It's been a while...

I've been seriously neglecting this old blog of mine, and it's really been bothering me lately. But the thing is, when I think of something that I want to say I usually just spout it off in a long-winded facebook post instead of taking the time to sit down and actually write about it.

I'm hoping to change that. But like anything else, I have to make time for it to happen.

I asked for suggestions as to write about the other night, and my running seemed to be a pretty common theme - which is interesting considering that the last time I blogged anything, it was about running.

I generally don't think of my running as anything special. It's something that I started doing maybe 7 years ago, and mainly because I had people tell me that I was too fat and lazy to ever do it (no, those people are not in my life anymore). I didn't really take it seriously until about the last 2-3 years or so - and now it's something that is more important to me than I ever realized it could be.

Back in 2011, when I was just starting to get into running, I did my first half-marathon. I walked most of it, but I did it. And later that summer, I looked something like this.....

This picture actually just surfaced. The kids and I had gone on TMOART:11 (back before The Dude existed) and one of them snapped this picture of me coming down the steps from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. They were using disposable cameras, and we just got them developed the other day - so seeing this picture was a shock.

Even though I've seen numerous pictures of me in a less than stellar light, my size still shocks me at times. I never really thought that I had gained that much weight, but I had.

I don't talk about my depression much (if ever) but if I'm being totally honest, my weight gain was a direct result of it. The stress of two failed marriages, being a single mother of 5 kids, and not having any clue how I was going to pay my bills got to me. I didn't do anything to stay active, and as anyone who has ever been poor knows - crappy food is way cheaper than healthy stuff. So I ate the cheap crap and tried to feed my kids the better stuff.

Eventually, the funk started to lift. I started walking more. And then I started running a little bit. I'd walk a block, then run a block, walk a block, run a block. And then I'd walk a block and run two blocks, then three, then four. Soon, I was running more than I was walking, but I still wasn't picking up speed. But eventually, I got to the point that I started getting faster.

And then I started really enjoying the races. The adrenaline rush is like no other. And the running community is fantastic - it doesn't matter if you're the first runner or the last walker to cross the line - someone will be there waiting for you and cheering for you as you cross the finish.

One of my favorite things about running is that it doesn't have to cost a fortune. When I started, I wore my normal shorts and tshirts and cheap running shoes. I used a free app on my phone to track my distance (RunKeeper - and I still use it to this day) and I didn't even have anything to play music. I just ran.

As time went on and I started getting more into it, I did buy some specific clothes - mostly tights and compression shorts because face it  - unless you have a thigh gap, chafing is real. And it hurts. And it makes you walk funny for days until it heals. (FYI - diaper rash ointment helps. You're welcome.)

Good shoes were my next major purchase - but it still took me a while to work up the guts to pay more than $50 for a pair of sneakers. So far my favorite pair is my current pair - the Brooks Ghosts that I bought after running the Nebraska State Fair Half Marathon last fall. But I know that I'm going to need to replace them soon, and the cost of a new pair scares me. Because I'm cheap.

I did splurge this year and I bought a membership to the Y. I didn't really want to spend the money, but with the crazy Kansas weather, I need a way to train indoors. The kids can go with me and they can swim or shoot hoops or play ping pong or do whatever they want to do to keep themselves amused while I pound out some miles on the treadmill or the elliptical or whatever other torture device I decide to use that day. Emily and I have a goal right now to run every day - even if it's just a mile - and so far we've been able to stick to it (and I have this nifty calendar on my bedroom wall to track my progress toward that goal).

As of right now, I think I'm only signed up for 3 races this year - both of the Prairie Fire Half Marathons in Wichita (one in April and one in October) because those are my traditional races that I will always always do until I can't do them anymore, and the Stupid Cupid 2 mile run in Wichita that is in just a few weeks. I haven't signed up for any more yet because, let's face it - the races get expensive. There are several more that I plan to do, but they haven't opened up registration yet so I have to wait and see what happens financially between now and then.

I'm trying to work up the guts to do a full marathon, but I'm just not there yet.....

For the last couple of months of 2016, I all but gave up on running. I slipped into a downward spiral, and I struggled a lot more than I'd like to admit. I didn't do much of anything unless I had to do it for survival and I gained a bunch of weight back. It took a lot of soul-searching and willpower and sheer stubbornness to get me back out there again to do a run on New Year's Eve, but I did it. I think Emily and I did a mile. And then we set our goal to run daily. There have been days when she's had to almost literally drag me out of bed to go, but we've gone. And if she's over at her father's house she runs over there and I run here and we compare notes. Now there is a challenge going on here in our town and I'm participating in that - and so my competitive side is coming out and I'm starting to really enjoy it again. And thankfully the scale is starting to show it too.

I think that the thing that amazes me the most is that at several points in my life, I had people telling me that I was too fat and lazy to ever run - and now people tell me that I have inspired them to run.

It's really kind of surreal.

A push

I got pushed today. Not really pushed, but more like shoved. And smacked around a bit.

It actually started about a week ago. I'm in a whole bunch of groups on facebook, but one of them is a small group of local ladies who all run. I met several of them when I did the half-marathon in October, and they are awesome. But since that race, I haven't done anything to get in shape, or to even maintain the bleh shape that I was in when I did that race. Nothing. I haven't even gone for a walk.

So....like I said, a week-ish ago, this post caught my eye.....

Two miles a day for 2 weeks, I thought. I might be able to do that. So I agreed.

Of course, when I agreed, the weather was decent. Today, on the first day of the challenge? Yeah. Not so much.

I thought about waiting until later in the day (notice the time on that shot is 7:35am), but I had so much going on that I knew that if I didn't do it as soon as I dropped the kids off at school, I wasn't going to do it. And if I missed the first day, then I wouldn't do the challenge at all - because that's the way that my mind works. And I also knew that I had an appointment at 9am so if I was going to do it, I had to do it right then and there. I threw on an extra layer of clothes, cursed the girls in that group as I felt them virtually shove me out the door, and took off.

It. was. cold.

OMG it was cold. There was just enough wind that it was absolutely miserable as I started walking into it, and I came *thisclose* to turning around and going straight back to the house. But, it was a challenge. And I knew that if I got going, once I got to a certain point on my predetermined route, I could turn and have the wind at my back.

And then my mind started to wander in typical brain dump fashion. I'm not going to bore you with the total stream of consciousness train of thought that went in a bajillion different directions at a speed that blew my mind, but it was intense.

Ultimately, I thought about how parents tend to always put their kids first. I mean, really, who wouldn't? We have these little humans that depend on us for everything (more or less) and so we have to make sure that they're taken care of because that's our job, right? And we run ourselves ragged taking care of them and doing the things that parents do because it's what we're supposed to do and it's what we're expected to do - and we put ourselves last, sometimes to our own detriment.

I am so guilty of this, as most people know. I don't do squat for myself except maybe sit on my butt on the couch with a glass of wine once in a while (speaking of which...... I'm thirsty). And while taking care of the kids is all well and good (and ultimately, necessary) I realized....

I have to start taking better care of myself.

It seriously hit me like a smack upside the head. It's something that I've always known in the back of my mind, but I've ignored it because it seems like anytime parents (and yes, especially a mom) put themselves first, they are ripped to shreds by society. They are called selfish, self-centered, irresponsible, or bad parents.

I have been called all sorts of horrible names in the past because I am grateful when the kids go back to school after a long weekend or summer break. It's not that I want to get rid of my kids, but it's because I know that I can use that time away from them to work on things that *I* need to do to make me a better parent. Sometimes, it's mundane tasks like folding laundry and scrubbing toilets because I know that if I get those done while the kids are gone, I can spend more quality time with them when they return. And sometimes it's things like going for a run or taking a nap, because I need some time to do something that is completely and totally for me and for me only.

But even those things that I do for me and for me only end up benefiting the kids because guess what? When I get to do them, I'm in a better mood.

Better mood = better mom.

And seriously, who can argue with that train of thought when a view like this is staring you in the face while it's happening?

I came back from that run this morning feeling like it was ok to want to get back into running again. Like it's ok to finally commit to doing something for myself. Like maybe, just maybe, I can actually succeed at this 2-week challenge, and then continue on from there.

It's amazing how much my perspective can change in one 33 minute chunk of time.

And maybe, just maybe, in 2 weeks I can shave more than a few minutes off of that pathetic time. Assuming that I don't freeze a few limbs off in the process.

Why do I push?

I spent pretty much the entire day outside cutting firewood and cleaning up the corner of the yard and the firepit area. The general firewood area has needed to be cleaned up for a while, but the firepit area really needed it after I tore down the fence the other day - since I just chucked all of the old fence over the remaining fence into that area rather than dragging it all the way around and into the gate.

I got to work early this morning and started knocking stuff out fairly quickly. But as time went on, I started to get tired. After tearing part of the fence down two days ago, and tearing the old gate down yesterday, my body was just tired.

I stopped occasionally to catch my breath and move into the shade, and I'd occasionally check the notifications on my phone. There were a couple of notifications on the pictures that I had posted of the work that I've done, and there were some comments that were complimenting me on what I've accomplished.

In typical brain dump fashion, my thoughts started to go in a few different directions. I started thinking about different reactions that I've gotten to various accomplishments that I've posted about in the past. Everything from variations of "good job" to "you've inspired me because...." Those thoughts made me start thinking about why I post these kind of things.

It's not for attention. It's not for the virtual pats on the back. It's not to brag or to show off or to gloat or anything like that. Honestly, it's not for me at all.

Every now and then, I get a message from someone who says "I've felt so hopeless because of my situation, but then I see what you can accomplish and I know that you've been in my shoes and so if you can do it, so can I".

That is why I do it. That is why I post the things that I do.

For the person who has hit rock bottom and doesn't know it it's possible to get back up again.

For the person who is so broke that pennies found on the ground are hoarded like gold coins.

For the person who has gotten smacked around by an alcoholic partner one too many times.

For the person who battles depression and struggles to get out of bed and function.

For the person whose kids have said "I don't like you right now, so I'm moving out for a while."

For the person who is struggling in any way.

If by some chance, someone is inspired by the things that I do and post, then that is all that I need. That makes all of this work - and blogging about it - worth it. And it gives me a reason to get the work done - the inspiration that people get from looking at my work inspires me to do even more.

Pay it forward, one positive thought at a time.

If I can do it, anyone can.

Battle

So I've been having issues with my dryer. When it works, it works great. But it's gotten to the point that it just randomly stops working. It'll be in the middle of the cycle and just quit.

In its defense, it's getting old. Ex1 and I bought it toward the beginning of our marriage, so I would say that it's probably about 12 years old. And let's face it - with the amount of laundry that I do on a daily basis, it's probably more like 175 in NSM years.

Anyway, I tore it apart today. I took the back off of it and found that the power cord was actually a little loose, and for some reason the ground wire was not attached to the body of the dryer like it was supposed to be. I have no idea how that happened. But it did. So I removed all of the wires, cleaned all of the lint out from the contacts, and put them all back together again - tightly this time.

And then I took the top of it off and cleaned as much of the lint out of the body of the dryer as I could. I don't know if that helped or not, but it certainly didn't hurt it.

I played around with the door switch a bit, and that seems to still be working fine from what I can tell - but at least if that needs to be replaced it looks like it'll be simple to do.

Anyway, I put it back together and I turned it on. And it worked. I ran a load of laundry through it, and it ran through the whole cycle and I didn't have any problems with it - although I'm quite sure that Daniel got tired of me asking him to go stand at the laundry room door and tell me if he could still hear it running or not.

Then I did another load of laundry and tossed it into the dryer. Cautiously confident, I turned it on and walked away. I went back in about 20 minutes later - and it had shut off again.

Colorful language was used. A kick was thrown. And I turned it back on again in the hopes that it will actually continue to run long enough to get that one load dried tonight.

In the meantime, I took the next load out of the washer and put it on the foolproof dryer.

I have one more theory about what might be wrong with it, and I'll deal with that tomorrow. And if I can't get it fixed, I will give up the fight. But I won't be happy about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ On a positive note though:


Goal for the week: 15 miles. On foot. Walking with maybe a little bit of jogging, depending on how my toe feels once I get back out there again. I need to start focusing on getting ready for the next half-marathon and that is NOT going to happen if I don't get up and get off of my butt.

And now that I have the confirmation and I know that I'm officially registered, I have no choice but to get moving. I should print that out about a dozen times and hang it all over the house - especially on the refrigerator door.

Yikes.

It's a puzzle

This is what my brain feels like tonight.

I'm not sure what's going on with it. Maybe it's the fact that Christmas is over. Maybe it's the impending New Year. Maybe it's the full moon. Maybe it's a combination of a whole bunch of different things that are jumbled up in there.

All I know is that right now, my mind is going in eleventy bajillion different directions, and I can't seem to get it to slow down. I have so many things that I want to do in so many areas of my life, and I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed right now because all of those ideas are running around in a great big unorganized mess in my head.

Yes, I know I go through this every now and then. I think everyone does, whether they want to admit it or not.

It used to be that when I would get into these moods, I would either ignore them and drive myself nuttier than I already am, or I would just jump right into whatever crazy plan was rolling around in my head at that moment. Or worse yet, I would start all 87 plans that were in my head at the same time, and never finish any of them.

I'm going to do something different this time. I'm just going to let my brain go. I'm going to see what kind of crazy ideas develop. And I'm going to keep a notebook and a pen beside me and I'm going to write things down. And I'm going to figure out what it is that has me so restless right now. Maybe, just maybe, if I write everything down as it comes to me, I'll be able to get my thoughts organized. I'll be able to figure out what it is that I want to do vs. what I need to do. I can prioritize. And maybe I can actually feel like I can accomplish something instead of starting it and never getting it done.

I feel like so much is finally starting to fall into place in my life - I am so lucky and so blessed (that is a word that I don't toss around lightly, either) - maybe this is really the time for me to start focusing on some of the things that I want to do with my life. Maybe this is the time to start looking into how to turn my craft hobby into a legitimate business (one of the biggest things bouncing around in my head right now). Maybe this is the time to start looking for a part-time job to help supplement our income. Maybe this is the time to really start looking for a bigger house for us to move into in the next few months.

I'm not usually the type of person to do "resolutions" every year, but I'm starting to think that maybe this could be our year. I can finally say that I'm looking forward to the future instead of dreading it.

I'm ready to get the new year started.

The Notebook

No, I'm not talking about the movie. Although, it is one of my favorites.

I'm talking about an actual notebook, an old one with a broken spiral and a stained cover that is sitting in front of me right now. It's one that's been around the house for a few years but has never really served a specific purpose. Honestly, I'm surprised that the kids haven't made off with it and used all of the paper in it by now.

However, it now has a purpose. I've been sitting here for the last hour or so, carefully crunching numbers. Maybe it's the impending new year with all of its potential, maybe it's frustration with where I'm at financially at the moment, maybe it's just the weird mood that I've been in for the past few days coupled with a few realizations of what I want to do with my life in the next year or so....

Maybe it's a combination of all of that. But regardless of what "it" is, I'm formulating plans. On paper, even. I'm figuring and re-figuring my budget. I'm figuring out a way to actually get some money into savings - starting this month - so that I can make some changes happen when I want them to happen without being totally stressed about money all of the time.

Living on a fixed income is not easy. It is nice to know exactly how much money is coming in and when, and it's easy to live day-to-day on that. But when emergencies like a busted transmission or an abscessed tooth happen, it's hard to come up with the extra to take care of those things. Now that I've been able to pay off some bills, it will be a little easier to build in a cushion each month to make those unexpected expenses easier to handle. And having that little extra cushion will also help us to be able to make some other things happen - including combining two households into one within the next 6 months or so.

Willpower has never been one of my strengths. In fact, I've always been horrible about it. Hopefully,  putting it all on paper (not to mention putting it "out there" for everyone to see) will give me the motivation to be able to stick with it and actually make progress.

Conferences and accomplishments

So my day started out with a small to-do list.

We all know that I'm the queen of making lists when I need to get motivated, and today was no exception. I've been slacking around the house, so I busted out the list early this morning.

I knew that realistically, I wouldn't get it all done.

But at the end of the day, I can't really complain about how much I *did* get done.

And if you look really closely, you'll see a couple of things that got added to the list - and subsequently crossed off - throughout the day.













I got to spend some quality time outside by myself today, with the lawnmower - which in my opinion is always a good thing. I love to mow the grass. I got it done for what should be the final time this year. It was just an absolutely gorgeous day out, and I enjoyed it for every second that I was out there.

My yard

...and Nice Neighbor's - both done.

Probably the best part of the day was going to the older 3 kids' parent/teacher conferences. They are all doing so well in school and their teachers had nothing but fabulous things to say about them. Out of the 3 report cards, there was one "B" - and the rest of the grades? Every single last one of them was an "A".

Sarah was at basketball practice while we went to the conferences.

It was crazy sock day for Emily.

....and pajama day for Jared.

One of Emily's projects

...and one of Jared's.

And really.....who can complain about a day that ends up with angels like this?

And finally.....as requested.....a picture of me wearing make-up. I tried to make myself look human before the conferences, but I suck at taking self-portraits, so this is the best that I could do. Blah.

Weekend shots

It's been kind of a weird weekend. Not bad. Just...off for some reason.

Maybe it's because Alex's father actually took him for the weekend, and so he was gone for 49 1/2 hours (a new record). It might have been because I just didn't really feel good all weekend. Maybe it was the weather. It could have something to do with The Dude working a lot of hours this weekend (and not feeling well himself) and so he hasn't been around and I miss him (sappy, huh?). Maybe it was just a combination of all of that plus more.

Anyway...here are some shots from our weekend. It was another one of those weekends where I was busy the whole time, but didn't get much done.

Started out with Emily's volleyball games Saturday morning...

Emily serving while Sarah acted as line judge

Love this old gym. The bleachers? Not so much...
We did a bunch of running around after the game, including a quick run to the library while we were out and about.

I can not believe that I allowed her out of the house like that. And yes, those are pajama pants.
Remember the apple tree that I found a couple of weeks ago? We finally got back up there to pick the apples.

Picking apples

There's a reason why I bring my kids along on these adventures - and it's not just for the family bonding time. They're better climbers than I am.

Just a little dew-covered patch of wildflowers

Not as much as I had hoped for, but still enough for a few batches of apple butter in the coming week or so.
Now, about a month ago or so, I went on another garbage bag rampage with the kids' toys. They refused to pick stuff up and put it away, so I picked it up for them - and all of the toys went into a big garbage bag and the bag went outside beside the trash can. Now I admit that I did rip it back open again at one point, because there was actually a shoe in there that was needed - but other than that the bag was not disturbed.

And then it rained. And I forgot that the bag had been torn open. Grrrr.

I finally relented and brought the bag inside yesterday - I figured that with the issues that I've been having with Weird Neighbor, I didn't want him to "help" me by throwing the bag into the trash can for me. A lot of the toys did go into the trash (oh darn). Some of the plastic stuff went into the dishwasher and some of it went into the sink. And on one of the toys, we found a new friend....

Somehow the other day, Alex managed to rip this shelf out of the wall. Apparently, he accidentally reached up to it with the broom handle, accidentally hooked the broom handle around the end of the shelf, and then accidentally pulled it out of the wall.

I just love how those accidents happen. He's lucky there were just bins of hats and gloves up there, and not something really heavy.

But I finally got around to fixing that today.

The rest of the time has been spent cleaning and doing laundry and cooking and doing dishes and all of that fun stuff.

I still just feel....... bleh. But I have determined that no matter what happens in the morning, I am going to force myself to go out and walk/jog after I get the kids off to school. I'm not sure how far I'll go, but after the incredible workout the other night, I need to do something to keep myself going.

Now, I just have to stick with it.

Blah.

That's how I feel today. Just...blah.

The day never starts out great when I step on this piece of crap and it laughs at me. OK, maybe not literally, but still...with all of the changes that I've made lately, it's frustrating to see a gain - and to realize that overall, in 4 weeks, I've only lost 0.4 pounds.

Along with that, I'm still tired from all of the driving yesterday and just haven't been motivated to do much of anything. I have a ton of laundry that I should have done - I started it - but now I have a ton and a half to do tomorrow. I did eventually load and run the dishwasher, and even unloaded it and started reloading it (losing battle, much like laundry) but the kitchen is still a mess. But other than doing that, I just haven't done squat today. My usual motivational tricks didn't even work.

So I've decided that instead of sitting here stressing about it, I'm just going to chalk it up to a bad day and make sure that tomorrow is better. I'm going to walk Alex to school in the morning, then I have to take Daniel to the doctor for his kindergarten physical, then take Daniel to school, go hang out with The Dude and his mother, and then I have a Policy Council meeting in the evening. In between all of that, I'll get the laundry and the dishes done, return the overdue stuff to the library, clean out the van (oh, I did get all of the trash out of it today), hopefully get some groceries, and get some other things done. We'll just see how well that actually works out.

Motivation - Part II

Ever since I did the post the other day about motivation, I've had more ideas running through my head. I've gotten quite a bit of feedback on that post, and it's made me think about some other things.

Take my running walking/jogging for example. How did I go from barely being able to do anything to completing races within a few years?

To put it simply - there are 4 steps, or thought processes, or whatever you want to call them that I went through, without really realizing it at the time.

1. "I can't." For a very long time, I told myself that there was no way that I could do any sort of running. I hurt too much, I was too out of shape, I didn't have enough time. Other people told me that I was too fat and too lazy. "Can't" is a very strong word, and it has the power to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, if allowed.

2. "I should." As my self-esteem started to improve by tiny increments, I started to realize that I did indeed need to do something about my health. While I wasn't morbidly obese, I was very out of shape - due to a combination of factors including my depression. But honestly, just changing my thoughts from I "can't" to I "should" made a huge difference. While "can't" implies that something will not happen, "should" implies that it can happen.

3. "I will." This is where my stubbornness came into play. Once I set my mind to something and decide that I am going to do it, there isn't much that will stop me. It might not get done immediately, but it WILL get done.

4. "I have." I have done it. I have started walking/jogging, I have completed 3 official 5Ks and a half-marathon. I have gotten healthier, I have increased my stamina, and I have accomplished something that I never thought that I could do.

This doesn't apply just to exercise, or getting healthy, or anything like that. These thought processes can be applied to any situation.

Think about it. Think about something that you've been putting off doing for whatever reason.

I can't clean my house.
I should clean my house.
I will clean my house.
I have cleaned my house.

I can't lose this extra weight.
I should lose this extra weight.
I will lose this extra weight.
I have lost the extra weight.

I can't give up my addiction.
I should give up my addiction.
I will give up my addiction.
I have given up my addiction.

I can't get a job.
I should get a job.
I will get a job.
I have gotten a job.

I can't get out of this horrible living situation.
I should get out of this horrible living situation.
I will get out of this horrible living situation.
I have gotten out of this horrible living situation.

I am absolutely not saying that something this simple will work for everyone, and I know that it most certainly will not work for every situation. Honestly, I didn't realize that this was the thought process that I was going through with the running until very recently - it started to hit me when I was having a brain dump while running this past week. And then I realized how these 4 steps could apply to so many different situations, especially in my life.

There are things that I know I should give up - caffeine, nicotine, fast food...
There are things that I need to do in order to stay true to my "2 year plan" - save money, get some bills paid off...
There are things that I need to do in the house - get more organized, keep things cleaner...

And I think that it's time to start putting some plans down on paper. Time for me to stop saying "I can't" and work toward saying "I have".

Just a day

Started off with basketball - Sarah had a game about 30 miles from here, so I got all of the kids up and dressed and fed and loaded into the van to get up there on time. We had Sarah's friend with us (she had spent the night) and I think that helped Sarah to have the best game of the season so far. I have never seen her run so hard or take so many chances during a game before. If she got frustrated, she didn't show it. At one point, she got into a little skirmish and actually ended up airborne and landed on her back - normally that would be enough to cause her to have a meltdown and storm off of the court, but she jumped back up and kept playing. She got 2 baskets, and they ended up winning the game.

Daniel didn't feel good last night, but he seemed to be better this morning. He seemed to enjoy himself at the game, and even Alex was fairly well behaved for a change. He brought some books along and so he spent the first half of the game reading books to add to his reading log, and then actually managed to sit through most of the second half without running around acting like an idiot.

Of course, we also amused ourselves by taking silly pictures.

After the game, we had to rush back to town, drop off Sarah's friend, and then get home so that the older 3 could change their clothes and grab something to eat before their father picked them up to take them to our friend's funeral. So they were gone for several hours this afternoon and I just worked on cleaning and laundry (go figure) while Alex and Daniel played games and watched a few movies.

Daniel started feeling crappy again, so he's my sleeping partner for the night so that I can keep an eye on him. He likes to spike these random fevers without any kind of warning or even a complaint, so unless I'm right there with him, I don't always notice them right away. I'm not terribly concerned yet because I know that there are a few nasty viruses going around, but if he doesn't get better tomorrow I may look at getting him into the doctor.

Other than that, just lots of the same old stuff. I think we'll be skipping church tomorrow since Daniel isn't feeling well. So once I get the older 3 up and out of here with their father, we'll be relaxing for the day and hopefully spending some time with The Dude before getting back to the grind on Monday.

I've got another semi-serious post that's been bouncing around in my head for the past few days, but I haven't been able to focus long enough to get it written - but hopefully I'll be able to do that soon. If it comes out the way that I want it to (sometimes they don't) it'll be sort of a follow up to my post on motivation from the other day. We'll see how that works out....