I Want My Mommy

Sometimes, no matter how old you are, you just want your mom.

The older you get, the more you realize life is all about change. When the changes are drastic, you want to crawl back to your mom and, well, be mothered.  Even when you're a mother yourself, it's nice to have your own mother tell you everything is going to be okay and mean it.

I realize I'm fortunate to still have my mom. I no longer have my dad and haven't for some time. I'm truly blessed to have a wonderful mom who not only turned the other cheek when I was a rotten teenager, but has, through the years, remained a non-judgmental source of support for me.

The boys and I are making the 5-hour drive up north in a few weeks to see her. I can't wait.

I haven't been the best daughter. I haven't visited as much as I should have. I'm vowing to change this year. There are no more excuses. I'm planning on heading north frequently this spring, summer and fall.

I've been homesick for quite some time, though I haven't been indulging in it like I was last fall. I'm anxious to get up there again, sleep in my mom's house and show the boys around my hometown. Somehow, life seems simpler in the tiny village of Hermon. I know it's not really. But, I can pretend while I'm there, right?

Run Run Run

I'm newly in love with running. To all of you that are not runners, I apologize for this post. I know how irritating it is to read about running when you are not into it. I've been there. I swore for years that I would never and could never be a runner.

I honestly don't know how it happened. Maybe it was all the Facebook posts of my friends and relatives who are runners that slowly worked on my subconscious. Maybe it was seeing my son and his soccer team do corner sprints at practice last fall and remembering how good it felt to be that fit when I was 13. Maybe I just needed something to get my mind off all the crap that's been weighing heavily on me these days.

However I got here, I laced up my running sneakers in September and am loving it so much I signed up for a half marathon. I've got until Labor Day to train enough to make it possible. The cool thing is, I really think I can do it. I know I can do it. The other cool thing is, I talked my sister into doing it with me!

I've got a training schedule posted on my fridge. I'm on week 3. Tomorrow's goal is 6 miles.

I'm not following it exactly, but I'm trying to hit the Saturday mileage each week. So far, so good.

I don't remember the website where I found this handy little chart, otherwise I'd include the link. I'm actually running a bit more during the week than the chart recommends, but I'm definitely including rest days, even when I don't want to! I know they're important. And, of course, with three boys, they can't be helped anyway. Sometimes the scheduling just doesn't work out to include running time!

Today, we have a snow day. I could run anytime, but I'm waiting until it warms up a bit this afternoon so the roads will be clearer.

Spring is coming soon, right? The only thing that could possibly make this better is not having to run on slippery roads wearing winter gear!

A Week of Stress

First, an update. The job interview went well. I felt like the interviewer and I clicked. It was  comfortable chatting with her. She said she thought I'd be a good fit in their office and would get a call back for the second round of interviews. So, my fingers are crossed. Of course, I'm sending out another resume today. I don't like to count my chickens before they're hatched.

That brings me to the rest of the week. It's been incredibly stressful for various reasons. Not only that, but it's been a busy one, which means I haven't had time to do the things I normally do to help me de-stress, like run or go for a long walk. 

I was all set to run on Wednesday, but the kids ended up having a two-hour delay due to a lovely freezing rain/snow mix we got overnight. A two-hour delay meant I couldn't take my little guy to preschool. That and the ice meant I couldn't run. So, that was that.

By yesterday, I was jumping out of my skin to try to get some exercise and I still had no time to run. I can't take my five-year-old out in the jogging stroller because the weather is too rotten and I don't like to run like that anyway. I seem to have a lot of excuses! 

To top it all off, when I'm stressed, I can't eat. I really can't. I try, but it gets hard to choke down food, no matter what it is. I can't even drown my sorrows in wine, which I suppose is a good thing. I like to have a glass of wine to relax, when I'm happy, but I can't fathom drinking any when I'm stressed. It doesn't appeal to me. I can barely choke down water. I suppose I'm thankful I'm not the kind of person who gobbles down gallons of ice cream in times of stress.

So, by Wednesday, I had a heck of a stomachache. I had to force some food down. It helped. I've been trying to eat regular meals since then and it's helped quite a bit.

Today, I finally got to go running for the first time all week!  It felt great. It was a short run, but it did so much good. I felt strong and was able to put some things in perspective. I can't wait to go again tomorrow! 

So, how do you deal with stress? Exercise? Ice Cream? Sleep? Hard liquor? Denial?

Job Interview Next Week!

I started a post about feeling disorganized lately, which really was going to be blog filler. I was hoping it would come together into something coherent and witty, if I was lucky. Honestly, I wasn't really feeling it. I'm not that disorganized anyway. I'm certainly the most organized person in this house, but maybe that's not saying much.

Then, I got some exciting news that's the perfect reason to scrap the lackluster garbage. 

I have a job interview next week! 

How exciting is that?

I feel like I just got asked to the prom! 

The position is a part-time human resources assistant. I've always wanted to work in HR, even back in the day when I had a full-time office job. I secretly coveted moving down to the HR department. Part-time is perfect for me right now, what with the kids' schedules. It'd be a great way for me to get re-introduced to the intricacies of child care, work clothes, and rush-hour traffic.

Okay, the child care thing is a new one for me. But, my kids aren't babies, so I'm sure it will work out just fine, especially with a part-time schedule.

Rush-hour traffic, I can handle. I've done it before.

That brings me to clothes. Oh my God! What should I wear to the interview? Skirt? Nice black, dress pants? Do I need a jacket over a blouse? Do women still wear pantyhose? (Please say no.) This is suddenly making me nervous!

What about the interview itself? It's been a long time since I've had one. I need your tips. And a self-confidence boost!  What should I say? What should I not say? 

Fingers crossed that I get the job, but I'm really happy just to get asked to interview. That means my resume doesn't suck.

I guess I can't brag about my organizational skills until I'm working outside of the home. When I've successfully done that for a few weeks, I'll be sure to write that blog post. Hopefully it'll be more interesting than what I started today.

Valentine's Day Was So Last Month

When you write, whether it's for websites or print magazines, you're not writing for the moment. You need to be ahead of the curve, or rather, the calendar. It makes sense, if you think about it. Websites and magazines want their articles to be timely. That means they have to be submitted well ahead of the actual holidays.

Last month, I was thinking romantic thoughts so I could write Valentine's Day articles for Holidays Central. This month, as we bear down on actual Valentine's Day, I've moved on to St. Patrick's Day.

Part of my writing responsibilities involve getting crafty with my kids, taking pictures of our projects, and writing up how-to articles on what we did. Today's craft was a bit of a miss for my five year old.

Here's my rainbow and pot of gold project.  This is what it's supposed to look like:

Rainbow with Pot of Gold

Here's his:

Rainbow with Elmer's Glue

Luckily, my crafting abilities are such that most things I make look like they were done by a 7 or 8-year-old kid anyway. I think this St. Paddy's day craft still qualifies for the Kids and Crafts category, though my little guy may have been a bit too little to pull it off. Or, perhaps he was more interested in eating the cereal than gluing it to paper. Fruit Loops are a rare treat in this house.

Speaking of writing for upcoming seasons, a craft article I sold to Highlight's for Children almost THREE years ago is going to print this summer!  Look for it in the July issue!  If you don't get Highlight's for Children, you can usually find it at your local library.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Please Vote for Her!

She's a blogger and a friend of a friend of my sisters.  Did you follow that?

Her name is Tracy Winslow and she blogs at Momiacal.  Her blog is funny, entertaining, and relatable!

She's in the running at the Top 25 Funny Mom blogs of 2013 at the Circle of Moms.  She's holding steady at #23 right now and needs your help to pull her up to the top!  I know we can do it!  Let's pull her up!

Vote early, vote often! 

(Marianne, why aren't you on this list?) 

How Do You Celebrate Valentine's Day?

Is Valentine's Day a big holiday in your house?

It's not too much, here. I love the kids' school celebrations. My 5-year-old (that's right, FIVE), is excited for his first-ever V-day celebration at preschool. He can't wait to exchange corny cards and partake of the Valentine's Day candy haul that seems to be the norm these days. He's been waiting all his life for this.

Otherwise, Valentine's Day is pretty low key at our house, which seems funny since I spent the last several days of January feverishly writing Valentine's Day articles for Holidays Central.

Photo from Habitation of Justice. (Check out their other anti-Valentine's Day photos - so funny!)

Here's my favorite:

The Anti-Valentine's Day Party

I'm not down on Valentine's Day, but I had a lot of fun writing this article. Truthfully, I'm kind of a fan of Cupid these days, so I hope he doesn't take offense. It was all in good fun.