Monday Micro: Kitty cat hat!

I made this hat for a friend's daughter...and it's too small! It should fit babies ages 2-6 months, approximately (and would probably be most comfy for little ones on the smaller end of that range.)



Designed and stitched by C. Beth.

Weakness and joy

I had a rough run yesterday. I went ten miles total, but for the last two-plus miles, I was walking because my darn IT band was bothering me enough that I needed to stop running on it. For quite a bit of that final two miles, I was on the phone with my husband, telling him my frustrations.

I've been going to this fantastic rehab clinic for the last week, where a doctor has been doing therapy on me, and I've been taught what I can do at home to work on my issues.

All that is working great on some other (more minor) issues I was having. And my IT band did well on my shorter runs this week. So (even though my doctor told me it would be fixed in two to three weeks) I had such high hopes yesterday. Hopes that left me disappointed and weepy.

I'm not sure what's going to happen from here. I still have four weeks to get this worked out before the half marathon I have scheduled, but I really don't know if that's going to happen or not. I don't like being in limbo.

But as I stood outside Starbucks after my run, drinking my guilt-free Frappuccino and waiting for my husband and kids to come pick me up, I realized some things.

• I believe God is personal. I know him. And no matter what disappoints me in life, He's with me. So If I can focus on Him, resting in his hands, I don't have to place my hope in things that I can't really depend on, like being a perfectly healthy runner. I'm still frustrated with my body, but I'm thankful that it's helping me shift my focus back to the One who I can depend on.
  
• I ran about eight miles yesterday (with lots of stops to try to deal with my issues, but still...eight miles.) I let the two miles I couldn't run determine my mood, instead of being thankful for the eight miles I could run. Whether or not I can run 13.1 miles in four weeks, I want to enjoy and be grateful for every single mile that my body lets me run. And the nice thing about gratitude is...it reminds me again to focus on the One I'm grateful to.

I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon, and I'm still tired and disappointed and know I could cry at the drop of a hat. But I also have joy because today reminded me what's important to me. I can focus on a strong God...instead of a weak body.

The fastest trip to Wal-Mart ever

Last Thursday night, The Engineer asked me, "You remember that the potluck at my office is tomorrow, right?"

Uh oh. He'd mentioned it once, asking me to make soup for it--and I'd promptly forgotten.

The next morning I got myself and the kids ready, but I needed more ingredients for the soup. When I took a moment to consider what time it was and how long it would take to go shopping, make the soup, and drive to Daddy's office, I realized I needed to hurry.

My normal response to being hurried is to rush the kids, snap at them when they don't move fast enough, and generally work myself into a frenzy. Not the best state of mind for a mom (especially a mom who's about to drive somewhere!) This time I took a different tactic.

With a voice full of excitement, I asked the kids, "Who wants to take the fastest trip to Wal-Mart ever?"

Zoodle wasn't overly enthusiastic, but was willing to move quickly. And Chickie immediately got caught up in the thrill of doing something different. She raced to the garage door, rushed into her seat, and encouraged me to hurry. We got to Wal-Mart, and I put them both in the basket, and they had fun while I zoomed it around the parking lot and the store, pushing it faster than usual.

All in all, it was a fun trip--and a fast one. The kids cooperated because I wasn't pushing them; instead I was making our hurried errand into a game.

At what other times could I take a lighthearted attitude and accomplish more than I manage to with my stressed-out attitude? Hopefully the fastest trip to Wal-Mart ever is the start of my fastest parenting improvement ever...we'll see!