The Littlest Joe is 12 years old. She is in the seventh grade. She is almost the youngest girl in her class. Most of her friends have already turned 13. There are a couple 14 year olds tossed in the mix. I have noticed that some of these girls wear makeup. I haven't noticed anything too crazy. I've seen a little eye shadow, eye liner, mascara and lip goo of varying types. I've told my Joe that I would let her wear some makeup at thirteen. There are many problems with this. One problem is her mother's lack of make-up applying skills. I don't wear make-up. I can not teach her a thing!! Occasionally (And I mean super rarely) I will throw on some mascara and lip gloss. While I am not a make-up wearer, I am convinced that I should be. I buy all kinds of make-up that I don't wear. This over abundance of make-up works out very well for a sneaky 12 year old who knows that if she takes makeup from my bag, I will never notice. Recently, I have been finding makeup that previously belonged to me in The Littlest Joe's room. This drives me batty. We are constantly battling about my rules. I don't want to see my baby looking like an adult human in make-up. I am torn, however, because she never looks crazy with the makeup on. On several occasions, I had to admit to myself that she looked really pretty... I am sure that there are bigger battles I could be fighting. I get worried, however, that my giving in to The Joes tells them that they can forever ignore my rules when they are not convenient for them. I need to learn to pick my battles but I am never sure which battle is a battle I can afford to lose. The Littlest Joe will be 13 at the end of August. She has about 5 months. I may need to let this make-up rule quietly die. And maybe I'll teach her a lesson that life is flexible and people who are inflexible have a greater chance of missing out on growth or joy or mother/daughter moments with their little joes...
Monday, April 7, 2014
Friday, April 4, 2014
Weeks Four and Five of Training: Kettlebells and cookies
Week four was terrible with regards to running. I just didn't feel like doing it. I have been doing a lot of later hours at my job because we started a few new groups for our patients. The new groups are exciting, but I am tired at the end of a long day. UGH!!!I did hit the gym and I did some kettlebell workouts at home with my 20 pound kettlebell. My favorite moves are the swing (of course!) and sit-ups. The Biggest Joe suggested that he might be helpful with the sit-ups. He held my feet and barked at me to do them faster and to sit ALL THE WAY UP!!! Week five saw some mileage. My goal for the half in May is 2 hours and 36 minutes which equals 12 minute miles. During my practice runs, I have been trying to keep my pace close to my goal race pace. My runs outside showed me that I can run faster than a 12 or 11 minute mile. Last Wednesday, I told my friend that I was going to run 6 miles that evening. This was a motivator to actually meet this distance goal. I dropped my car off at the school where The Littlest Joe was at track practice and text her to wait in the car if I was not back by the time she was done. I started this run thinking I would finish in about 1 hour and 12 minutes. When I finished mile 1 at 10:27, I felt a little excited. Mile 2 was 10:35. At that point, I was convinced I may be able to finish the six miles in a shorter amount of time. I changed my goal and decided I wanted to finish before 1 hour and 6 minutes. I finished in 1 hour and 4 minutes. I am in competition with myself and no one else. I would like to run this half in May faster than I ran my first half. I am determined to do that. This run convinced me that I can do that!!
I am excited to see that I am maintaining my recent weight loss. I'm still abstaining from all meats except seafood. I do still have a love affair with sugar and I have been eating desserts again. I have not had any moments of binge eating. I have only eaten sweets in moderation. I ate my last box of girl scout cookies this week. They are all gone. Instead of feeling sad, I feel relief. I also have not had sugar in my house for about 2 months now. The Joes are acting as if the world is ending. They are very vocal about their disgust with the lack of sugar in our house. We do have honey and agave. We made yams with butter, agave, vanilla and cinnamon. They could not taste the lack of sugar. They are super tasty this way!! We have lots of fruits. I also bought some sweet-ish snacks (animal crackers, applesauce, etc.). They are surviving... I am doing great!! Hope everyone's training is going as planned!!!
Win an entry to the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon
Have you been putting off registering for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon events? Have you been feeling unsure about whether this is the race for you? The good folks at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon have made a race entry available to me to give to one of you lucky readers!!! This is a great year to race with us. The course is new and you'll get to see some great views of Cleveland. If you have not registered, enter below for a chance to win a free registration to the event of your choosing!
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