happily random

Ear Piercing?

"Mom, can I get my ear pierced?"

That's a question every parent hears one time or another... from her daughters. I was getting it from my 10-year-old and 8-year-old sons.

"Let's think on that for a bit and make sure this is something you really want to do, okay?" Honestly, I was completely caught off guard by the request and needed some time to regroup. Neither one of my sons are the type you would think of wanting an earring. I don't know why I found the request so shocking as I had my nose pierced five years ago. My sons each wanting an ear pierced was rather tame by comparison.

The requests kept coming in throughout the summer. They would not be detered despite my stalling and were still just as sure of their decision to get it done as they were when they first requested it three months ago. So shortly after school started, we took them to get it done. They each got one ear pierced.

When it came down to it, my sons having an ear pierced was not that big a deal. It's not like they ask for a tattoo (not till they are out on their own) or gauges in their ears (ick!). They both think it's cool and have handled the inevidible teasing from some boys at school with an amazing amount of confidence, which is always a good lesson to learn. I'm actually very proud of how they handled the situation all around.

Not only that, but my son's are now the coolest boys at their elementary school.

Book Review: Daring Greatly

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” —Theodore Roosevelt

When I read this quote from Teddy Roosevelt, I feel like there is nothing I can't do, no obstacle I can't conquer with hard work and perseverance; I feel a longing to run out the door and find my destiny. But then it hits me, that this quote doesn't say that I should "dare to do great things" but instead to "dare greatly": to take a risk, to put it all on the line, to be in the position to fall flat on my face.... in essence, to be vulnerable. Whoa there... be vulnerable? Exactly. And that is what the book Daring Greatly by Brene Brown is all about: it's about embracing our vulnerability to have a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

This concept tends to go against the world's I-Can-Do-It-All, Never-Admit-Defeat, Vulnerability-is-a-Weakness, self-sufficient mentality. We often associate thoughts of vulnerabilty with fear and shame, but until we put ourselves out there, that yearning for love and joy cannot be fulfilled.

As a Christ-follower, this all comes very close to what we strive for in our Christian walk with a realization that only when we surrender our will over to God can we truly experience life, although Daring Greatly doesn't quite go that far. Despite that, I found it an inspirational book definitely worth the time it took to read, with many practical, real-world thoughts and tips to help focus my mind on the haves of my life instead of the have-nots. "Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk."

Check out the book and get involved in the discussion at Blogher.com.

* In the interest of full disclosure, this was part of a compensated campaign as part of the BlogHer Book Club.  That said, all opinions stated here are my own.

Running: It Really is Mind Over Matter

I have always thought that running was something you did only when a zombie or axe murderer was chasing you. Even then, getting caught might be better than the actual running, at least in my mind. The only time in my life that I had ever done any running other than in sports was in high school when they made me run for a grade.

So four months ago when I announced to my husband that I was going to start running, I don't think he really took me seriously. As a part of my road to better health I decided that I needed to exercise and I really didn't want to join a gym... again. I decided that running was something that I could do virtually anywhere and it was pretty cheap, but mostly I just wanted to see if I could do it. Actually run. For exercise. And maybe even like it.

Being the tech-junkie that I am, I figured my iPhone had "an app for that" and I was not disappointed. I used an app called 5K Runner by Heavy Duty apps, which basically is designed to take an out-of-shape lazy gal and train her to run 5k over the course of 8 weeks. I was a little skeptical, but there is a free version to give it a try, so I did. The full version is $2.99, which I did end up buying. *Note: there is also a 10K Runner app for $3.99 and if you think you might want to do 10K, it's worth paying the extra buck getting that one instead, as it's exactly the same except it goes to 10K instead of 5K. Luckily the app starts out with just 1 minute runs followed by a 1.5 minute walk, because that was a lot in the beginning. I remember every time the run times would increase, I thought I would never make it, but with a little willpower, I did it. It's a blessing that this app will run simultaneously with the music player on my iPhone (as well as with a GPS distance-tracker app... but I'll get into that on a later post). Good tunes really helped!

About 2 weeks in, I got posterior shin splits and took a couple weeks off to heal -- ouch! A trip to Fleet Feet fixed me up; they watched me run and recommended shoes accordingly. With new stability running shoes I was back at it with no further problems. They were a little pricy, but I have since learned that good running shoes for your particular stride and feet are key! I kept doing my three runs a week like clockwork, excited to see my endurance increasing each week. Although I don't know if you could say that I enjoyed the running, I was proud of my myself for doing it and felt great when I was done. I actually started looking forward to it!

Never thought I would actually be able to do it, but I completed my first 5K run a week before moving from Coeur d'Alene. With that under my belt, I got a start on the 10K Runner app but since moving to Colorado I've had to take it a little easier as my body adjusts to the altitude! Despite that, I'm still running three days a week albeit with a few more breaks to catch my breath. I'm most definitely in better shape now than I have been since college. Once I'm a bit more acclimated, I would like to run an actual 5K race.

Let this be an inspiration to all my lazy friends out there, because I am the queen of them all. If I can do it, I know you can too! I never thought I would ever, ever say these words, but I actually like to run now. It just takes making your body do what your brain tells it to.

The Unexpected

It's been awhile since I have put fingers to keyboard with the purpose of writing in my blog. This was not because I didn't have anything to say; on the contrary, I have felt like I have had too much to say, so much churning in my brain. Over the past two months, my life took an unexpected turn and while processing these things, I felt like I couldn't write about them, at least not with any coherency.

Today I write from our new home in Lafayette, Colorado, over a thousand miles away from where I want to be. I miss my home in Coeur d'Alene: my friends, my church, my life. Sometimes though, God leads you to make drastic changes, that while in the midst of them, you can't see how it's all going to work out. I know that this move was the right choice for our family, but it was one that I completely and utterly did not want to make (just ask my poor husband who had to guide me through my two-year-old tantrums over these past months).

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

This verse has long been one of my favorites, and I hold to it now as I try to build a new home in a new place. I know that the only reason that leaving Coeur d'Alene was so hard was because God blessed me with a wealth of wonderful friends. I know that He didn't lead my family here just to abandon us; I trust Him.

To my very dear friends in Coeur d'Alene, I love you and miss you deeply. Please keep in touch as you are more family to me than friends.

To my friends I have yet to meet here in Colorado... I'm looking forward to getting to know you.

My Artist's Way Toolkit: A Review

I would most certainly call myself an artist. I get a lot of fulfillment out of creating, whether it’s music, graphic design, scrapbooking, decorating my house… you name it. But what a gal to do when the inspiration isn’t there?

I was recently given a trial membership to The Artist’s Way Toolkit, a website inspired by the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It's an online journal of sorts where each week you are tasked with activities to keep the creative juices flowing including a date with yourself to a location where you might find inspiration. I liked that each activity and journaling topic was geared to give you a pool of ideas to pull from in the future whenever you are in need of them.

I know that I am terrible at remembering to keep up with any kind of daily routine whatsoever (just look at my track record on keeping up with my blog on a regular basis if you need proof of that!), but I do like the idea of storing up ideas for the future when inspiration juices are flowing. I just don’t know that I personally would pay $4.99 for the privilege of storing my ideas there, mostly because I am so hit-or-miss on my daily commitments. But the overall idea is inspiring in itself.

Check it out for yourself and join the discussion at BlogHer Book Club!

***I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

My Philosophy on Chore Charts

I have 4 kids. They make lots of messes. I think the amount of messes grow exponentially with the number of children you have. That said, I am always looking for ways to simplify the clean-up process. I am even wooed from time to time by the adorable chore charts on Pinterest that inspire me to create in the name of cleanliness, organization and sanity. I keep thinking that a chart of some kind or allowance as a reward for chores completed will make for a smooth and seamless system for my children to pick up after themselves with no complaints and whining.

Wrong!

With 36 years of cumulative parenting under my apron (4 kids: 12, 10, 8 & 6... you do the math), I have learned one important lesson: there is no easy way to get your kids to do chores. Unless you have Stepford children -- which I do apparently do not -- kids do not like doing chores. Kids like to play. You can try to make a game out of it, and that may work for awhile, but sooner or later they're going to realize that they are unloading the dishwasher and not playing the XBox and they're going to whine about it.

So, what a mom to do to keep her sanity? Be the mom! You tell them to clean up, then plug your earphones in your iPhone with some righteous tunes (so you can't hear the whining and the 'I-don't-want-to's) and leave them too it. I don't pay my kids for doing chores because 9.99 times out of 10, they're cleaning up a mess that they made. And if they didn't make it, too bad because that's what family does. We all live in this house and are a part of this family, and with that comes certain responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is keep our house picked up. All those times we have tried chore charts and allowances, it just ended up making the process more complicated instead of simpler.

Yeh, I'm a mean mom I guess. I tell my kids what to do and they better well do it. We do lots of fun stuff with them too, one of the benefits of living in this house and being a part of this family. But life is full of things we don't want to do but have to do anyway. Better they learn it from me.

Weight Loss Journey: Week 2

Week Two for me on the South Beach Diet was not nearly as dramatic as Week One. The last several days my weight stayed firmly at the same place, despite my very strict adherence to the plan. I must admit that this last week got rather monotonous as far as eating was concerned and I actually found myself making myself eat just because I knew that I needed to instead of having any desire to do so. I'm hoping that this bit of a stall was due to my body and metabolism getting used to what and how I was eating than anything else. I guess we shall see as today I started Phase 2: reintroducing fruits and whole grains. I also plan to take a one free day this next week, allowing me to have a few things that I gave up. With the weather taking a turn for the better, I'd also like to get out to get a little exercise. One thing I have noticed is that just as the diet predicted, my cravings for sugar have lessened over the last two weeks, although my unfortunately my satisfaction with artificial sweeteners has not improved. What can I say, but if I'm going to eat something sweet, I want the real deal. Looking forward to seeing what this week holds.... and eating some bread again!!

Weight Lost This Week: 1.2 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 6.6 lbs
Total Waist Inches Lost: 3"