Where oh where is my mojo?

I had such great mojo w/ that winter marathon training (thank God or I never would have gotten through solo winter marathon training)... now it's like pulling teeth to get me to put on my running shoes and head out. My runs have been subpar lately and it makes me less than excited to get out there... I know I just need to get back in the groove and it will all fall together.

Good thing I've got a half marathon NEXT WEEKEND!! UGH! That sure crept up on me. I'm sure it will be fine... no PR, but fine. Trying to get my butt to the gym right now to get a run in. Weather is craptastic here this week and, well, the kid thing. :)

Looking forward to our trip to Seattle in a few weeks... at least I'll get to run w/ some friends! :D

The ability to choose.

Lately I am really trying to decide if going back to school is what I want/need to do. Yes I am into nutrition, but do I want to talk to people all day about it? Nutrition can be highly technical and there are millions of details regarding what all the different elements do to interact w/ all things in your body, but I feel it's really pretty basic. :) EAT WHOLE FOODS! I realize that most people I know eat fairly well so I am sheltered to the fact that most people do not eat well.... but am I the one to help them 'see the light'... I suspect I would be fighting and uphill battle and either be working w/ the infirmed or overweight people looking to shed a few pounds. I suspect that the latter group doesn't necessarily have a problem w/ what to eat as much as they have a problem w/ stepping away from the foods they know are making them overweight/sick. Having experienced a lot of this myself. They typically need a psychologist more than they need a nutritionist.

Lately I'm feeling like I should learn to grow my own food and learn how to sustain our family in a better way (not depending on mass produced products as much) if I really want to 'make a change' and help people.

So the saga continues. I'm slated to start pre-reqs in May... have until then to really decide what direction my life is taking I suppose. What do I want to 'be' when I grow up? Perhaps the answer is to not grow up.

Weighing the pros and cons of it. In the short term I would be taken away from my family, the time I spend running/riding/swimming would be decreased as I focus on my studies..... Long term I would have a masters degree and be employable ...

Decisions decisions decisions.

Jamie Oliver!!!

Jamie Oliver is a British Chef that is standing up for health HERE IN AMERICA!!!! Why does it take a person from another country to bring a call to arms to our health!!??

Jamie has recently been awarded the TED Award. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design is a non-profit community of some of the world's most influential "thinkers and do-ers".

Jamie is speaking to my heart in THIS video!! It is his acceptance speech and you MUST LISTEN TO IT!

Jamie is bringing awareness to the state of our country's nutrition. I often feel like I live in a bubble. Most of the people that I know are feeding their families whole foods... good nutrition that they themselves are preparing. I have managed to surround myself by people that take the health and nutrition of their families seriously. As a result of this I forget (and find it so hard to believe) that not everyone approaches their families nutrtion in this fashion.

It's a hard reality that most families turn to fast food... to junk food to sustain (hardly the right word) their families. It breaks my heart to think of this. I can't fathom not feeding my kids the best food I can afford. I want them to have the best start in life... both from a nutrition standpoint and a behaviors (as in exposing them to whole foods ... knowing what's best for them and how to prepare them) that will last a lifetime.

Jamie also points out that the number one killers are not murder and cancer... they are HEALTH RELATED diseases.. obesity, heart disease etc. Things that are PREVENTABLE. Watch the video.. sign the petition! The changes that need to be made need to come from each and every one of us. This is not the schools problems or 'main st' problem alone.. we all need to take a stand and make the change... (Uh, to quote Michael Jackson)...

Let's do this parents...

A day...

My friend JENNIE did a day in the life and I thought it was a cool idea... a pictorial of a snapshot in time! So I did it too! My photos are not nearly as good as hers.

First thing in the a.m. is always a quart of water and my beloved cup of coffee made by Tom. :)


Next up breakfast for the kiddos:


today the boy requested OJ...and spring must be coming b/c I'm composting again.


and me too...


Then the kids watch a show while I clean up (maybe) and get our stuff together to go wherever.. usually the gym or school.



Check schedule/let dog out/get dressed







Now kids dressed... like an olympic event in and of itself.




Off too the gym...
Every time I leave the house I see this. It makes me hopeful that spring will some day get here.


ANNNDDDDD WWWWEEEE'''''RRRRREEEEE Back.

(Jennie mentioned all she does is feed kids and change kids)...

Lunch (have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my Vitamix?)






Can't ignore the hugely messy kitchen any longer.. first unload the dishwasher (daily..ugh)



Now time to go exercise the dog. Off to Huntington State Park for some outdoors time.
The first thing Jason did was biff it in a huge water puddle necessitating a wardrobe change.


Throwing rocks.


Home again and a little computer time and a snack for Mommy while the kids paint. (jason also snacking... that kid must be growing today alone he ate 1.5 eggs, 2 pieces of bread, a mango, a bowl of oatmeal, about 8oz of smoothie, a bowl or more of snap peas, an apple and two servings of peanut butter, a kashi bar, EIGHT HUGE ravioli)







And of course nature calls. No more diapers, but this sure is fun!


Next up favorite activity... jumping on the bed.


Let's make some playdough ... so you'll have something to do while I make dinner.






(in the interest of REALITY.. though this activity looks all fun and nice there was plenty of "i can't do it" "help me NNNNOOOOWWWW!!!" "lily/jason took xyz from MMMMEEEE!!" during the dinner making/play dough playing party. So don't be fooled by the pretty pics!)

Tom got home a bit late and missed dinner. When he came home the kids were in full throttle run around like crazy people mode.





One last video while I clean the kitchen and throw a load in.


Check out that huge bowl of kitchen scraps headed to the compost. ONE day in the Mount house.. wow! Just started this up again, but will probably save us a bag of garbage a week!!!!


Ready for bed...






2 stories each and some cuddles and they're down for the count.. Lily got up once and she may not be out yet.. she likes to read/color for a while before bed. Jason is out like a light.



Now I'm working on the computer and Tom is checking out beer brewing stuff (just guessing) on his iPhone.

This was fun JENNIE!! Thanks for the idea. By the end of the day Lily was done having her photo taken, but Jason loves it! :D

My church

I had a fantastic spinning class today. Not because of the physical, but because of the mental.



Two songs really got me. Natasha Bedingfields Unwritten. I'm reaching for goals that only I can achieve and this song really spoke to me, but I Run For Life by Melissa Etheridge nearly brought me to my knees.



I run for life.. I run for those that can't.. I run for those that can.. I run because I can! To all of my training partners (real and virtual), to all my friends and loved ones I run for YOU!!!

This song drives home the mission. For those that are fundraising.. THANK YOU!! For those that aren't... donate. I know you know someone that is doing an event w/ Team In Training.. and if you don't I can hook you up!
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

WHO DO YOU RUN FOR?

Swimming

I had some aha moments in swim last night. Things really feel like they are coming together and things the coach Chris in Madison would tell me are finally clicking. Like, "OH THAT'S what he meant when he told me to do that!", and "OH, that's what that was supposed to feel like!!" Three years later... not too bad. ha ha

I got bumped up to a faster lane last night and man I felt good about that. One of the guys (fyi, the lane was all guys and I kept up WITHOUT flippers) even said, "Go ahead you are faster than me!" REALLY he said that.. out loud. I almost had to shake the water out of my ears to be sure I heard him correctly!

I finally got my elbow position in the right place last night. Oh, this is what the finger tip drill was suppose to teach me!! I also finally started feeling my catch and really feeling like I'm making contact w/ the water and pulling myself through!

I'm actually feeling some power in my stroke. The number of strokes it takes me to get from one end to the other actually went down by TWO strokes from last Wed w/ some minor adjustments last night! This is huge for me. I've been struggling w/ this!

Last night as I was telling Tom about this I was so thankful to have triathlon, running, and swimming. SO thankful that I have a husband that understands and affords me the opportunity to train, practice and race! It felt so good to feel like I was improving at something! Improving at something that I do JUST FOR MYSELF!

To all my mom friends out there.. find your thing. The thing that brings you joy and MAKE MAKE MAKE the time for it. Having something outside of my mom role to really put the time in and excel at is HUGE for my happiness and satisfaction in life! H-U-G-E!