring?

It is already March and there is no sign of spring coming.  We have no school today because the windchill is -10 or -14 and people could get frostbite in 10 minutes.  It is almost too cold to open the door and let the dog out.  I am so ready for nicer weather.  I need to get outside and do my trainings outside.  This indoor stuff is making me super depressed.

I am starting my 5th week of training.  Last week was considered a recovery week where we didn't do as much running basically.  I was hoping for a great start to the week and get my 18.5 mile bike ride in first thing in the morning, get the kids to school and then get my swim in.  Well, first school was canceled and then Simone started throwing up continuously from 12:30 until 4:45 when she finally fell asleep for an hour, then she woke up and has now puked three more times.  It's awesome.  I got about two hours of sleep and I am one cranky mama.  Through all the puking and laundry starting and Simone crying, Dave didn't hear anything.  He slept all night perfectly.  He got up at 5am, got ready to go to the gym and then realized I wasn't in bed with him.  Needless to say, he didn't go to the gym because I made him stay home to keep watch on Simone while I got about 30 minutes of sleep.

I find it so interesting how each of the kids are so different when they are sick.  Samuel is the best sick kid ever.  He lays on the couch, sleeps, pukes in trash cans and is perfect.  Joseph just now started puking in a trashcan, is cranky and demanding, won't relax, yells at everyone and just overall is a pain in the ass when he is sick.  This is really the first time Simone has been sick where she is throwing up continuously.  She is extremely afraid of throwing up in trashcan or in a big bowl.  She prefers to grab a towel, shove her face in it and then puke.  Luckily she has nothing in her system, so she is just throwing up water or pedialyte.  We have gone through I don't know how many towels this morning.  I am already on my third load with at least three more to do.  We are pretty much out of towels at the point.  After she throws up though she puts her face in her hands and just shakes her head.  She has done this every time.  It is kind of funny.  So far she is pretty easy.  I am hoping she will go back to bed soon because she got just as much sleep as I did.

I am finishing up my first cup of coffee and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will not get this stomach bug that Simone has.  Yuck!

Here's hoping that the week just keeps getting better and better.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Week 3 of Training

I have begun my third week of training for the half ironman.  February 8th I did my first triathlon.  It was the Indoor Triathlon at the JCC in St. Louis.  I picked the sprint distance because I had never done one before and I was really nervous.  It was a 400 meter swim, 8 mile bike ride and 2.5 mile run.  I feel pretty happy with how I did.  I finished in about 50 minutes.  I was really nervous about how I would feel after the swim, but I actually felt great and my legs weren't tired at all for the biking portion.  I really pushed my run too and finished the 2.5 miles in 21 minutes.

After I felt great, but by the evening my hip flexor was really bothering me on my right side.  I thought stretching it would help, but it didn't do much.  Then I decided to run 8 miles on Sunday morning and I think that was way too much on a hurt hip.  I could barely lift my leg up on Sunday night and then my right calf muscle started spasming.  The pull in my hip just started causing problems with my whole right side.  I ended up swimming last Monday and did one 30 minute bike ride and one 3 mile run and that was it until this past Sunday.  I really took it easy because the last thing I wanted was to really pull something.

This week has started off great though.  On Sunday I biked for an hour, Monday I ran for 45 minutes and then swam about 1200 meters and then today I took a spinning class and got there early so I could do 25 miles on the bike.  So far I am feel great.  I am starting a paleo type diet tomorrow and I am going to try to keep it up for about 2 weeks and see if I get more energy.  I typically eat pretty healthy, but I love snacking and eating chocolate and salty foods.  I am hoping with having a pretty strict diet I will stop craving all the nasty foods I want all the time.

I can't believe that I only have 16 weeks before the big day.  I am getting nervous about the increased time commitment.  I am already finding it hard to keep up with the household work, grocery shopping and errand running while trying to fit in my workouts when the kids are at school.  I just keep telling myself that this a once and a lifetime goal and I can do it all!!!! Positive thinking.

I am off to do some sit-ups and read and then in 40 minutes I have to pick Samuel up from school.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Birthday Boy!

I have no idea why it is so hard for me to sit down and write on here.  I am always thinking of things to write about, but the days just fly by and I never get around to it.

Today is Joseph's 4th birthday.  He is so excited about being four.  I think he feels like he is truly becoming a big boy now.  Thank goodness.  To say that three was an easy year would be a complete lie.  I have never dealt with a more spirited, opinionated, cranky, demanding, passionate and astute child.  He has such an advanced thought process and I am always shocked at how thoroughly he thinks things through.  For instance, we are having his birthday party this Sunday at the zoo.  I gave all the invitations to his teachers so they could pass them out to all the kids.  When I was putting Joseph to bed later that week he looks at me and says that he doesn't want anyone to come to his party unless they are wearing black, orange or pink (his favorite color is orange, I am not sure why he picked black, but he thought the girls would be happy with pink).  I told him that the invitations were already out, so I can't tell people that they have to wear a certain color.  He thought about it for a little bit and then said, "You can just email or text all the parents and tell them what to wear."  The fact that he doesn't give up and always has a solution for any obstacle is amazing to me.  He is going to keep us on our toes.  He really surprises me all the time.  I can never predict how he will react in any situation.  When I think he will be shy, he is very confident.

I really look forward to seeing how he grows and changes.  He is so unpredictable.  We are learning to deal with this crazy unbelievably smart little boy.  I get more and more grey hairs the older he gets.

I have a new goal.  I have started training for a half-ironman.  I have signed up for the Lawrence, KS Half-Ironman on June 8th.  I have 17 weeks to go.  I am going to try to post at least once a week about my progress, struggles and experiences.  For those of you who don't know a half-ironman is a 1.2 mile swim, 54 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run.  I feel like I am a little nuts attempting to do this, but I also couldnt' wait to set such a high goal.  This would be such an accomplishment if I am able to finish.  I really am just hoping that I can finish.  This is so scary, but I can't wait.  What I am most nervous about it getting in all the training and not really disrupting home life.  I am trying to exercise in the morning or when the kids are at school.  So far I am feeling great.  Other then all the exercise, I am concerned about nutrition.  I am mostly a pretty healthy eater, but I struggle with sugar and carbs. I love them both.  I need more veggies, fruits and whole grains.  Stay tuned for me Ironman journey.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Happy New Year!

Wow!  It is already 2014. Unbelievable how time just seems to be zooming by.  The beginning of 2014 has been interesting so far.  We got an amazing snow storm, which brought us at least 10 inches of snow and negative temperatures.  We have been stuck in this house for a good three days and I think we are all losing our mind.  The kids want to play outside, but with the temperature literally negative 8 and the windchill making it even colder the risk for frostbite is very high.  Fortunately today the high is supposed to be in the 20's, so we may be able to get out.

There hasn't been school for two days and Joseph has had a fever for the last two days.  I am on the verge of losing my mind!  Although Joseph is sick he still continues to tell everyone what to do, yell about everything and whine about everything.  He is a terrible sick kid.  Samuel is antagonizing him which makes it even worse.  They might kill each other, which at this point I am okay with.

Simone is also becoming a little Joseph.  She loves telling her brothers what to do.  It is actually kind of funny.  She yells at Samuel not to suck his thumb and she tells them to go to their rooms if they fight with each other.  She is talking non-stop from the time she wakes up.

Overall, even though I feel like I am losing my mind being stuck in the house with the kids it is nice to spend time with them.  I don't have to worry about going to work and dealing with bosses and deadlines.

My goal for 2014 is to be more positive.  I am going to try to write more, so this blog can be my bitchy outlet.  Hopefully if I write out all my irritations, frustrations and insecurities I will be more positive in my daily life.

I am off to play with the kids and try to get them to pretend like they are in school!