Holidays

I really feel like the holidays sneak up quicker and quicker every year. I am blaming the retailers. There is something wrong when you go to the store and Halloween is on one side and Christmas is on the other side. Ethan was having a fit over it because he could not understand why there was Christmas stuff out when it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet. Anyway, it is now officially here and I couldn't be more thrilled.

As always, we started off the Christmas season with a bang. My favorite holiday: Black Friday. Oh, it makes me so happy. I obviously LOVE the deals, but it is the one day I get out to shop and buy buy buy. It is so much fun. The only downside is that it starts earlier every year. We didn't think that the 3am Old Navy was worth it (although I did wake up at 2am and thought about just going ahead and getting up). We had it in our plan to head to Kohls at 4am. UNTIL I got a tip from my friend Andrea that Belk was going to have boots for $19.99. I have been wanting some so I decided to be selfish and sneak over there first and get myself a pair. I did struggle with this decision because it is the day I shop for others not myself. I headed over there and was one of the first 250 customers in the door. They were handing out gift cards. I stuck mine in my pocket and headed for the boots...got them! YES! I saw my friend Tonya and asked her how much were on the cards. She said that they were various prices, but were all pretty much $5. That made me happy...$15 boots! I pulled the sticker off of mine......drumroll please..........TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS!!!!!! Free boots for Mommy. It made me start sweating I was so excited. So the moral of this story (other than to brag) is that sometimes it does pay to shop for yourself. I also must apologize to anyone who talks to me on a regular basis because you have all heard about the boots already. Not to mention my poor family that had to shop with me that day and deal with me being in crazy coupon lady mode.

Whew! Moving on...Ethan's school has a run/walk club that he does twice a week after school. He is pretty much obsessed. He has really been loving the running & he said he wanted to the Christmas 5k. We signed him up and to be honest I was nervous on how he would do. I took him out running the other day and he wanted to stop and walk soooo much. It was last night and it was cold. We started going and he stopped to walk quite a bit but got up ahead of me. He would stop and walk a lot, but the little dude got so far ahead of me that I couldn't keep up with him! He tuckered out at the end and I caught him and we finished together. It was wonderful! He got second place in his age group & got an ornament. He was sooooo proud. I ran my best 5k time, and I think it was thanks to him! Ha! Here are a few pics...

Talk about determination:Reece ran in the fun run. I hope you all are getting in the Christmas spirit and enjoy everything that this season brings! I am trying not to get overwhelmed with the busyness and am trying to enjoy everything that we are doing. I know this window of my kids at this age will not last long.

On a side note...please go to LuLu Photography and vote for the picture of my boys (#7 Discovery). If that picture wins, then I win a free photography session. Go vote!!!

Freebies

UPDATE: THE FREE CARD FREEBIE NOW EXPIRES 11/21, SO HURRY AND GET YOUR CARDS MADE!!!


Here are a couple of freebies that I just have to share, they are way too good to pass up:

Go here to find out about getting 50 free photo cards (& shipping). You can put as many pictures as you want on the card. I have already created ours and I am very happy with them. Plus, they are FREEEEE!!! Can you tell I am excited? It doesn't expire until 11/30, so you have time to get your pictures ready!

Also, go here and you can get 140 address labels for free! All you have to pay is shipping so you can have cute holiday labels for only around $3.00. I ordered them last week and they came in and are really cute. The offer continued, so I went in yesterday & instead of doing return address labels I did gift tags. I left the To: part blank of course and then wrote From: with all of our names. Now once the gift is wrapped I just slap one of those on there and write who it is to. Nice!

Go here and sign up for the Academy Sports & Outdoors birthday club. You will get a $5 gift card on your birthday. Since my birthday is in December & I always Christmas shop there, I was all over this one! :)

Happy freebies!

Half Marathon Re-cap

I am wondering how many Facebook friends are on the verge of de-friending me due to the excessive amount of half marathon status updates and pictures!!!??!? Sorry folks, a re-cap is oh so necessary.

The half marathon was such an experience! I am so happy that I decided to do this. My goal time was 2 hours and 30 minutes and I finished in 2 hours and 24 minutes! YES!

I was so worried about the weather. The night before we did the Kid Run and it was FREEZING outside. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to run in that kind of weather because that was what was forecasted for Sat morning.

When we got to the race it was COLD! Everyone was bundled up with gloves, hats, etc. I decided that I would want those warm things off after a couple of miles so I was going to tough it out. We lined up for the race and started getting ready. The sun came out and things started warming up. The wind was slightly blowing and the sky was so blue. They said a prayer and we started the race. There were so many people there cheering and I cranked up my music. A Point of Grace song was up first and I could feel God there at that race. It could not have been a more perfect start. I have re-played those moments in my head a hundred times.

The first few miles flew by (well, if 10 minutes a mile is flying by) and then I started settling in and doing some thinking. I have decided that running a half marathon is very close in comparison with childbirth/pregnancy. Here is why:

-The crying. Oh my goodness! I did not think I was going to cry during the race! I got choked up when it started, when I saw my parents at mile 5, friends at mile 8, sister & kids at mile 8 1/2, and then again thinking of that finish line and Scott and the kids waiting for me.

-You prepare for it for a very long time and then when it gets here it takes what seems like forever to finally deliver the finish.

-Side pains, contractions=same thing

-Pregnancy sucks out brain cells & so does running. I have done more bonehead things since I started training than ever before. Just ask Scott. No don't.

-Clumsy. Did I trip on a cone? Yes I did. But just one.

-You cannot walk for the next 3 days after it is over.

-Bladder control

-You are appalled when you see the pictures of yourself because you are much bigger than you had realized.

-You push at the end and then it is all over! Although a metal is nothing compared to a newborn baby.

-Even though it was rough you are so glad you did it

If I could do this, then ANYONE can. Next up: Little Rock Half March 2010. Who's in?

On a side note...we got our family pictures made by my friend Becke' this weekend. If you need pictures, then she is the person to call....check her out at www.luluphotographyco.blogspot.com/

Stuff

Well, the Race for the Cure 2009 is in the books (we missed you Aunt Sandy & Brittany!). We had a fun time as usual. It was much different for me this year since it is usually a get away weekend since I previously had no girls to bring. Morgan came and did great! She actually slept through most of the race, but that was for the good! I didn't want to carry her 3 miles! It was packed with women and a sea of pink. We are always emotional when it starts as we remember Mom's journey through cancer & chemo. She is such an inspiration! We did it every year before her cancer, but now it's all for her--including wearing any silly get-up she has for us. I've seen ladies with giant flamingos on their heads so I'm not complaining! Ha!

Here are a few pics...


In other news we have had the flu at our house. It started with Ethan and lasted almost a full week. A few days into his Morgan got a fever and hers was an ear infection. NOW Reece has a fever. Will we ever leave the house again!??!? It is horrible and just lingers around for days and days. Ethan was so so happy to finally go back to school today. Thank heavens I went to the Race and had a night away or else I might be losing my mind by now.

You can tell we have been in the house for a week because as I did laundry today I noticed that it is nothing but sweats and t-shirts. Hopefully we can make it to the pumpkin patch next weekend. If not, then I may have to take the kids to Kroger and take a picture of them standing in front of the big pumpkin box.

The big half marathon is only FIVE days away. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I have trained for so long that I can't wait to run that race and FINISH. I think I may wear my metal all day long since I never in a million years thought I would be able to run that far at once. My friend told me that if I get the flu this week, then she is going to rent a wheelchair and push me all 13 miles herself since I have done all of this training. Now that's a good friend! :)

I ran 10 miles yesterday. They say that if you can run 10 then you can run 13. Do they not realize that it is an extra THREE whole miles?!? It doesn't quite make sense since I felt like I was going to pass out after 10 yesterday. I also ran into 3 spiderwebs and got chased by a dog. I will be ready for a running break after this is over. The dog about put me over the edge. Seriously.

T-minus 3 weeks

It is now less than 3 weeks until the big half marathon! I am getting excited and also nervous. We have been pretty busy so running with the training group has been difficult so I am left to do most of my runs on my own. I like to run with the group because it keeps me going. When I run on my own I zone out and slow waaaay down resulting in horrible times. I know that times don't make a difference because I am obviously not trying to win the race. BUT, when you get out there some sort of competitive nature shows up and you can't help but want to have a decent time. I guess for bragging rights.

I went to a baby shower a few weeks ago for a good friend from high school that I hadn't seen in a while. I told her about my running. She then reminded me of something on her thank you note that just about killed me. She reminded me of our 7th grade track coach. This lady was something else. She was VERY into sports and I definitely was not. I was chunky and only there to socialize since all of my friends were in athletics. She used to call us all by our last names and scream at us pretty much constantly. My friend told me that during the race if I need some extra motivation, then to remember that coach screaming "POSKOCIL, my 80 year old grandmother can run faster than you!!!" Let's face it, she was right. That definitely did not motivate me then, but I think it will now. Ha!

I love the month of October and look forward to it every year. Soccer is in full swing, the weather is cooling off, and I love all of the fall decorations. Race for the Cure is just around the corner and I can hardly wait to spend the weekend with all of the girls in my family. This will be Morgan's first year and I love that she will have this event to look forward to each year.

I have no big deals or no pictures for this post. I did learn today that you should not throw your husband under the bus on Facebook while he is at work. Tee hee! :)

Running thoughts

I have now been faithfully running for about 7 weeks. Thank goodness for the training group or I don't know if I would have been so faithful. Tomorrow will be 30 days until the half marathon. Yikes! I have to admit that I never loved running but now it has almost gotten.....fun. Oh my! Who have I become?

For me running has been a great way for me to de-stress and de-mommy (not a word but I think I could start using that one) myself. I love getting out and having the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. I come home refreshed...and sweaty and stinky, but it feels great. Last Saturday I ran my furthest ever...7 miles. This Saturday it is 8 miles. I am nervous, but excited to see if I can actually do it! It is also a great time to pray, reflect, and clear my mind. The long runs seem to get my mind wandering, though. Here are some of my thoughts:

-Road kill stinks. All road kill smells the same no matter the animal.

-Whether they are clearance running shorts or more expensive running shorts they ALL ride up and you end up tugging on them throughout the run.

-The people in cars must think "if you run and still look like that, then it isn't working, honey"

-What would be a good Facebook status today?

-The fast runners that run an extra two miles AND PASS ME should not tell me "good job" as they go flying by.

-How in the world am I going to run 13.1 miles at one time?

-I want to detour to that garage sale

-Giving birth x3 does a number on your bladder....nuff said

-I am sooooo eating ice cream tonight (which could have something to do with the very very slow weight loss)

-I could never ever ever run without music, how do people do it? And TALK while running? No way.

Well, you get the picture. You have to occupy your time somehow. If you run I would love to hear what goes through your mind so you are not thinking "how much further to the end, I think I am going to die."

In other news, Morgan turned 8 months old yesterday. I can now pull her mo-hawk over & put a little bow in her hair. Love it! She is not crawling yet, but the girl knows how to work a room. She just rolls and rolls and scoots around. Still no teeth. Ethan didn't get teeth until 9 months and Reece was 12 months. We are late teethers at our house. I always get a wee bit sad when the teeth start coming in because I get so attached to the gummy smile. She is just such a joy and the most content and happy girl. And who can deny those big blue eyes! :)

Diaper Deal

Go here and click on 'get the coupon' to sign up for a $5 off Luvs coupon in the mail.

I have been buying diapers for the past 6 1/2 years (sigh) and I am a big Luvs fan. I have found that Luvs is cheaper AND you get more diapers than the name brands even with a coupon.

I, of course, like Pampers and Huggies, but Luvs does the trick, too. I have called Morgan the "never has a dry diaper" baby and she does NOT have leaks with Luvs. I swear the poor girl got her mother's bladder. She was wearing Huggies for a while and had a leak every morning. Now that I am back on Luvs...NO LEAKS. That being said, go sign up for the coupon if you buy diapers.

If you get your coupon in the mail and don't want to buy Luvs, then you can always just give the coupon to someone that you know (wink, wink) uses Luvs. That would make a pack at Wal-Mart just over $2 and a case $10 with the coupon.

You can also go here to print a $2 off a Healthy Choice frozen meal. I got one for free at Kroger yesterday with this coupon because they were on sale 2/$4.

On a side note...tonight is a big TV night. Big Brother ends (boo hoo) but The Biggest Loser begins (yeah!). This year I will try to not eat ice cream while watching TBL. It is so so wrong!