The Mom Crowd

My husband recently got laid off from his job due to the recession and has been home full time for about two weeks.  As negative as his job loss may seem, it’s been a blessing to me at this point in time.  I have been dealing with some health problems that have kept me in bed and unable to do my daily activities, including chasing after our two kids.  I have been blessed that my husband has been stepping up to the plate in a big way, even more than usual.  It got me to thinking about how much I underappreciate him on a regular basis.

Often times I get into the mindset of “I do so much around here and no one seems to appreciate it” and I forget about all that my husband does without expecting my praise or any reward.  Even before he was laid off, he spent a ton of time with the kids and did baths everynight.  He always takes out the trash and brings in the heavy things from the car after big shopping trips.  Little things like those go unappreciated so often that I have begun to take him for granted.  I have come up with a few ideas of ways I can show my appreciation for him and thought I’d share.  (Of course, being the ever loving and supportive husband he is, he will probably read this before you all do and will know the little acts of kindness before they are done!)

• Write him a little note telling him how much I love him and leave it in his car (I do this every now and then when I can sneak out to the car without him knowing)
• Give him an unprompted back rub
• Make his favorite dinner without asking him beforehand what he wants to eat that night 
• Do the kids’ bath one night to give him a break
• Brag about him to my friends
• Make him his favorite cookies and not eat any myself

I think the best thing I can do to show him my true appreciation for all that he is and does is just to tell him and stop complaining when I don’t feel appreciated.  I think he’ll like the last one best of all!

What kinds of little things do you do for your husband when you want to show him your appreciation?  What are some ways you wish he would show you his appreciation for you?

Photo Courtesy of KayVee.INC

This last week, I volunteered at my church’s Vacation Bible School.  It was a wonderful time, but incredibly exhausting!  Our church’s VBS was in the evenings from 6:30-9:15.  I volunteered very last minute as a crew leader, which meant I was responsible for taking 5-7 children through each VBS station.  The first night was overwhelming for me.  I had six children in my crew.  The two boys in my crew were hyper and wild!  I was constantly having to shhh! them and remind them to listen.  I had one little girl who wasn’t content unless all four of her limbs were wrapped around my leg.  In addition to a group of energetic children, I was performing all of the high energy songs and dance moves, mediating arguments over who was going to sit by me, and hunting down the nurse for icepacks for boo-boos.  I got home after those first two nights feeling completely drained and over-stimulated.  However, toward the middle of the week, I started feeling like I was getting to know these children better and started noticing the numberous positive qualities that each of them had.  I started looking forward to seeing them and following up on the stories they shared with me the evening prior.  It was wonderful and inspiring to see their love for God and I finished the week feeling as though I had a positive impact on these children’s lives and that they had taught me something about the simplicity of faith. 

Our church went all out for Vacation Bible School.  Our theme (like many churches this summer) was Crocodile Dock.  We went through the week’s swamp theme, stopping at a snack, game, interactive Bible story, craft, candle-light discussion, and large group stations.  The kids had a blast learning about Moses, the plagues, and telling the Pharoah to “let my people go!”  Every night we learned about how much God loves us and that we should “FEAR NOT!”  One of the most awesome experiences of my week was when one of my little guys told me that he was sad his friend wasn’t there.  He thought she was going to come and she wasn’t.  Tuesday evening, we prayed that she would come and I can not even describe the look on his face when he saw her on Wednesday night.  He was so excited that God answered his prayer and was overjoyed at the gift he had in communicating with God.  All he spoke about the remainder of the week was about how God heard his prayer.  I loved being a crew leader and even though it was exhausting, I would totally do it again! 

My own children are still too young to participate in Vacation Bible School, but I can’t wait for them to be a part of it!  Here are some reasons I think parents should sign their children up for Vacation Bible School.

•  You get a several hour break from your kids every day for a week!
• Your children will be in a loving environment with people who care about their well-being.
• Your kids will have a blast!  There is no such thing as a boring VBS!
• VBS will reinforce what you have been trying to teach your children about God, if you are a Christian.
• VBS is a good way for you to get to know a church that you do not attend if you are looking for a church home.

Have your children attended VBS’s this summer or in summers past?  Have you ever volunteered at a VBS at your church?

It’s hard to believe it was close to two months ago that  I posted some resolutions I had for myself this summer.  I was determined to value the time with my kids and not get caught up in feeling bored/trapped/stir-crazy.  We are already at the half-way point here.  I thought I’d let you know how it’s been going. 

1. Theme weeks have continued to be a source of inspiration and activities for the kids and me this summer.  We kicked things off with cars, then moved onto balloons, followed by rain, then bugs, and music.  Music is such a fun topic, I’ve extended it for another week, and we still have a lot more we could do with it.  We’ve painted, made crafts with stickers, listened to funky songs, watched pertinent videos, and talked extensively about each theme.  My kids love reading new, special library books, too.  Here’s how I’ve been doing it:  about a week in advance, I search my library’s online database for children’s books in that subject area and put them on hold.  The librarians then do all the work for me!  They gather the books I’ve held and email me when they come in.  All I have to do is go in and pick them up.  This is great for me, since my kids are under 4 years old.  (If your kids are older, you can help your kids practice their library skills and find those themed books themselves.)  I read one new library book a day, which is very exciting for my kids.  We spend a lot of time reading and re-reading our special-themed books.  Themes coming up:  the sun, airplanes, fish, and colors.
2. I’ve been stretching myself and taking my kids to the library and storytimes by myself (I’m usually much more lazy and prefer only to do these things with my hubby).  I guess there’s no time like the present to suck it up!  The kids really like outings of any kind, too.  That makes it worth it. 
3. Playgroup is going strong.  This week, I hosted playgroup, and I had 10 adults and 16 kids hanging out in our backyard!  It was crazy, but really fun.  (Note to self: pick up all the dog poop BEFORE guests arrive.  There’s really nothing more humiliating than saving that one for the end of the to-do list.)
4. I’ve been making sure I’m getting “me time” at least once a week.  Sometimes this just means watching “The Bachelorette” by myself, a little guilty pleasure.  I told my husband at the beginning of the summer that it would be easier to maintain a positive attitude if I knew I had a mommy break built into each week.  He was totally on board with that idea.  Sometimes I slip out for errands by myself, or treat myself to a solo-movie date.  (Did anyone else enjoy The Proposal like I did??)  Last week I ran a 5K; this week I am going to a friend’s house to watch her make jewelry.  Me-time is non-negotiable.

Sharing my glass-is-half-full approach to the summer with you has really kept me accountable.  I have some rough days, of course, but in general, this summer has been very sweet.  I am grateful for my children, my husband, and this opportunity to hang out with them so much.  And the time is flying by!

How are you holding up this summer?

Have you thought about running as a way to workout? As a way to lose that postpartum muffin top? If you want to run, you can do it! It is just a matter of wanting to do it and carving out the time in your schedule. Even if you have never ran a day in your life – you CAN run! You just need to be sure that you don’t have joint problems or any other condition where running would make your condition worse.

Myself, McKenna, Dawn and a few other friends are gearing up to run a Half Marathon in San Antonio, TX in November. My friend, Natalie, asked me what she needed to know before she started running. I pointed her to a few of our older posts here on The Mom Crowd.

McKenna ran a 5K (3.1 miles) first and she then encouraged Dawn to run her first 5K. Then Dawn took it to the next level and ran a half marathon (13.1 miles).  Here is how she prepared her for her first half marathon and her results.

I ran a 5K with McKenna the week I found out I was pregnant with my second baby. I also had the opportunity to interview my friend Kristin who lost 90 POUNDS from running. Kristin ran a half marathon last year and is planning on running another one with her husband in November.  You can check out the video below.

Here are 8 tips if you are brand new to running.

1. Know the lingo and set a goal.
In McKenna’s first 5K post she recommends to find a Fun Run in your area and register for the race. Because the race fees are usually non-refundable, you are more likely to do the race.

Here are the types of most races:
5K = 3.1 miles
10K = 6.2 miles
10 Mile Race
Half Marathon = 13.1 miles
Marathon = 26.2 miles

2. Have a good pair of running shoes.
Your feet and your joints will thank you! Saving your body is worth the price of a new pair of shoes. An article for beginners on RunnersWorld.com says, “Cross-trainers, aerobics shoes, and other athletic foot–wear don’t have enough cushioning to handle running’s impact–nor does the pair of running shoes you wore two years ago. Buy new running shoes, or you risk getting injured.”

3. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch before and after your run.
Set a stretching routine that you can follow every day. Don’t ever skip stretching, unless you want to pull a muscle. Additionally, stretching after you run will help with soreness. I really dislike stretching after I run, because I just want to be done. So I only do three stretches when I am done: touch my toes, stretch my quads and my calves. For me, these are the 3 areas that I will most likely be sore later. Here is great post with stretching suggestions! (Thanks TimeOutMom.)

4. Start small and build up your strength and endurance.
You can start running in intervals while running and walking. Go for 30 minutes by doing a 1:4. This means that you run for 1 minute, then walk for 4 minutes. You do that same pattern 6 times until you have completed 30 minutes. Then the next week you can do 2:3. Running for 2 minutes and walking 3 for 30 minutes. You keep up this pattern until you can run 30 minutes straight.

If you decide that you want to start running without any walking, then you can start with a short distance. Only do a quarter of a mile until that quarter of mile gets easy. Then, do a half mile until a half mile gets easy. And so forth. Eventually doing 3 miles will be easy!

5. Take rest days.
You need rest days! Sometimes we want to come out of the gate fast and workout every day, but your body needs recovery days. While you should maintain a minimum of 3 runs a week, you also shouldn’t run every single day. MarathonRookie.com says:

You should not run every day. Your body needs to rest between runs so it can recover from one run to the next, getting stronger between each run. Nutrition and eating the right foods at the right time also play a vital role in recovery. Take recovery days equally as serious as your running days.

6. Have accountability and support.
Doing a race with friends will help you stay accountable. You can cheer each other on during the training weeks. Text your friend and see if they ran that day. You also need the support of a spouse or friend to help you watch the kids when you go on runs. You can also join a training or running group.

7. Run for a cause.
Need some inspiration to run? Run for a cause. If you run a half marathon or a full marathon you can sign up with an organization and help raise money to support their cause. Angie ran a marathon and raised 4,536 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of her father. She claims that she is not a runner. If you need some inspiration for running read her Gonna Run a Marathon Blog.

8.  Brag!
There is nothing wrong with getting on your blog, Facebook, Twitter or texting a friend to tell people that you ran that day! Knowing that I will get to update my Facebook status and Tweet my run gets me out of bed. (If you do tweet about running you can use the hashtag #momsrunning.) My friend, Dawn, also set up a blog just for the 4 of us running together to cheer each other on.

Now it is time to get out there and run!

More Articles About Running
Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Runner
Training For Your First Half Marathon
Six Simple Rules for Safe Runs
RunningMoms.com
Train Before Your 5K Goal

Do you like to run? Have you thought about running? Have you ever completed a Half or Full Marathon? What advice would you give someone just starting to run?

- photo courtesy of justin_a_glass

Two weeks ago I filmed a segment for ABC News show “Moms Get Real” with Juju Chang. The episode aired last week on ABC’s website. You can watch the show by clicking on the photo of it here on the right. In the show Juju Chang, Romi Lassally of truuconfessions.com, Anonymous Mom, and myself talk about Mommy Time.

The first question that Juju asked me was, “Was there a time that you realized that you needed mommy time?” I actually had 2 answers to this question. I told the producer on the phone that it is more of a day to day need. There are days when everything goes wrong. A day where the kids have misbehaved all day, have been whiny or very needy, or you just can’t figure out what they need. A day where you are just exhausted at the end of it. I also told the Producer that Summer has increased my need for Mommy Time, because I am with my kids 24/7. In the interview, I brought up a funny anecdote about how I had gotten blood, throw up, and poop on me in the span of 30 minutes (true story!) There are times when I just feel plain disgusting. Have you ever had a moment when you realized that you needed Mommy Time?

I don’t remember the next question that Juju asked me, because I was trying to remember to smile and not look like a doofus when they were talking. It was also difficult to pay attention, because I could only hear Juju and and Romi speaking through a static-y connection. I couldn’t see them. I totally freaked out when I realized that I hadn’t heard what Juju just said. I think she asked about why we need Mommy Time. I really believe we need Mommy Time because we pour ourselves out with all our heart, body, and soul all day long. We need some time to fill our cups, so we have something to pour out again. Our energy, patience, and compassion dries up and we need time to refill and rejuvenate ourselves. Why do you think we need Mommy Time?

Finally we discussed how we get Mommy Time. I feel very lucky that I am able to work out a schedule with my husband to find the time. Taking 2 to 3 hours by myself on a Sunday afternoon works for my family. My husband is completely off work and is able to watch the kids for me. I have tried to do every Monday night, but I found it hard to pull myself away from the house after a full day with the kids. I also needed time that wasn’t late at night, so I could be alert to work on my blog and do other fun things. I am not a morning a person at all. I have a friend that takes Saturday mornings off.

In the video they also mentioned a mom who confessed that she sat on the toilet for a break. I know I have sat down in the shower when I have felt overwhelmed. The important thing is that we take some Mommy Time to do whatever the heck we want without having to worry about our kids. How do you get Mommy Time?

Amelia recently wrote a blog post titled, How To Take Care Of Yourself (as the mom). The article has some good ideas to take care of yourself. iVillage published 31 Mommy-Time Ideas for Busy Moms which includes, chatting a with a friend as a way to relieve stress. There are many creative way to take Mommy Time.

Is Mommy Time realistic? Do you actually take time for yourself to do whatever you want? When was the last time you had a minute to yourself?