Run #4 - On the Dreadmill

Oops, I mean TREADmill. I am so funny. And probably quite original.

This morning I woke with a start at 5:26 am. The Sleep Station on my i-pad is set to Tibetan Bell. What is weird is that it seems to ring in my mind right before it rings in real life. Then as I was trying to turn off the loud "B-oooo-nnnggggg", my cell phone alarm went off causing me to scream. Not good when I am trying to be sneaky so Daniel can sleep.

I picked up a friend and we had an interesting little conversation about treadmills. I thought there was a specific one for running. She thought I was crazy. Turns out she was right. There are these great big intimidating looking treadmills that I was thinking were the ones you were supposed to run on. Turns out they just have huge incline-ability. Yuck!

So after our little tour of the gym to compare treadmills, and peeking our heads in on the spin class we were ditching purposefully to go running instead, we went to the lady's gym and hopped on the regular treadmills.

The only thoughts I remember having this morning during my walk/jog was when I was keeping an eye on my friend. She introduced me to the run during the curve and walk the straight or walk the curve and run the straight. Basically it amounts to about 2 minutes of running and then a few minutes walking. I actually kept up with her, kind of. At least at first. Anyway, I could see her out of the corner of my eye turn up her treadmill from a 3.5 to a 4-something which meant we would be running again. Ugh! "Don't touch that dial!" I would scream in my head even as my feet picked up the pace.

Run #3

Nothing too entertaining went on in my brain during this third "run." I use the term loosely because most of the time I walk and some of the time I crawl. Okay, I don't literally crawl, but I wish to sometimes.

Bob was sleeping when I absconded with his i-phone to track my run. I left kids in the backyard and in the house. So after the first of three blocks I stopped in to check on the kiddos. Big mistake! They would have been much better had I not checked in. Dan had a fit and had to spend the rest of my run in his bed. Rhianna got out of the yard and had to spend the rest of my run inside the house. After the Kid-Drama it was difficult to get back up the nerve and energy to continue running.

I walked half a block and immediately after I took up a little jog, my right ear bud fell out of my ear. Yes, I forgot to get a case... again! Instead of "sucks" or "stupid," I muttered another S-word. A four letter one! *GASP*

Then I had my epiphany for the day.

Thoughts such as these:

If only I had better ear buds.

If only I had one of those armbands so I wasn't constantly getting tangled up in cords.

If only I had my own i-phone that I could set up special for me...

were immediately followed by thoughts such as these:

I do not have to have ideal conditions to run and get in shape and do the things I need to do.

I am not in a perfect condition. Why do I feel I need to have perfect tools?

Start where I am and keep going...

The thoughts and ideas in my brain at that moment are not exactly presenting themselves as clearly now that I want to write them down. Figures. But I shall use my new "Start where I am and keep going" for my writing, as well.

Inner Dialogue of a Crazy Person - Running Day 2

Early last evening: I'm going to wake up at 5:30 to go to spin class, then maybe I won't have to run tomorrow. Or at least I'll get in better shape so running doesn't suck so much.

Late last night: Okay, I'm going to sleep in. I'll just do the 3-block walk/jog. It won't be as bad as yesterday.

Today around 1:30: "Honey, can I borrow your phone? I'm going to go running."

An hour later: Bob asked, "I thought you were going to borrow my phone?" I had to admit that I was distracted by Facebook. I really didn't want to go!

2-something: Fiddled with Pandora and the running app, www.mapmyrun.com if anyone's interested. Oops, I forgot the phone case. Oh, well, I'm already outside, I'll just carry it. (While running/walking the cord kept getting tangled and added to the frustration.)

Should I walk for a bit first? I don't want to wreck the results, but if I start running closer to the park, maybe I'll actually be able to run all the way to the park.

Crud! STILL couldn't run all the way to the park.

Yuck, it's daylight, people can see me. At least I won't run into trees this time.

This... pant, pant, SUCKS!

Okay, I will run to the stop sign. Wait, never mind, no I won't.

At one point I shared my inner dialogue with everyone within ear shot. My left ear bud fell out of my ear and I had to stop and untangle it and put it back in. "This is stupid!" Quickly looked around to see if anyone heard. I didn't see anyone. No wonder Bob likes running at night. In the dark. After normal people are sleeping.

Much of the conversation was not nice to Bob. Why, oh WHY, did I have to go and ask him to help me? He's not going to let me forget it. He's going to be mean. He's going to make me run when I don't want to. * Men are different than women. I'm going to hire a trainer who's a girl. * This might work for Bob. But I need something different.

The colors are so much prettier on that street, I'll turn here.

I don't really have to eat sweets ever again. If I just don't eat, I won't have to do this anymore.

I hate this!

During my final half block toward home there was a little breeze that caused the leaves to dance swirly-style in the road. It was beautiful and I thought, If my running will make it so that I can live just a few years longer, to see leaves dance during a few more Autumns, this will be worth it.

This feels good.

Inner Dialogue of a Crazy Person - Running Day 2

I Ran... And nobody was even chasing me!

Do you teach your kids not to say, "sucks?" Yeah, me too. But I've been saying it a lot in my head lately. Here is why. I started running.

Last late winter/early spring I started spinning. Hated it and loved it and was doing great at it. I had a friend who went with me and we were great support for each other. Then we accidentally took the summer off and have been struggling to get back into spinning 2 times a week. I have been so horribly lazy lately and using every excuse to NOT get up at 5:30 when the stupid alarm goes off. Yep, I've been using "stupid", too. And not always just in my head.

My hubby and I have a wonderful partnership. We've been married for 13 1/2 years and have been very easy going with each other. That is about to change. And I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that.

This past July my stud of a husband took a 2 week Arrest Control class from the FBI. They whipped him into shape. He had to be able to run 1.5 miles in 13.13 minutes just to get into the class. Then each day during the two-week class the students had to run, sometimes uphill carrying 9-pound medicine balls, do 30 minutes of push-ups, 30 minutes of sit-ups, etc. It was brutal. But he came home a new man. The last day of the class he celebrated a birthday. I won't tell you how old he is but the class was filled with 20 year olds and he was twice their age plus five on the last day. They had a race and he finished 2nd. SECOND! I am so proud of that man!

Last week I asked him for help. It was a dangerous thing to do, but I was, and am, desperate. So two nights ago he let me borrow his i-phone to track my walk/jog around the block. The deal that my new trainer made with me was that I could jog around once or walk/jog/however I wanted around the block three times. It was bad. I couldn't even jog TO the park, much less around it and the rest of the block. I started out feeling defeated. Halfway around the block, walking, I accidentally paused Pandora in the middle of a really good song that I was trying to turn up, and then when I figured out what I did, I ended up turning off the running tracking app. So, frustrated, and only completing 1 out of the required 3 blocks, I stumbled into the house and asked hubby if he would walk/jog with me the next two blocks. We talked while we walked. He gave me some running tips. I felt good when we came into the house.

Running Sucks, But I'm gonna do it anyway.

I Would Die 4 U.... Babe

While selecting donuts in the grocery this morning a Prince song was playing over the intercom. I did not think much of it. I just continued placing the tasty pastries into the clear plastic bag for the girls and myself. A filled long john for Treasure, powdered donut holes for Chasity, and a white-frosting, nut-sprinkled, cinnamon roll for myself.

The song kept playing in my head during the short drive home and I sang the only lyrics I remembered, "You Babe, I would die for you....... You Babe, I would die for you...." I put my kids in the subject part and agreed that yes, I would die for each of them. I put Bob in the subject part and agreed that yes, I would die for him. Here is where I have to admit how my mind works. It's a scary thing and should come with a warning.... so be warned. Something made me think of a friend in church who recently had a stress test because of a slight health scare. My dad was placed in the hospital on Father's Day this year, six years after his bypass surgery, because of shortness of breath. And I was getting ready to eat a donut instead of going to the gym like I told myself I would. I need to start living in a way that shows how much I love my kids. How much I love Bob.

What happens when I put Jesus in the subject part of those lyrics? Would I die for Him? In a New York Minute! Will I live for Him? Will you? That takes a conscious effort. It seems that we, or at least I, have this thought that in that all-important moment, I would declare my love for Jesus. If someone put a gun to my head and told me to deny Christ. I imagine that I would die pledging my love to my Savior. But what about in the little things? What about all the little choices I make each day? Am I spending my days, hours, minutes, in a way that shows my love for Jesus? For Bob? For my kids?

I heard an interview with Steven Curtis Chapman on K-Love yesterday. He was talking about this song. I didn't recognize it at the time. Now it is my newest favorite.

From Prince to Steven Curtis Chapman. I told you it was scary how my mind works!

Shoe Momma Back in Da House!

Things have been chaotic in the Dalley house. We have three extra kids this week. And yesterday we had two more for a total of nine. Nine kids in our house!

Three of our previous foster kiddos have been staying with us this week. Treasure 15, Chasity 12, and Tristian 8 lived with us for about nine months in 2008. They moved across state to be with a relative but they come to visit at least once a year. I am so thankful that we have been able to stay in contact with them.

This summer I didn't tell the boys ahead of time when the kiddos were coming. I watched out the window and when I saw them pull up I called for my boys to come out front. They curiously watched the car, and as soon as they realized who it was, they went running. It was so cute! Ashton and Brendan ran to greet the three kiddos as they stepped out of the car and Daniel ran downstairs to get Dad.

It's funny how easily the kids fall back into their relationships with each other. Little bit of bickering with a whole lotta loving. Brothers and sisters (and Mama Jenny) have been playing games (Clue has been our favorite.), shooting each other with nerf guns, swimming, eating pizza (The boys always wonder if Tristian still eats the crust first. He does.), watching movies, and being teased by Bob ("Daddy Bob." Just kidding. Sure is fun to say though. Try it! I bet you cannot say "Daddy Bob" out loud without at least cracking a smile).

I love having them here. Makes me wonder how it would have been had we been able to keep them. Having them here also reminds me of how God made my heart out of rubber. He allowed me to fully love on these kids while they were here. But when they had to leave, my heart did not break. Only God could do that.

Yesterday's Post

So, I woke up this morning with the thought that I could have hurt peoples' feelings with yesterday's post. That was certainly not my intent. I have relatives and friends with tattoos and I do not look down on them in the slightest. If my nephews/cousins/friends' sons wear their caps sideways, I do not think they are bad for doing so. The matters I referred to yesterday were superficial and do not necessarily affect or reflect deeper heart issues.

When I see a teenager with pants hanging down to his knees and tattoos covering his arms. I do not think, "I'm so much better than he is." I think, "Why would he want to have his pants down like that? Doesn't he know it looks silly?" And sometimes I sing in my head, "Pants on the Ground, Pants on the Ground, Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground." When I see a man in his thirties dressed that way, I do wonder, however, if he has grown up.

I want my kids to dress like my husband. Except maybe for the shorts with the long white socks sticking out of cowboys boots. I just LOVE that look, don't you? I want my kids to dress up for church because they respect God. I want my boys to wear a shirt in the summer, even if their friends go shirtless, out of respect for girls. I want my daughter to dress modestly. I do not want them to feel they have to dress drastically for attention or to rebel.

And in pointing out various looks that I DON'T want for my kids, I do not ever want my kids to think they are better than anyone that I am pointing out. Or that God would ever love them more because of the way they dress or even how they act. I shall be posting on legalism within the next week.

I hope that cleared things up a little bit.

What I DON'T want for my kids

If my boys want to wear their hats backwards, fine by me, but NOT sideways.

My husband and I frequently point out silly "boys" who have their pants hanging down to their legs. Conversations go something like this:
Us: Why do you think they do that?
Boys: To get girls?
Us: Do you think it works?
Boys: No!
On a side note, my dad sang this song for his middle school's talent show the year he retired. My niece, one of his students, was in the audience, and before he started to sing my dad pointed to her and said something like, "This is for the boys sitting behind my granddaughter!" At the end of the song he dropped his pants, showing off some brightly colored boxers.

Johnny Depp is sexy, but his tattoos are not.

The line at the bottom reads: Well, she WAS cute.

Eeeewwwww.... yuck, yuck, YUCK!

I don't even want THIS for my boys...

Judgmental? Legalistic? Or just a mom with some ideas of what she does NOT want for her kids? You decide. However, if you are thinking judgmental or legalistic, stay tuned, because I have a few posts coming up on those topics.
Now it's your turn! What do you NOT want for your kids?

Woof Woof

I am a sheepdog!

Dave Grossman, author of "On Killing," tells that a retired general gave him the analogy of the sheep, sheepdog, and wolf. Basically there are three types of people - summarized below.

"If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog..."

If you would like to read the full article, and I suggest you do because it is incredibly enlightening, you can find it here: http://www.mwkworks.com/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html

I am a Sheepdog. At least I want to be. I have some sheepdog tendencies and the more I learn about this world, the more I am determined to NOT be a sheep. Not that there is anything wrong with sheep. Just that I am no longer able to believe in the goodness of human nature.

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Thirteen years ago I flew for the first time (to San Diego for a stamp/scrapbook convention). I was scared to death. At the check-in my hands were shaking so badly that my hubby had to take the ticket out of my purse for me. I finally got settled into the plane, still scared, and started taking pictures. I have always figured that taking pictures was what made me not afraid. What I forgot until just recently is that I was seated in one of those exit-row seats. The ones that post a warning about the responsibility of sitting in that row. I remember thinking that if there was an emergency on that plane, what kind of person did I want to be?-- the one screaming and needing help, or the calm one helping others. I made a choice to be the calm one helping others. No emergency occurred that flight, and as soon as the plane took off, I became an instant fan of flying and could not WAIT to fly again.

Last year I decided I wanted a Conceal Carry Permit. One of my kiddos' biological fathers was in town and he is a scary dude. I took a carrying-concealed class with my dad, my mother-in-law and father-in-law, a friend from church and my dad's friend. It was a fun class. It also reiterated in my mind that I am, or I want to be, a sheepdog.

So...

3 Weeks Left of Summer Break!

I have been in the mood to organize things around here! Partly thanks to Jen at iheartorganizing.blogspot.com. Also because I received three boxes of books from Sonlight that need a home. Mostly because my kids deserve to have a home they can find things in.

This is the third year I ordered the planner by the Well Planned Day and this year I ordered their binder, too. Great investment! There are monthly dividers in the back that I am using to keep our Sonlight curriculum in. (Just for a month at a time)

Notice the colored paper clips?

I placed each boys' Language Arts IGs (Instructional Guides) behind the history & read alouds.

As always, red is for Ashton, green is for Brendan and blue is for Daniel.

Organizing really IS fun! But wait, there's more!

Binders! These are the boys' Home-management binders. We just need to come up with something cooler to call them. Any ideas?

So far the only things in their binders are chore charts (inside page protectors to be checked off with dry erase markers), dividers for future use, and really cool pencil pouches that match! I bought them at Target knowing I would get red for Ashton, green for Brendan, and blue for Daniel. But when I got home I realized I inadvertently matched them to the decorated sides of their binders!

That about sums up my week's accomplishments. Next week I have one boy in Bible Camp, the other boys in Art Camp, and the Princess gets to go play with Miss Jessi for a few days. Woo Hoo! I have huge plans. HUGE!

Summer

The boys have less than a week until Summer Break starts.... officially! We've been tapering off, though I did not intend to. It is just really hard to concentrate on school while getting ready for Vacation Bible School. So we will do just enough school this week and the beginning of next for the kids to be able to tell at least some difference when their summer actually begins.

Daniel's birthday is June 16, so that will be our first official day of summer.

June 17 will be my first official day blogging consistently.

Lots on my mind, but I'm finding it difficult to concentrate in getting those thoughts on the screen. Too many distractions!

Jumping Right In

I am Jenny from www.shoemomma.blogspot.com. You can hop on over there for previous posts. We have done foster care since 2007 and have had 12 kids, thankfully not at the same time! My mom jokingly referred to me as the "Little Old Lady who lived in a shoe." Now that we are down to a steady four, I no longer have "so many children I don't know what to do."

I played around with keeping the name Shoe Momma. Isaiah 52:7 refers to beautiful feet bringing good news. But it just did not fit. I also plan to write a book one day and figure it won't hurt to have my name out there. Actually, I have written one book and many parts of other books. I plan to have a book PUBLISHED one day. I suppose I could be less vague than "one day." Does not quite sound like a solid goal with that wording.

Not much of a first post for a new blog, but this will have to do for now.