Things you might find in your tennis shoe

• a plastic chicken wing
• a large clear ball with a shark floating in it.
• a leapster cartridge
• a green bracelet
• a sheep magnet
• the lid to your son's tooth tin

And then, when you get to work, and are in the locker room putting on your tennis shoe and you feel something in the toe, you pull out a pink fluffy bootie.

Rene' totally made my day today.

Not your everyday conversation

Its 8:30 - mom's in the bath tub, Paige is taking care of her business in the bathroom too.

Paige: Mom, who makes panties?
Me: Huh?
Paige: who makes panties?
Me: people who work at the panty factory
Paige: But how do they do it?
Me: they take some fabric, cut it out, and sew it.
Paige: That is so cool

silence

Paige: Can I go there someday and watch them make them?
Me: Um...sure. Someday.

Hope she doesn't hold me to that one.

The fun of being 7

I may be biased, but it doesn't get any cuter than that.

The front 2 teeth out look is a classic

Now its too bad the tooth fairy forgot to come last night......Whoopsie

The push

This is really a post for my running blog. But I'm going to be a rebel and post it here. I'm back in the running groove after completing my first ever half marathon and then taking a little time off to nurse my "runners knee". If you care to relive my entire experience from training to marathon, you can click here. I wish I could make everyone who says to me "I could never run" understand that I was that girl, just over a year ago. I seriously was. Then in 11 months I was running a half marathon. And I was that girl who never finished anything either. Especially if it didn't come easy. And running did not come easy.

I've settled back into my usual 3 miles, 3 times a week. I'm doing a 7 mile leg for the Memorial Marathon in a couple of weeks and I hate to say it, but my training has been sub par. My neighbor/running partner Jen runs with me a couple of mornings a week, if we make it. Yesterday, I got a text from her at 448am that it was too windy and we should skip. I happily obliged and plopped myself back into bed, running clothes and all. So that meant at work, I was going to need to squeeze in a run at lunch. Which is actually, a great break for me in the middle of the day. So as "fighter" by Cristina Agulerra played, I thought to myself how I hadn't challenged myself enough lately. So I had this crazy idea to run my 3 miles faster than I normally do. Just to see what happened. See here's my little secret - you can run forever, as long as you don't run fast. When you kick up the speed, that's when you lose me. So, with deep breaths, I cranked that treadmill up to 6.5. I checked the pace, just to see how fast a mile that would be for me. 9.15. I run a 10-11 min mile. And I'm really happy there. So I told myself to zone out to the music, and I covered the timer with a towel. It was really hot in the gym, and I was sweating buckets, but man, did I feel good. I made the whole 3 miles at a 915 pace. That may not be fast for some, but that's the beauty of running! You can run against yourself and its really the only thing that matters. So I beat myself yesterday.

All of this to say, if you don't challenge yourself, your really missing out. Whether that's in sports, a hobby, work, or life in general. How do you know if your better, if you don't push yourself to find out?

Dinner

Dinner begins. Kids are sitting at the table, I'm in the kitchen getting drinks. Andy's still cooking

Paige: poopy butt
Me: Paige - to your room
Zak: ohhh I don't think I'm going to like this. (We are having cheeseburgers.)
Me (at the table now): Rene' how do we eat our food?
Rene': with our spoon
Me: ok, so why are you eating your applesauce with your fingers????
Zak: how much do I have to eat?
Me: I only gave you a half of a mini burger
Zak: I know so how much?
Me: Half of the half. That's a quarter (trying to sneak in a quick math lesson)
Zak (whiny): ohhhhhhh

Paige yelling at the top of her lungs: Can i get up yet????
Me to Paige's room - Paige - when we're at the table, you don't use potty words. Want to try again?
Paige: yes

Back at the table
Zak pulling up his shirt and squeezing the skin around his belly button making it talk and laughing, which in turn makes his sisters laugh hysterically
Me (rolling my eyes): Zak, don't do that at the table.
Me: I don't think any one's getting candy because everyone has such bad manners tonight.
Paige: not me
Me: yes, you just got sent to your room for saying poopy butt
Rene' : poopy butt
Me: Rene', to your room (she must have felt left out)
Me: Andy - are you about done cooking????
Zak: Mom, I can not eat the rest of this
Me: Zak, its meat, cheese and bread - yes you can
Zak: its gonna make me yak
Me: yak away.

I'm going to spare you the rest. That was just the first 5 minutes.