A mess a day...

.
.
.
...sounds about right.


So lately my children have really kicked the messes up a notch.  I've had many a moments of thinking, "No sense in fixing this.  Just put everyone in the car, and get a new start somewhere far away..."  A couple hours/days later things are back to normal just in time for the next disaster and I'm thinking, "What is the point?".

So what is the point?

What's the point of baths when every day is this?

What's the point of time spent cleaning, when it's all comin' down again?

I couldn't help but laugh when snapping these shots.  There are SO many things worse than mud...

Yesterday I barked at my kids.  I barked.  (barked, meaning a short-lived yell)  I had enough self-control to not go wild, but not nearly enough for a good-mommy award.  Later, after I had the mess under control I went to find Garret.  He was huddled in the corner of the yard, hugging his knees.  He wouldn't look at me.  I felt terrible.

So some nights I go to bed thinking that these kids deserve a better, stronger mom.  I tell myself that tomorrow I'm going to be sweet and fun and playful and patient and gentle and blah blah blah, but then I wake up to find Brenda in the bathroom spreading my hair dye ALL OVER THE FLOOR.

So what's the point?

Disclaimer: I made this entire post up.  I am a perfect mom who is perfectly perfect in every way and my perfect kids live in a perfect house.  ...Even the leftover paint that's dried up in Garret's hair is perfect.   

(Why is my face twitching???)

CPR / Claws pt 2 (HTC part 2)

(CPR / Claws pt 2 is one of my new favorite songs to run with.  By Typhoon.)

Surprisingly I only used my music on my first run...

Anyway, it's hard to choose what to write and what not-to.  (I've got to edit or you'd all be here at least a week.)  So how about the big UPS and the big DOWNS?

DOWN:
Friday afternoon it reached over 90 degrees.  But in the Hood to Coast you run when it's your turn.  Oh boy did we bake!  My first run was pretty brutal (7 miles in the oven) but I managed to stay within 2 minutes of my projected time.  There were lots of pep talks going on in my head.  I was nearly in tears but I just couldn't stand the thought of getting my team behind on my first run..

UP:
I am pretty proud of that first run. 

Jenny our rooftop go-fetch girl

DOWN:
Friday night, because of some insane road congestion we were not able to sleep AT ALL.  Our few hours of designated rest-time were taken up by sitting in stopped traffic for nearly 3 hours...

UP: 
The other 5 gals in my van were fun, friendly and FANTASTIC!  Not bad company for those long hours.  By late morning we got our smiles back on and just ran in our zombie state!

Sheri handing off to Jenny

DOWN: 
My last run was slow.  With no sleep my body was wonky and I couldn't eat for fear of being sick.  So I get a few miles into that last 8-mile run, and I am HUNGRY!  Dang it.  That was rough.


UP: 
I RAN ALL 8 MILES.  The scenery was awesome.  And that stretch brought us into Astoria with country roads that were so pretty I was scouting out houses to move into so I could run that road daily!

a little tension from sharing a van for 31+ hours?

DOWN:  
I wasn't on my parents' team like last year.

UP:  
I got to see them bunches!!  Their team had the same start time (5:15 AM- gag!) and we kept bumping into them along the way.  That was unexpected and AWESOME!!  (Not to mention- my team was cooler-than-cool...)

Sheri stretching before our night runs

DOWN:
Did  I mention NO SLEEP?

UP:
Another neat reminder that I can do hard things.

Yeah, we had fun...

DOWN:
Because of the traffic (HTC increased the number of teams this year and it really affected the roads) we missed our final runner coming onto the beach. 

UP:  
The team waited for us all to arrive so we could cross the finish line together.

UP:
We all ran well.  Solana conquered her dreaded mountain climb.  Sheri was worried she wouldn't even finish.  (She totally did.)  Jenny was an easy-going warrior-runner.  Tammy and Heather (my new friends) were fun and FAST!

UP:
After a couple nights of rest I'm all smiles.  "Downs?  What downs???"

UP:
I highly expect I'll get to do this again.

UP: 
Yesterday when completing a little run around my neighborhood I expected some cheers.  (Should that be a down?  ...Down?  What Down???)

UP:
UP:
UP:...

OK so it isn't all about me... (HTC part 1)

Say hello to team RA (Runners Anonymous)-

Good, fun people.

And here are the teammates who I had the pleasure of spending over 31 hours with-

We look pretty, eh?

And here's me relaxing at van exchange 18, thinking I am one of the luckiest gals in the WORLD.

Sooooooo, next year?  It's already in the works!!!

practicing my duties

So on my Hood to Coast team this year I have been dubbed the van-decorator.  (I wish that sounded cooler 'cause that baby's going on a badge.)  On my team last year I decorated not by group consent or voting, but because I was first to grab the paints...

  The van told the story of us....






   My mom started us at the top of the mountain...







    We all ran a lot...






   Amy finished it off on the sandy beach...








This year I'm faced with a reputation and I'm feeling some trepidation.  So let's do some mock-ups....

Something inspiring?

Something more realistic?

Or we could just have a simple script to seal the deal-

I think I'll just leave it for spontaneous inspiration.

Have a great weekend everybody!!  (Oh wait.  It's only Wednesday dang it...)

The good life that I swear I've seen before...

I wonder if after a year of blogging I could have just started reposting? 

This time last year I went on and on, raving about Girls' Camp.  Shall I do it again or just say ditto? 

This Thursday I head out towards Mt Hood for another Hood to Coast relay.  Remember that post from last year? 

Am I getting too repetitive?

Next year I'm gonna buy a pony.

More to come.  I promise.  But I gotta go clean up the peanut butter that Garret so garishly smeared all over himself and my kitchen...

Just had to get these pictures up

 So Monica and I went to the beach.   (...Along with 23 kids and a few other adults from church.)  But anyway, Monica and I went to the beach.  After climbing the treacherous sand dunes of Pacific City, we were inspired by the breathtaking views to practice our yoga. 

Monica and her regal "Tree" pose

Me and my favorite pose "The Dancer"

One afternoon not long before that trip, Solana picked me up for a run and tried to bring a little "class" to our workouts.

Do I have the coolest friends, or what?

parenting for dummies (It's not you. It's me!)-

So parenting special-needs kids is fundamentally no different than basic parenting.  It's the carry-out that is tweaked.  For instance: to Brenda, time-outs are sometimes perceived as a reward.  When anxious she even requests them.  Also, a command to Garret has to be repeated (and repeated, and repeated...) along with clear eye contact, then if he follows through it's considered a great success.  (No matter how long it takes him.)  And both children rarely request my attention, so interaction is often initiated by me- joining them in their "worlds".

Enter: Suzie   

Her "normalcy" (I hesitate to use that word 'cause I'm pretty sure she's crazy...) has thrown us somewhat into "new parent" status.  I've never had my time demanded like this.  I've never had so much conversation with a child.  "Look mommy!  A horsey!!  A HORSEY!  LOOK MOM!!!"   ..."Oh yes.  I see the horse.  Good job Suzie!"  "Mom!  Outside??!  Jumping?!??  Come MOM! COME!!!" ..."Look kid, I just spent an hour outside with you.  Look at Garret.  He's just sitting by the bush, slapping the leaves all by himself.  Doesn't that look fun???"  "MOM!  Wheels on Bus!!  MOMMY!  Lights go blink blink!!  MOM!!!"    Suddenly Brenda comes tearing through the house, headed to her room.  "Hey Brenda!  Want to play legos with Suzie??"  "NO!  NO SUZIE!!"  (She then goes in her room and barricades the entrance by shoving her bed against the door.)  By now Suzie has climbed onto my back and while choking me is loudly singing, "horsey please, horsey please, HORSEY PLEASE!!!"  ('Please' comes out like 'cheese'.  cutie pie...) 

Yeah, I get tired.  How do others do it?

I took Suzie with me on a run last night.  When I take Garret I talk to him occasionally and he sighs and waves his hands, perfectly content with the movement and scenery.  But Suzie needs constant stimulation and after about 3 miles she's had it with me and the boring fields of grass.  I've only got so many "Look-at-the-big-tree-Suzie!"s before she starts demanding to push the stroller, or play with rocks, or stop to see a dog...

So I'm learning what "normal" is.  That girl has me in constant training. 

**********************

And just for fun-  My brother and his family visited this weekend and I got to nibble on my baby niece.

She's got edible cheeks...

feeding the missionaries-

...from a movie?

Another mystery scene from the lego-ridden floor of Brenda's room...

Anyone know?

the answers! (if you did kill time)

The Secret Garden
Emma
Little Women
A Tale of Two Cities
The 3 Musketeers
The Scarlet Letter
The Call of the Wild
Black Beauty
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Treasure Island
The Importance of Being Earnest
Middlemarch

OK.  Now somebody do the same game (or variation of) so I can play...

If you need to kill time-

Here are some clues to the titles of 12 classic books.  Can you figure them out?

Don't tell anyone where I planted my cucumbers.

mame

not big guys but...

It's a story about Detroit and Birmingham

candy bar, candy bar, candy bar

A serious fever, and maybe K.  or H.  or W.

ring ring!  Grrrr...

Ugly white

I had this really weird dream in late July.

Tahiti has precious jewels

It is essential that your name be Spencer.

between two with synchronized steps


That was fun, wasn't it?  Now back to chores...