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Mommy Monday:  Suck It Up 101...Character Training for Tweens

7/14/2014

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 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” ~Hebrews 12:1
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Part of my mom-job includes shaping my girl’s character. Many times this calls for me to sit back and allow her to face  consequences  (i.e. forgetting her flute at home for the 3rd time equals after school detention with the bonus of walking home because she’s missed the bus). Other times this calls for severe interventions on my part, such as last fall during her first cross country season. 

This is what I said to her after she skipped practice:   My darling daughter, fortunately for you, your mom  graduated from West Point and served in the US Army during her 20s which means I have discipline in spades; unfortunately for you that means I’m a bit lacking in the empathy department. Since you have the added bonus of a combat veteran father, you and your sisters will be taught what it means to have integrity.  We hope that you choose to embrace this character trait as it will guide you towards a bright future.

PictureLife’s uphill battles are the most teachable moments
SO:

If you call your mom at 2PM because you forgot your running shoes, I will wake up your baby sister from her nap and bring your shoes to school.

If I have to stop preparing dinner, and bring both of your sisters with me to pick you up from cross country practice THAT SAME DAY, and you cheerfully tell me you played with acorns instead of running with the team because you “broke” your leg during stretching, there will be a consequence. Instead of attending fun activities, you will run with your mom. I'm not in Army fighting shape right now, so running at my pace won’t kill you. However your incessant whining may lead ME down the path of insanity.

In case you haven’t noticed, our family may be a bit different from other kids in your middle school. We’re so glad to have you as part of our team, and in a decade or two we hope you will realize we tried our best, and be thankful for your years with us. In the meantime, let me introduce you to your first rules of operation. I’ll call them “Suck-It-Up Cross Country Style”:


1.  It’s not “fair” is a 4 letter word in our household.

2.  Church youth group will never trump cross country practice.

3.  Learning how to survive a side splint builds character, your mom and dad think it’s awesome you’re learning this at age 11!

4. In our family, if we start something, we will finish it, even if it takes 10 times longer than it should. (I had to remind myself of this when I trained for my first half marathon).


  “Train up a child in the way she should go, and when she is old, she will not depart from it.” ~Proverbs 22:6
That whole “training” of the child is where I am right now… doing my best to put one foot in front of the other.
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Mommy Monday: The Days Are Long... But The Years Fly By!

7/7/2014

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After my military years I really enjoyed running my own financial planning business! My efforts in this 100% commission job even earned me and the hubby an all-inclusive trip to Hawaii! (Don’t be too jealous, I was 5 months preggo with girlie #2 at the time, so I didn’t even get to taste a Mai-Tai). Two kids and the hours required by that job proved to be too much, so along came career change #3… the most difficult of all. I became a stay at home mom/ momager/ household executive. Unfortunately no one was offering free-trip incentives, the hours were even worse that my last job, and they pay was atrocious.

A wise mom a decade ahead of me in parenting-mode was kind and encouraging and shared these wise words, “The Days Are Long Yet the Years Fly By.” I didn’t get it at the time as I was dealing with a hyperactive 4 year old while nursing a 3 month old baby, in my new job as housewife (AKA maid and milk cow). Fast forward a decade and I totally understand. 

Now I have all stages: a tween that is still sweet, yet overcome with angry hormones at times, my happy-go-lucky & slow-as-a-slug-when-it-comes-to-chores 3rd grader, and my 3 year old baby girl who still thinks (and says) “MOM IS AWESOME!” 
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My first little angel “baby,” the one who gave me the title of Mom, turned 12 in April. 

TWELVE! 

- As in we’re 2/3 of the way done with parenting her at home.

- As in next year we’ll have a teenager (Heaven help us)! 

- As in SIX years she will be gone… 

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Six years ago she made this face for me…. She said, “WOW, Mom I’m six! Get it? My mouth is open as the O in Wow and my 6 fingers spell the W’s.” Then she pointed her fingers towards the ground and said, “Look Mom! It spells MOM now--- because I love you!” I remember that moment like it was yesterday.

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So if you’re like me today:  trying to prepare dinner/fold clothes/ wash the dishes while one kid slathers jelly on your freshly cleaned countertops, the other is crying b/c she ran into a wall as she walked around with closed eyes “for fun,” and the other one is busy dumping the entire contents of her backpack in your entry way….. just STOP…  Take a breath and a mental picture of your life this summer day.  Embrace the chaos. Find the HAPPY in the crazy days as those years keep zipping by.  

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    Leslie Riley
    AKA SUPERSOL

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    Meet Leslie.  Some  call her by her name.  Others call her Wonder Woman.  Everyone calls her an inspiration! Lover of all things Wonder Woman...including a pair of adult underoos she wore during her first Ironman 70.3 triathlon.  Mostly because committing to her own health moved her from one end of the health scale to the other.  When she started training in July 2012, she couldn't do a sit up or run a single mile.  She also thought green smoothies & protein bars were a waste of calories.  What a difference 9 months makes...

    In May 2013 Leslie completed her first Ironman 70.3 event.  In December 2013 she run a 50K trail race.  AND...she now thinks green smoothies & protein bars are delicious.  Proof that anything is possible when you have the right attitude & are ready to believe in yourself. 
    

    MH 
    AKA MAMMARAZZI

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    Meet MH, marketing and sales guru moving the mountains and delivering the happiness while donning her SUPER MOMMA cape! She is a beautiful and bold Southern Belle from the state of Texas! Currently living in the cold tundra of Michigan with her husband of 13 years and her 3 daughters that keep her days full of surprise and adventure! MH is currently training for her first half marathon which includes daily training of running after her 3 year old toddler and finding other creative ways to build smiles into all those miles. MH Rocks and is going to bring the Mammarazzi to her blogs!

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