Starting the last week of school with a Thankful Heart

The kids are down & out with the double whammy of environmental allergies & croup, but that doesn't mean there aren't things for which to be thankful! As this last week of school gets going (well, it will get going for us on Wednesday when he's not contagious anymore), I am thankful for:

1. The wonderful educational foundation my son has received in his two years of Montessori preschool. Wouldn't trade it for anything and I look forward to my daughter enjoying her years there when it is her turn.

2. The friends I've made through my son's school. At least two of them have joined me for runs, so you know they are amazing women (even the non-runners are great)! Yes, parents can make friends at school, too.

3. My 25:51 PR at the Duvall Days 5K on June 6th (and placing 14th out of 220 women)! Thanks to the combination of group runs, Sane Fitness strength training, and a little "kick in the pants" from my husband (more like a dare, really), I discovered that YES, this body can go a bit faster and actually enjoys the challenge. Think I can break 25:00 by the end of summer? Hmmm . . .

4. The promise of the lazy days of summer. Our family calendar is filling quickly with camping/hiking/music filled adventures. In fact, last weekend we managed to ride 2 ferries, visit 2 State Parks and I still got in my Saturday morning run. As my son says, "This summer I want to spend A LOT of time outside. Outside, outside, outside." Done!

5. The honor of being the author of a successful book. I'll write more about this later in the week, but in these days of struggle for the book publishing world, I'm thankful for the readers who spread the word about We Are Girls Who Love to Run and encourage others to make it part of their treasured book collection. For an independent publishing company with a minuscule budget, Balanced Steps is really having a positive impact on young readers and their families!

Wishing you health, sunshine and happy running!

Change of Plans . . .

So, this week was one that required us all to hang on tight and just ride out. I'm happy to report that we made it, but it was touch and go there for awhile.

- We opted out of school for my son on Monday due to a raspy/barky cough (which is still lingering, but not as bad as it was Monday morning)
- I took my daughter to the doc on Monday afternoon due to a head-smacked-into-door-jamb incident (all okay, but there's a nice bruise there still)
- my husband is sick
- my daughter is sick (requiring 1 sheet/jammie change through half-open eyes in the middle of the night . . . among other things)
- our son has been up every night (but one - and then I was awake out of habit - grrrr) this week for one reason or another
- I only ran one day

SO . . . mix that in with lots of good things:
- my mom's sisters are both visiting (think silliness, sewing, wine, visiting, eating, etc.)
- the sun has come out to peek at us twice
- the end-of-year school-wide field day and family picnic (think silliness, visiting, eating, running, sloshing through muddy fields to go to the bathroom, picture taking, crying when time to go home)
- the Symphony with the kids and my dad!
- playdates

And you get ONE WHIPPED PUPPY (that's me) and maybe even a somewhat neglected real pup! My plan to do a 10K tomorrow morning is OUT. I don't even think we'll downgrade to the 5K (and my still-sick husband has thrown in the towel, too). I think the plan for tomorrow is:

- sleep as long as the children will allow
- play the remainder of the day by ear
- be sure to fit in a trip to REI to get my dad's Father's Day present (one part is already taken care of, but won't be here by Sunday, so it is ESSENTIAL to have this other part on hand for our Father's Day cookout on Sunday).
- pray that BOTH children nap at the SAME time in the afternoon so that we can kick back and either nap or just veg out
- if everyone feels well, go for a casual run in the afternoon together with the double jogger

Wishing you dads out there a great Father's Day! May you find the weekend to be rejuvinating (that's what we're hoping for on this end)!