Elphie's Antics

The Elf on the Shelf is back again having fun at our house.  The kids are so excited and love hunting him down every day.  What kind of trouble will he get into this year?

Motivation

Cleaning Out Your Closets

January 1 - go into your closet and turn all your hangars backwards.  As you wear clothes, wash and put back into your closet, hang the hangars back outwards.  By July you'll know what clothes can be donated to Goodwill by looking at the hangars still hanging backwards.  I do this every year and it makes it much easier to identify what I just never wear.

Parenting Through the Eyes of Your Child

http://www.4kidsormore.com/2011/11/its-all-how-you-look-at-things/

My son (my 2nd child) is one of those kids who would sleep with all the lights on in his room if he could. Currently, he’s got a clock that lights up, a night light, and glow in the dark sheets. And every night, he still asks me to leave the bathroom light on as well. Last night, as he came out to turn it on and then left the door wide open so it pretty much felt like it was noon, I told him that I felt like I was going to get a sunburn because the lights were so darn bright. And he replied, “It might be bright to you, but it’s not to me!”

And that got me thinking. A lot.

I’m familiar with all the sayings that tell you to look at life “through the eyes of the child,” to try to experience it with their joy and blissful innocence, but I think it’s an important note for parents as well. When he asks me to turn the bathroom light on night in and night out, I think about how I was as a kid, how I was scared of the dark, saw monsters in my curtains, and how I too would always ask for the bathroom light on.

But that’s not all. I remember how upset I got when my mom yelled at me for no reason, probably because she (like me) was either tired, or hormonal, or lonely or all of the above. I remember the little things that my parents did, like the impromptu celebrations for absolutely nothing and the cool shoes I had wanted that I found under the Christmas tree one year.

And I try to keep that in my head when I parent. Just enough to not make me feel guilty, but a little prod. A hot poker sometimes, that reminds me of what’s really important when all is said and done. When they grow older, like me, and have kids of their own. What exactly will they remember?

When I think about it that way, the light on (energy saving one, mind you) in the bathroom doesn’t matter. Either does that bill that can be paid after they’re asleep and not when they’re begging me to play with them.

Sometimes it’s the difference between barking at them to clean up the styrofoam peanuts that my sister-in-law insists on packing everything in or letting them romp in them as they screech for joy.

What bogs me down as an adult and parent doesn’t necessarily need to be their burden. And when drop down to my knees and look into their eyes, I’m transported back to when I was their age. And I think that makes me a better, more empathic parent.

- from the blog 4 Kids or More

Workout Recap 11/21-11/27

Monday -  6.2 miles, 58:31, 9:26/avg
Tuesday - Hill workout at the gym 4.5 miles, 50 min.  Was thundering and lightning in the AM so we ditched the run.  I went to the gym instead and set the treadmill for what I thought would be a challenging workout.  In the end I was struggling to finish without using the handles or slowing to a walk.  Killer workout!
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Turkey Trot!  5M, 37:30, 7:29/mile average
Friday - Sea World, did at least 3 miles of walking
Saturday - Elliptical 45 minutes, abs/arms 10 min
Sunday - 16 miles, 2:32:20, 9:31/avg

3 Years Ago

This was taken 11/21/2008.  Jack and Maddy were 12 weeks old, Gwen was 2 years, 5 months old.  What happened to my BABIES?!? 

Birthday love

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. This is an age that I truthfully forget how old I am sometimes. I find it unimportant. Except for age groups on race results, then it's very important.

We spent the day at Sea World and it was a lot of fun. The park was decked out for the holidays with lights, trees, and constant Christmas music, which I LOVE! It was not nearly as crowded as when we went in July. The kids did great, but we could tell they were worn out by the evening. We finished the day off with Five Guys Burgers and headed home.

Thanks for all the birthday love on Facebook! Thanks to my family for being super awesome!