Run, Run as fast as you can...

There are a few things in our lives that we've taken up since the last post. I've been sleeping, which is HUGE! And Rob, Kason and I have started running.

I'm not a big fan of running (think swim team) but Kason decided we should run a half marathon in January. So, we bought the shoes and started with just a mile and a half.

Our official training starts on Monday but this last week I've been running alone. Kason has been sick with strep and Rob has been a little occupied with work. Maybe I'll have partners again next week. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing this alone since my son commented the other day "Mom, maybe I overestimated how far a half marathon really is." Ya, the kid is bailing on me. Rob works long days and hence misses a lot of the training.

On the other hand, I could get used to this sleeping idea. I've tried to be really good at getting to bed just after 10. It's been kinda nice! Sleep, huh, who knew?! My kids have been really cute and helpful. They helped pick up my room so I could rest in a clean room. They were willing to be quiet Friday and Saturday nights so I could get to bed. There are days that it's a little rough to get to sleep but overall, a great improvement. The kids did cute little things. See the glasses on the M&M pot? My bracelet was the dog collar. Sweet kids and a very supportive husband!

I'm tired because...?

I asked Rob if he could recollect anything I had done these past few days that would have made my biceps sore. He gave me that "you've got to be kidding" look and sweetly reminded me of the load of wood we gathered yesterday. My response, "Oh, ya." When we get wood we've settled into a routine. He cuts the wood. I haul the wood, often reminding him to cut wife sized logs.
As I've finally relaxed and am headed to bed I realize it's once again 2 a.m. I've come to the conclusion that I keep weird hours. And until I manage to add a few more hours into the day I'll probably continue to go to bed at 2. It also occurred to me that I'm tired because my work day didn't end until way after midnight. (Those extra hours will help my workday end sooner.) I'll give you a peak into today's workday, it's been a long one.
Since my kids like to be woken up and won't use alarm clocks I'm up at 7:10 a.m. Yes, I realize that's not early but waking before 9 is a sin in my world. Hm, probably because I've only been asleep for 4 hours. The kids are on the bus by 7:45, dogs brought back into the house and I jump back in bed by 8:30. My next alarm clock is the bus rolling to a stop in front of the house bringing Colten home around 11:30. Total sleep time= 7 hours.
Today Rob, Colten and I made a quick trip into St. George for an ENORMOUS WalMart run. Once a month Rob and I replenish the food storage and try to add a little to it. It's convenient to do regular grocery shopping during the same trip. It takes me 45 minutes to make and revise the food storage/grocery list. We've also settled into a routine as we shop. I fill the cart, he gets me an empty one. Rob checks out with the full cart as I fill another one. We continue our pattern until everything on the list has been checked off. We managed three carts today! Poor Colten was a little cramped on the way home as he had to share half the back seat with groceries. The kids were home from school by the time we got back. Hooray for more help unloading groceries!
Now the chaos truly begins. By the time the car was unloaded it was almost 5 p.m. Dallon had football practice at 5:30. Kason had scouts at 5:30. Bethany wanted to play with her friend. AJ was dying to try out his new Xbox game. Kim was willing to ride her bike down to the park with Dal to practice. I think Colten was glad to be free. The dinner menu tonight consisted of frozen pizza due to the fact that I had other plans.
I turned on the oven so I could heat the bottles of applesauce and apple butter that had been previously made and stored in the fridge. There were 5 (1/2 gallon) bottles of homemade applesauce and 9 (pint) bottles of apple butter to heat and process. I also had a mound (small mountain) of tomatoes on my kitchen table that were in desperate need of attention. As the tomatoes are being prepared for a homemade steak sauce, the other bottles are being processed, I looked at the clock and shook my head. I WAS A TERRIBLE MOTHER!!! It was 6:30 and I had forgotten to take AJ to gymnastics. In my canning bliss I had completely forgotten to watch the time. I'm going to have to beg forgiveness from AJ and his gym teacher. I'm still having guilt.
Rob, being the sweet husband he his, told me I ought to start setting more alarms. Ya, thanks honey. :)
A few more bottles were being processed, the steak sauce was started and boiling down and kids were returning home. I returned home from picking Dal up from practice (7:20) and Rob had a truck load of wood to be unloaded. Many hands make light work and it was done in a flash. Since all of the bottles were now out of the oven I could start dinner. We threw in the first pizza and I took AJ, Kason, Colten, Beth and Kim for a run.
Kason, Rob and I are going to run a half-marathon with my mom and sisters in January. There is a 5K that my kids want to run. Because Kason, Rob and I have started to do a little running everyone else thinks they need to run too. I've been promising that we'd go on a mile jog so go we did. It ended up being a run/walk with a lot of stress on my part. There was only 1 fit, 3 stern moments and a few tears but we made it a whole mile. The 5K training has ended until January. My poor sanity can't handle it.
It's now 8 p.m. I'm making sure kids are showered. Rob is handling reading time. Pizzas are being rotated in and out of the oven as they're cooked. Homework is being finished and reading logs signed. By 9:00 the sauce is moved to a better pot, all bottles have been processed, backpacks are ready for tomorrow and we're settling the kids in the living room. Wait, things are still a mess. Quick cleaning time and we're back on track. 9:15 scripture reading. This sparks a good conversation but turns to talking about Grandpa Hod. Tears are shed on my part. All kids were sent to brush their teeth and get in bed. We only had one argument tonight so it was relatively smooth. By the time it's quiet it's 10 p.m.
I need a coke. Rob and I go into town to acquire my sanity beverage, a nice large Diet Coke. When we return home we measure out the last ingredients for the sauce and pick up the kitchen. Rob is getting ready to head to bed so we get in some much needed snuggle time. It's 11:30 and the sauce probably has about a half hour left. I didn't want to leave it on the stove all night so I tidied up and adjusted the seasonings. Around midnight it was looking and tasting pretty good. I got it into jars, put them in the fridge and finished wiping down the kitchen. 12:40 a.m. and my work day is complete.
Have you ever tried to jump into bed after walking in the door from work? Doesn't work so well. I personally need some down time. I tucked the kids and dogs in bed and hopped in the bath. A nice hot bath, add in some pine nuts and watching Dancing With the Stars is a recipe for relaxation.
Here's where the insomnia part comes in. I'm relaxed, lying in bed, and I got nothin. I can't sleep. So here I sit at 3:30 in the morning blabbering on my blog hoping to see a glimpse of sleepiness. I'm hoping to readjust my work day and bedtime in the next week. I'd love to be in bed by 10 but let's be real, it's not going to happen, so midnight is my goal. But until then, at least I know why I'm so tired.

I love this guy!

Isn't he cute hanging out with his dog?

Insomnia = Tough Subjects

When I don't sleep, which is more frequently than I'd like, tough subjects run around in my head. Everyone has had one bad moment in their life but it's how we choose to deal with it that makes all the difference. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been to therapy, more than once. It's a great tool to help us deal with issues that we can't seem to think outside our box on. Sometimes it takes another perspective on our thoughts to broaden our thinking and find a solution and forgiveness.
As I lay is bed I'm able to think about sensitive subjects without intense emotion and come to clearer thoughts. I would love to take my personal experiences and talk about them openly with groups to educate. I'd talk with health classes on the effects of anorexia, young women on the subject of date rape, groups of people on dealing with depression/anxiety, women on abusive relationships and anyone who will listen about how the Savior has helped thru all of these ordeals.
This sounds a little depressing but by dwelling on these subjects I have a clearer understanding of my position and a healthier outlook on them. I can feel the atonement continuing to take effect on my life and lighten the burden of sadness. I lay next to my husband and feel grateful that he's supportive (although jealous he's asleep) and I can talk openly to him. Rob isn't judgemental. He loves me for who I am.
What do you think about late at night? What do you do when you can't sleep? Like my cousin said, we'd like to find the relative who passed on the insomnia and see if we could trade it for something else.

They are my kids

I just read an article on adoption etiquette. Not only are some people insensitive about adoption but they're also insensitive about "step" parenting.

One of the things that people say the most is "Which ones are your real kids?"

There are days I want to respond with: "Well, can't you tell which ones are the plastic kids and real kids? I feed the real ones real food and the fake ones plastic food."

Of course I don't but I politely respond with a comment abouthow they're my kids but I only gave birth to 3 of them.

I had an awkward experience with this at WalMart the other weekend. I was finishing up some shopping and happened to walk by a lady I've known for a very long time but don't see frequently. As usual I had my 6 kids in tow. After a brief hello I was asked if they were ALL my kids. I put on a big smile, answered yes and they're so much fun. This is where it got awkward.

When Rob and I got married our kids ages interlocked. Kason 12, Kim 11(almost), Dallon 10, Bethany 9, AJ 8 and Colten 6. Kim and Dallon are actually about 7 months apart. I've gotten tired of explaining our family every time someone asks about my kids. Frankly, it's none of their business how our family works. I feed them, love them, and care for all of them on a daily basis. Therefore, they're all mine. Ok, back to my story.

This woman, who truly is a great person, gave me the most horrified look! In the look she had insinuated I had been quite the baby factory. I could tell she was curious and baffled at my lack of explaination. I left her there and went on my merry way with my children.

What I think people fail to realize is that we're not all traditional families. Some are blended kids and some are adopted. Either way, we're a family, just like yours. At home we don't remind the kids that they're not ours or "real". It's the people that ask inappropriate questions that tell our kids they don't fit. I know my kids fit, in my heart.

On the flip side, there are times that people recognize us as a family. My sweet visiting teacher noticed my daughter walking down the school hall and commented on it. She said that my daughter and I have the same spring in our step and our hair swings the same way. She could tell she belongs to me. This made my heart swell! She was really surprised when I mentioned that my daughter wasn't biologically mine. I didn't mind explaining to her. It warmed my heart that she didn't question my love or the fact that my daughter is mine even if we don't share the same DNA.

Adoption is an act of love on all parts. The parents showed unmeasurable love for the child by allowing another set of people to be active parents. Step parenting isn't any different and is as rewarding as any other form of parenting. As a good woman once mentioned...I'm not a "step" parent, I'm a BONUS parent.