Of course there were plenty of OHGODIHATEMYLIFEWHYCANTSOMEONETAKETHESEWRETCHEDCHILDRENAWAY moments too, but many more than that, were the mmmmmmmmhmmmmmmmmmm moments.
I wanted to bottle up one of those times.
D'you ever want to be able to just stay in one particular minute for a lifetime?
The minute where my 5 year old is quietly, and ever so patiently painting a dinosaur after she'd cleaned her room and also the toys up in the living room, my three year old is twirling around, spilling sparkles off her Cinderella dress while listening to Shut Up & Dance With Me, and the boy is giving me smiley, humming, goobery smooches through the gate.
I'll write about it, in the hopes that one day, I can look back and reminisce about these simple times.
I was thinking, though, about how quickly we can go from, "Yay! You peed/pooped/sat on the potty!", to "Seriously?!?! Does anyone flush the toilet in this joint?!?!"
The milestones are fleeting, and yet sometimes I feel like they'll never be able to dress themselves, or clean up their plates, or brush their own teeth and hair.
The biggest kid is only just baaaaaaaaaaarely fitting into my lap anymore, and so the proof is there, that they won't always be small and cuddly and want to hold my hand.
But alas, in those lovely, fleeting reminders of their sweet, dependent littleness, I'm almost simultaneously snapped back into reality because someone is crying and/or screaming and there's also likely a diaper to change and watermelon to wipe up off the floor.
*sigh*
And then it's 8:06 and we have to hustle, (man, I say that word a LOT) get out the door to get the big kid on the bus so I can pack up the youngsters and get a run in.
Snacks, check. Water, check. Appropriate shoes for the requisite park stop, check.
Annnnnnnnnnd, quick check of the chariot tires so the 80lbs I'm pushing doesn't feel like 480lbs.
By 8:30, I'm in my happy place, with the kids along for the ride.
One of those good moments I was talking about? Yea, it happened right there. Sharing my passion with my kids.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmmmmmm.
And as we started running, she said, "Mom, I go to a' gym wif you tomowoah?", and I couldn't be upset with her for the screeching she'd done first thing that morning.
That girl has my whole heart for my whole life, even though she's got pure caverns of hellfire for a personality.
On my run, I happened upon some of my oldest Mom friends. I've known these gals since our biggest kids were only weeks old, so that's more than 5 years! We've seen each other go through many more additions of children and other life struggles and we still want to hang out.
It's seriously amazing, because really, there's got to be 50 kids between the 9 or 10 of us, and if you multiply that by minutes in the day, it's a miracle anyone's got the time!
These ladies have started running.
It makes my eyes well up to think about it, because these Mommas are taking their health and fitness into their own hands.
They all have small children, and some have tiny babies too.
But they're meeting, and running and learning what their legs can do.
And I am so very, very proud of them.
I received a message from one of these smokin' hot girls, where she said that she'd seen me running and was inspired.
Yes.
Just, Yes.
All sorts of, YES!
If you see me running, and it makes you want to run, then, girl, get out there!
You CAN do it!
It's so very cliche, but if I can do it, you can too.
I come from a lineage of sumo wrestlers.
Not distance runners.
You can do this! Seriously!
It's not going to be easy, or feel particularly good at first, but you will always feel fantastic afterwards. Always.
She went on to say that the first run almost killed her, but that she was going to go again the next night.
That, my friends, is perseverance.
And it applies to your whole life.
Keep. At. It.
Whatever it is you're doing that you think is hard?
Well, it's probably going to feel harder before it gets easier.
But then, suddenly, it just is easier.
You're stronger.
You're faster.
And one day, you're a runner.
Still a Mom.
But now, also, an athlete.
Good for you, girls.
You are inspiring loads of others.
Myself included.
And if I ever see you out there, I will be honking my horn and cheering you on as loud as I can!
Welcome to the club!
The biggest kid is only just baaaaaaaaaaarely fitting into my lap anymore, and so the proof is there, that they won't always be small and cuddly and want to hold my hand.
But alas, in those lovely, fleeting reminders of their sweet, dependent littleness, I'm almost simultaneously snapped back into reality because someone is crying and/or screaming and there's also likely a diaper to change and watermelon to wipe up off the floor.
*sigh*
And then it's 8:06 and we have to hustle, (man, I say that word a LOT) get out the door to get the big kid on the bus so I can pack up the youngsters and get a run in.
Snacks, check. Water, check. Appropriate shoes for the requisite park stop, check.
Annnnnnnnnnd, quick check of the chariot tires so the 80lbs I'm pushing doesn't feel like 480lbs.
By 8:30, I'm in my happy place, with the kids along for the ride.
One of those good moments I was talking about? Yea, it happened right there. Sharing my passion with my kids.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmmmmmm.
And as we started running, she said, "Mom, I go to a' gym wif you tomowoah?", and I couldn't be upset with her for the screeching she'd done first thing that morning.
That girl has my whole heart for my whole life, even though she's got pure caverns of hellfire for a personality.
On my run, I happened upon some of my oldest Mom friends. I've known these gals since our biggest kids were only weeks old, so that's more than 5 years! We've seen each other go through many more additions of children and other life struggles and we still want to hang out.
It's seriously amazing, because really, there's got to be 50 kids between the 9 or 10 of us, and if you multiply that by minutes in the day, it's a miracle anyone's got the time!
These ladies have started running.
It makes my eyes well up to think about it, because these Mommas are taking their health and fitness into their own hands.
They all have small children, and some have tiny babies too.
But they're meeting, and running and learning what their legs can do.
And I am so very, very proud of them.
I received a message from one of these smokin' hot girls, where she said that she'd seen me running and was inspired.
Yes.
Just, Yes.
All sorts of, YES!
If you see me running, and it makes you want to run, then, girl, get out there!
You CAN do it!
It's so very cliche, but if I can do it, you can too.
I come from a lineage of sumo wrestlers.
Not distance runners.
You can do this! Seriously!
It's not going to be easy, or feel particularly good at first, but you will always feel fantastic afterwards. Always.
She went on to say that the first run almost killed her, but that she was going to go again the next night.
That, my friends, is perseverance.
And it applies to your whole life.
Keep. At. It.
Whatever it is you're doing that you think is hard?
Well, it's probably going to feel harder before it gets easier.
But then, suddenly, it just is easier.
You're stronger.
You're faster.
And one day, you're a runner.
Still a Mom.
But now, also, an athlete.
Good for you, girls.
You are inspiring loads of others.
Myself included.
And if I ever see you out there, I will be honking my horn and cheering you on as loud as I can!
Welcome to the club!
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