What in the world...?

I often wonder if my kids are learning the things I am teaching them.   There are repeat offenses that require patient reminders (and more reminders) that make me think I am not making a bit of difference in their lives.  But I get reminders every once and a while that they are watching and learning every second.

Yesterday was our weekly trip to Walmart.  I do my best to fit that "job" in our lives at a time that the boys do not have to be tortured by coming with me.  Unfortunately, this week required the three of us to make the trek together.

Walmart trips are hard.  My parenting skills and patience are are tested (to say the least.)  I'm going to do my best to describe an average trip to Walmart.  If you are a mom of at least two children, you can skip the next paragraph, because you have lived this and know first-hand how your blood  pressure rises several points and your heart begins to palpitate. 

The trips look something like this: Start moving the cart forward - call the kids to remind them to keep up with me.  Arrive at the location of the first item on my list.  Stop the cart.  Pick out first item. "Please stop touching things."  "Hey - stay close to the cart."  Begin to move cart to the next item.  "Come on boys.  Please keep up with me."  Boys hop on the sides of the cart.  "Hop down, please, we won't fit down this isle."  Boys hop down.  Get distracted by something on the shelf.  I keep rolling, as we have not yet arrived at the location of the next item.  "Come on boys, please keep up with the cart." Boys come back to the cart.  Arrive at the location of the next item.  Stop the cart.  Boys touch and grab at items on the shelf.  "Boys - please do not touch items on the shelf. "  Grab the item. (Probably the wrong item at this point because I can't think about what I'm doing.)  Start moving cart to the next item.  "Come on boys - please keep up with the cart."  "Oh - please watch where you are going.  You are about to run into someone."  "Hey - scooch over - there's someone coming down the isle."  And now I have two items in my cart.  Out of 200. 

It's a long day.

(As an aside to the story, I would like to point out that I used to not understand...which sounds better than "judge"...parents at Walmart who were "uptight" with their children.  Not any more, my friends.  I have been that momma.)

Now that I have set the stage, I will come back to yesterday, and the lesson I learned about my kids learning from me.  It was near the end of the trip.  Miles had brought along a fruit bar for a snack, and at one of our stops to pick out an item, he asked for my help opening it.  "Just a second, Miles, I need to think about this."  "Help me, Mom!"  "Okay - just a sec, Bud."  "HELP ME, MOM!"  I looked down and he had opened both ends, crumbs were flying, it was a mess.  And then it happened, as if my patience had run dry.  "Miles - what in the world were you thinking to open both ends?"

We recovered and finished the trip.  We even salvaged the fruit bar.  However, when I was loading groceries into the car, I heard Cooper say to his brother, "Miles, what in the world were you thinking...?"  It sounded so awful coming out of my six-year-old's mouth.  It was so obvious to me where Cooper learned that.  The scene from earlier in the store was repeating in my head and I heard my own voice saying the exact same thing.  Cooper had learned dishonoring words from me.

I apologized to Miles for saying what I had said in the store and talked to the boys about using honoring words with others - even Mommy needs to do this.  Even if we have just spent two hours at Walmart.  Even if my patience is gone.  Even if I really think I deserve to say whatever I want because circumstances are hard.

I have the ability to breathe life or death into my children.  Yesterday made it so real to me that the decisions I make affect my children's behavior.  They are learning from me!

Deut 30:19-20
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Florida

 

For my 32nd birthday, Nate sent Sarita and I on a long weekend trip to Marco Island, FL.  I am amazed at how spoiled I am that my husband was able to bless me with this gift!  Here are a few highlights.

This was the view from our room.

Our first night, we got caught in the rain walking home from Subway.  We had an impromptu 2 mile sprint!

A dream vacation for me means being able to stick even more strictly to my very comfortable routine, so Sarita and I planned to continue our running per normal.  However, we didn't really count on the FL humidity, the time change, the 2-miles sprint the night before, etc.  So by the end of our runs, we were, well, I shouldn't speak for Sarita, I was DYING.  But alas, off in the distance, a glowing beacon of hope:

 

 

Which provided this:

 

Our Friday schedule included running, sitting on the beach, eating, sitting on the beach, eating, and watching the sunset on the beach: the PERFECT day. 

 

And here is the sunset.  Have you ever noticed the clouds in the sunset add so much beauty?

  

  On Saturday, we decided to be wild and crazy and go on a Wave Runner tour. This was a highlight, for sure, as we got to see dolphins really close! 

 

Here is the sunset on our last night:

Here we are, waiting to leave paradise.

What an amazing gift! I am so thankful!

The last few weeks

The last few weeks have flown by. The week of Carey's birthday, I was traveled for work, getting home on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, Carey jumped on a plane with Sarita headed to Florida. The rest of us loaded up to drive to Oklahoma to visit my family. The boys did awesome and we had a great time, but we played hard and ended up exhausted. While we were there, we spent time fishing, camping, riding 4-wheelers and meeting our new nephew Zeke. We drove all night Saturday to get home before Carey.

Regretfully, I think that was the start of getting sick. Carey wasn't feeling well prior to her trip, but Miles and I started to feel it too. I left the next Tuesday to Toronto for the week and returned home even more sick.

So, that brings us to today. Between not having time and being sick, I haven't ridden for two weeks. I'm not sure what's worse - being sick or looking in the garage at my new, unridden cross bike just hanging there.

Everyone should be home next week and I'm looking forward to a more normal schedule, at least for a few days.

'Cross Racing

Following up to the last post, many people not familiar with Cyclocross have asked me what it is. I've tried to explain it a number of times and it never goes well - 'it's kind of like a mountain bike race on a road-like frame, you do laps, jump off your bike and carry it through mud, up stairs and over barriers, etc'. Somehow, this doesn't seem to give a good mental picture. So, while there are several good videos out there (especially the World Championship Videos on YouTube), here is a short video of day two of the Gran Prix of Gloucester last weekend. Click here for the video.