Kids being kids

Even before I had children, I always seemed to gravitate towards kids. I was the adult sitting at the kids table eating Christmas dinner. I was the one who was wrestling with them and getting told not to rile them up too much. I like the freedom that comes with kids. You can be as silly as you want and even the lamest jokes are funny to a 5 year old.

For me, it’s very important to let my kids be kids. I think the biggest reason is because I felt during my childhood that I wasn’t always allowed to be a kid. According to family members I was an annoying kid always asking questions and getting into stuff. What they see as annoying I see in my own kids as inquisitive and curious. My kids ask endless questions and some days I don’t feel like always answering them but I do because I know how it feels to ask a question and someone either not answer it or they give you one of those fake kid answers. I do not like fake kid answers. For example, “Mom, how do the pictures get into the television?” Fake kid answer = “You see, there’s this magic box and the magic box magically produces pictures that you see on the tv. I will give my kids the real answer to any question they ask, assuming I know the answer, and if I don’t I’ll find it out and then give them the answer. Not to be too dorky and steal a line from my youth but “knowledge is power”.

I try to let my kids explore (within reason) their surroundings. Sometimes that means they’re going to make a mess and I’ll answer what seems like a million questions. I find little experiments in their rooms and in the refrigerator that make me laugh. Recently, I gave them Whopper Easter egg candies and they brought some to the sink to wash off the outer layer of the egg to see what was underneath.

My hope is that they are either going to be great scientists (one can dream) or at the very least always asking questions and continue learning. I want them to continue to question their surroundings and not be obedient little soldiers but well rounded adults. Hopefully I can teach them to channel their “spiritedness” for good.

Runner vs. Jogger?

When people call me a runner I have a hard time coming to terms with that word in my head. I think because when I hear the word runner I think of lean, mean running machines and people that run fast. I am neither. I'm not fat but I'm not skinny. I'm not the slowest but I'm not fast. I didn't run track in high school or participate in any sports. I run because I enjoy it and it helps me quiet the voices in my head and to keep my sanity with my 3 young children (ages 5, 3 and 10 months). But somehow it doesn't sound right to call yourself a jogger either so I find myself in a weird limbo when I think of myself in terms of running.


Recently, I started the transition from running in shoes to running barefoot. I started after my last half marathon in October 2009. I run mainly in Vibrams now because it's winter and way too much snow for my liking but run barefoot when I can. Sometimes indoors, sometimes on the treadmill but I can only make it 1 or 2 miles before my treadmill is too blazing hot for my feet. I have found that after making the transition I am enjoying running even more and I'm looking forward to running barefoot when the weather is more cooperative.

All in all, I enjoy running/jogging and participate in races to keep myself motivated and to give me a goal to reach but speed is not my ultimate goal. I enjoy the journey, pushing myself, and the not often enough run with my husband. I love the feeling I get afterwards and the energy it provides me to keep up with my little gremlins (give them 10 minutes alone in a room and you'll see why I affectionately call them gremlins).

The longest race I have run in thus far is a 25k and have decided to make the plunge and run my first 50k this September. So whether I'm a runner or a jogger I guess really doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm still enjoying the process, more than ever, and look forward to what the future brings.