Sellabit Mum

Minnesota Mom Blog | Humor | Parenting | Writing | Lifestyle|Fitness| Tracy Morrison

High Five Friday

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Five Things To Read This Week.

I’ve been writing. I swear to you I’ve been writing like I promised to last month. But I’ve been writing with a pen and paper just like Julie asked me to do. So maybe those words will end up on here. Or maybe not. Maybe they will show up somewhere else, or maybe they will stay in the notebook for my kids to find 60 years from now when they are cleaning up my cat lady house after I die.

 

Speaking of Julie…her novel Letters For Scarlet launches in April and I just finished my preview copy. You MUST buy and read her book. A full review is coming soon…..

 

My friend Christine always inspires me. Like I wake up most mornings thinking about her and seeking out her writing and photographs because she is pure joy, inspiration, talent, and beauty. She had a few articles go crazy viral over the past week, but I love her article on The Washington Post.

 

I adore Jennie – her faith, family and her writing. I needed to read and nodded through this post about Forgiveness. I think you will see your human self in it too.

 

Love, Surfing, and Marriage – yes yes and yes..all of it from my dear friend Michelle.

 

Five Instagram Photos This Week

 

I do most of my writing these days on Instagram. So if you are looking for me – find and follow me over there..

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  1. New neighbors moved in over the weekend so we made and delivered cookies! Hopefully they will be some new “clients” for Eloise’s babysitting business.
  2. Fernie the Bernie…(WE GOT A DOG…more later)…with her sweet sister in the van.
  3. Yoga #poseoftheday – I’ve been doing core work and daily stretches and yoga as I continue to get stronger as I recover from my running injury.
  4. Snow Day! We had 12″ of snow this week and had a blast in the snow.
  5. Matilda Jane launch week! Our new Spring line is available so I spent the week working my tail off. I’ve been a Trunk Keeper for almost nine years and love my job still every single day.

Linking up with Angela at Happy Fit Mama!

 

Have a great weekend

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Where I Give 15 Fs About 2016

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This morning I woke up the same way that I wake up every morning. The cat is licking my face as my alarm goes off. I wonder if she really thinks I’ll forget to Feed her. Have I ever Forgotten to Feed her? I Feed her and I make sure the coffee is ready and then I work-out. After my work-out I drink copious amounts of coffee as I watch the morning news. I catch up on Facebook and Instagram and email, and then I wait for the Family to wake.

Just hours into the New Year, 2016 Feels the same. The cat, the coffee, the news, the work-out and the being First up for like always a million mornings later. I like the comfort in the routine and Familiar. I am not beyond Feeling like a toddler in my need for the predictable. Yet I don’t want to get comfortable in other ways. I want to step out of my comfort(and honestly, control) zone to be better and experience new. Just don’t mess with the First hours of my morning.

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2015 brought some big changes in many areas – Friends, Family, Fitness, Finances…and honestly had me using the big F word more than usual. And if you know me and my love for the big F word – well, wow that’s kind of a big deal to use it even more.

 

I’m not making resolutions here, because eFF that – so instead I’m using 15 F words that will define my life living Forward in 2016.

 

Focus – Like how I started writing this blog post on New Year’s Day..and here it is Five days later and I’m Finally Finishing it. Yeah, I need to work on this one. This Focus of putting First things First and prioritizing and letting go of the crap that’s not important. But I won’t be able to really Focus until I Finish Breaking Bad. Check back with me in a Few days after I binge watch the Final two seasons. Just tell me that cute Jesse is okay.

Family – Numero uno. But I can’t do this until I get clear Focus, right. That’s why I have it listed as number two. Family First and always. I love my people and they need to know it more. I mean sure I clean the house and cook their meals and make sure they have Folders and clean clothes. And I give hugs and kisses and encouragement and love. But I need to be more present for them when we are together. Whether it’s the now old cliche of putting my phone down, or maybe even watching the Minions for the 153rd time.

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Fun – Which brings me to Fun. I’m the heavy in our Family. The enforcer of the chores and the discipline. I run a tight ship and have high expectations of everyone. This will not change. But I do promise to have more Fun this year and always. We can all wear dirty clothing for a day if it means a few hours of sledding. More yes and less no.

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Fitness – I qualified for the Boston Marathon and am running it in April. I’m currently in a boot – so no running which totally sucks, but I’m coming back even stronger than before…trust me. My Fitness goals in 2016 are to get back into running shape with overall health and Future in mind…strong core, strong body, good choices. And by the end of 2016 I want to be in even better overall health and in stronger shape than I am in now. My goal is to write more about my Fitness journey in 2016 too. Hold me to that one, okay?

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F(ph)otography – My camera has taken a bit of a hiatus in recent years. I’m giving myself the time to explore and get to know my Friend Canon again in 2016. I need to stop worrying about perfect and just shoot.

Food – I have always watched what I eat, but I’m bringing my Family more into this in 2016. In 2015 I started “new recipe” Wednesday with the family – I cooked something completely new each Wednesday, and it was a huge success(maybe I should’ve blogged about it), so 2016 is continuing that as well as Focusing on cutting out more sugar and meat and processed items from everything we eat.

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Future – No looking back this year. The best is yet to come. Let’s celebrate and make an impact where we can – in tomorrow…not yesterday.

Friends – This is a BIG one For me in 2016. The older I get the more I know how important true Friends are. Yet how difficult it is to Find Friends at this age. We aren’t having babies anymore, we aren’t in college anymore, and I don’t have a workplace that I go to where I’m heading out to lunches with adults. But it’s Finding those true and easy Friends – through school or activities or book clubs or Facebook…AND making the time to have coffee or wine or even a phone conversation. Let’s all make the time For Friends this year. Friends Feed our soul differently than work or Family. Let’s celebrate and make time for that.

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Finances – Our BIG commitment for 2016. We made some huge Financial decisions in 2014 and 2015 – and now it’s time to continue moving Forward to ensure our Future retirement(EEK) as well as the kids’ Future is Funded. We will hold monthly Family Finance meetings and Focus on what’s important with our Finances. Full transparency as we move Forward is key.

(non)Fiction – I WILL write in 2016. It might not be here always, but I will write. I want to write a children’s book that I’ve had in draft for almost three years, and I will pitch some articles this year. I have Found that the less I write, the more scattered and unhappy my brain gets…so I need to do this. And I will.

Facebook – And all social media. I Find it can be such a time suck because I love to see you all – your Families, your pictures, your lives..and I love to support you all…but I need more balance here. I have already stepped away quite a bit and will continue to Focus my social media time better in 2016.

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Fly – We WILL take a Family vacation in 2016. We WILL continue to show our kids the world in 2016. We WILL Focus on our Finances better so this is our yearly goal as a Family – to invest in our Fun, our Future, and our global views moving Forward.

(give)Forward – I have applied for a local volunteer position and intend to dedicate more of my time in 2016 to giving Forward to others(more locally) in 2016. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank.

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(my aging)Face – Hey, guess what? I’m 47..and will be 48 in 2016. This happens. Yet, I like my Face in the here and now. I do. I like the lines that have come with time and experience. Even the lines on my arms and tummy – YES that happens too dear young people. But I love it. My Face scared me when I was 41-43 because I saw the changes from 37-39..but now, I think it’s kind of awesome. I don’t need to get carded. I can be somebody’s mom, and I can be old enough to be somebody’s mom in college, and I can be old enough to be your mom, or your grandma…and I’m totally zen with all of that. I take care of my body – good Food and Fitness..and well For my Face…not all the thousand dollar lotions in the world can stop time nor do I want to pay for treatments or surgeries or any of that Fake stuff. I own this Face and I love it – wrinkles, age spots, and randoms hairs and all. Also, wearing reading glasses on a date is incredibly sexy.

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F*ucks – And as with my Face..I just can’t give any F*ucks anymore with any bullshit. “I want real. I want true. If you don’t like me that’s on you.” – Tracy Morrison, 2016.

 

Happy 2016, my Friends. The best is yet to come.

“There is no passion to be Found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living” – Nelson Mandela

 

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47

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My super power is being a conversation killer. I used to get offended when it would happen, but now I kind of laugh it off as their loss. Typically it’s nice to have nice chats with people. but sometimes people want to be a conversation killer when they’re talking to someone who is going on and on about Trump or something. So here’s my tip on ending a conversation dead it its tracks – when they ask what you do for a living, tell them that you stay at home with your kids. They will have nothing else to say to you. Ever. Every single time. It’s become almost a social experiment for me at parties. I love telling people that what I “do” is stay home with my kids. I mean because if I stay at home with my kids I must have nothing else to talk about.

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I could answer this question differently. I could say that truthfully I am a writer. That I am a blogger. That I run marathons. That I’m in sales. I’ve been in sales for nearly eight years – building a team and a business. But I do all of this from home…because my number one priority is still..and as it was when I quit my corporate job 10 years ago..to stay home to take care of my kids. This is my choice and I’m honored to have the option to choose this. I don’t miss corporate America. I don’t miss meetings. I don’t miss many many things. And even though I have a job and do other things that produce not only quality brain stuff – but also money, I will always tell you that I stay at home with my kids. And not just to have you walk away from me. Although sometimes…yay!

 

So this year I’ve been blogging less. I’ve been walking away from the parts of blogging that were not happy things for my brain anymore. And I’ve walked away from one of my bigger yearly projects because I feel like there is something else for me. During a very brief conversation with a friend Sunday night, we both asked each other what was next with our lives. I am 47 today..and she is about 10 years old than I am..and I LOVE that we are still asking that question. We are not washed up just because we are not in our 20s. We are not done just because we are middle aged. We are not disposable and not interesting because we’ve stayed at home with our kids for a time. We are not done reinventing ourselves. We are still defining our lives. Our long lives. Our meaningful lives. And we can still dream and become what we want to be when we grow up. And we both feel that in 2016 there will be some new definitions and clarity to what that is.

 

That is what being 47 is for me. It’s being open to new possibilities, to still defining what my now and future is, and to be okay if my chosen profession today is a conversation killer for you.

 

This quick conversation with this brilliant friend is exactly what I needed when I needed it. I believe it was not just fate that put us together in my dining room on Sunday night.

 

And as I was going back over our chat in my head, I jumped on Facebook. Within minutes, two of my dear friends posted similar sentiments that released me completely of something that has been weighing hard on me this year.

 

One posted “…I don’t care if people like me or not. If they don’t, that’s their problem, not mine.”

 

And the other “…I want to FOCUS on only the people who love me and seek out my company and stop chasing the ones who don’t care.”

 

You can’t make people like you. And spending time on that is worthless. Focus your love and energy where it belongs. I’ve reconnected with a true old friend this year, and THAT is important and fills a heart.

 

This post is horribly written, and at 47 I just don’t have anymore fucks to give about it.

 

So I guess what I’m saying is that I’m not dead yet. And at 47 it’s okay to keep reinventing myself professionally. And personally, I will surround myself with the people who are good people and give some fucks about me in return and make relationships easy like they should be.

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It makes me laugh to think about how we always ask 17 year olds what they want to be when they grow up. What they want to study in college. Where they want to live. As 30 years later I’m still here deciding those things because why not. It’s a long and beautiful life with so much new and beautiful to experience. I will not settle. I will never stop exploring what’s next. And I will not focus on who I cannot change and who doesn’t want to be with me. I will focus more on who does. Those people right in front of me. I will never look past them.

 

47 is going to be a very good year.

 

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How To Get Your Kids Into The Holiday Spirit!

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I’ve been doing this parenting thing for 13 year now, which makes me quite the expert. I laugh as I type this because we all know that parenting is basically making things up as we go along while we hope the kids don’t catch on to our big charade. Or maybe I just don’t know what I’m doing. Please don’t tell my kids.

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The holidays always highlight the biggest flaws in my parenting, when this should be the time for me to really shine. I mean how can decking the halls, cookie decorating, shopping, listening to holiday music, and visiting Santa become bad parenting moments.

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It’s because they are never perfect. And nothing shines a spotlight on parenting imperfection like the holidays. The stress, the pressure, the events, the busyness, the food, the lack of time – many parents reach their breaking points. My breaking point comes in small doses that I put into the loving way I talk to my kids.

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Here are 10 things to say to kids this month to really get them into the Holiday Spirit! It’s worked for us! No stress here at all…nope, no stress…

  1. Get out of bed NOW! We have to be first in line to see Santa or we are not going at ALL! You will never see Santa again. It’s either first or NOTHING!
  2. Stop touching your sister or Santa will leave nothing for you! COAL! COAL! Do you like coal???
  3. Oh great, the frosting is now brown, it’s like you HATE CHRISTMAS.
  4. NO COOKIES FOR YOU!
  5. The heavy ornaments go on the top of the tree, the light ornaments on the bottom. How many times do I have to say this? You don’t deserve to decorate the tree EVER!
  6. Just pretend to hang the ornaments on the tree so I can get the picture. You’re standing in the wrong place. THIS IS STAGED DAMMIT! DON’T MOVE!
  7. THE ELF WILL DIE IF YOU TOUCH HIM! DID YOU TOUCH THE ELF???
  8. No presents for you!
  9. Oh sure, eat all the chocolate while kids everywhere are starving. It’s like we are made of chocolate now.
  10. This is not suppose to be fun – it’s just a picture for Instagram! You’re a child – do you not understand a game of pretend?

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Okay, I need some stress relief. Let’s just look at cat and Christmas tree pictures…

 

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13

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Hardly seems possible.

 

Hello, our teenager. Stay silly.

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Cat Pictures

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I’m closing out this November with a picture of our cats. They won’t pose. They have no interest to be models.

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But I love them anyway.

 

Over and out, November. I have mixed feelings.

 

 

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November 29th

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The fingerprints on my laptop are disgusting. It has layers of dust from the unexpected kitchen construction this week. And when do I have time to open this laptop? Again, tonight at 11pm when all I really want to do is head to bed. Pretty sure I won’t have time this week to dust off my laptop…so the fingerprints will remain.

 

I woke early to run and head to Target before 8am to get there when they opened. We were out of toilet paper, paper towels, toilet cleaner, and cat food. All critical items. I got there and got in and got out and got back before anyone else was up. That was my plan. The rest of the morning was spent doing a homework project with Astrid, finding and constructing a costume for Esther’s play this week, putting together proper funeral outfits for all of us, and working with Eloise on some pretty tough sudukos. This was followed by piano and a few loads of laundry.

 

Then I took seven kids to see Mockingjay Part 2. Astrid came with us too as Jed was working. Never thought I’d take a six year old to see Mockingjay…but since she has seen the other movies already…well, why the hell not. Parent of the year. I watched my group of 11/12/13 year olds from across the theater. Of course they would rather not sit by me. I don’t blame them.

 

After we met Jed for dinner, we got home and finished some homework, and now here I am with nothing to write about. It’s going to be a busy week. I have my last Matilda Jane launch of the season. Eloise turns 13. My grandma’s funeral in Duluth. My brother is flying in. Esther’s play. A Haiti reunion party. The kitchen project continues. Decorating for Christmas. Good thing this writing every day thing is ending soon.

 

Things sound busy and crazy. But things are good. And happy. I’m happy.

 

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Writing This Month

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Only three more posts to go before November is over and I can stop this crazy blogging every day thing.

 

I’m barely making it in under the wire again tonight. I’m not sure where my days go, but they are busy. Now I know why I don’t write much anymore.

 

Anyway, here’s what I’ve learned so far this month:

  1. I am no longer a very good nighttime writer. I used to stay up late writing and doing research and reading other blogs. Also, my kids used to go to bed earlier so I had more time at night. Now my kids barely go to bed before I do – or even after I do. Writing at night no longer works.
  2. I no longer have time to write in the morning. I still get up by 5am each day – but after running and working out, then it’s on to breakfast making and lunch making and kids waking and seriously, there’s just no time to write unless I want to wake at 3:30am.
  3. I need to find a time during the day that I can shut out the noise of life and just write. If I still want to write.
  4. Writing IS harder if you don’t do it regularly. My sentences are ugly and choppy. Yuck. I hate reading my stuff right now.
  5. I don’t enjoy writing about my kids anymore. I now have a teenager, a tween, and a six year old – they can write about themselves if they want to share a story. I don’t feel like it’s my place to share here like I used to.
  6. I’m not sure if writing about fitness, fashion, and travel is that interesting? That’s kind of what I have left after kids and cats…so yeah.
  7. I wish I could write about home decor, but I’m so bad at it. Also, it’s expensive.
  8. Should I only blog about cats?
  9. Instagram is more fun than blogging.
  10. But I have missed my blog. I doubt I’ll continue to write each day, but I will make a better effort to write more than I have this year.

I do appreciate those of you who continue to stop by and believe in me. Okay, hitting publish….two more days to go!!!

 

xo

 

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Five For Friday

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I’m just sharing five Instagrams for this Friday. I thought I would have more time to write today, but instead we were crazy busy and this is the first time I’ve even opened my laptop.

 

I hope you all enjoyed time with family and friends yesterday and today.

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  1. We celebrated the last day of school before break with a big coffee! She likes coffee. I like that she likes coffee. Maybe she will never grow because of the coffee. Maybe she’ll be my baby forever.
  2. A little yoga after my run on Wednesday morning. Seriously perfect sunrise. I was nice to run when it wasn’t pitch black.
  3. Thanksgiving family selfie. Beautiful snowy day!
  4. My first run this year with icy roads. I love and hate the snow and ice. It’s beautiful but makes for a difficult run.
  5. We went to the MOA for Black Friday. Eloise turns 13 in 5 days so she got to pick out a few things for her birthday. We had such a blast. I am NEVER a Black Friday shopper – but this was worth it. Just me and Eloise and her friend. We laughed for hours.

Happy Friday Friends. xoxoxo

 

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Happy Thanksgiving

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What Astrid is thankful for today and always…..

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I’m thankful for family and friends and health, and for the belief that there is more good in the world than bad. Always.

 

“I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” – Anne Frank

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and sending much love to my friends abroad. xoxoxo

 

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Lazy Day

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I spent most the day cooking. We are heading to a friend’s house tomorrow as we are still without water in our kitchen. So I cooked and hauled dishes back and forth to the bathroom most of the day.

 

We had other plans today, but the girls asked if we could just stay home and have a lazy day. It’s such a treat to do almost nothing all day and not leave the house. I did finally make them get dressed by 1pm. I’m not sure why I made them get dressed, but their jammie bodies and messed up hair started driving me insane by then.

 

So they dressed but we still didn’t leave the house. We cooked and cleaned a bit and watched Lean On Me OnDemand, but most of the day they spent in their rooms playing. Eloise and Astrid made a movie that they won’t let me see yet. I hope to share it with you all soon.

 

Astrid also drew several pictures for me. She drew a koala for me(named Astrid), and this koala has a bicycle for transportation. Miss Astrid Koala gets on her bicycle and travels to her cabin in the woods, and then to the White House, and then she rides her bicycle onto a boat to go to Paris and the Eiffel Tower. These are the places that Miss Astrid Koala wants to see this year. I think it’s a good plan. Also, Miss Astrid Koala has some pretty amazing handwriting.

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I don’t save much from the kids…but these I will stash away carefully in her memory box. I wonder if she’ll remember these drawings when she opens the box someday. I wonder if she’ll remember the story that goes along with the drawings. I wonder if she’ll remember the first time she sees the Eiffel Tower.

 

So now the kids are in bed and I’m eating almost all of the Party Mix that I made before I go to bed too.

 

I hope all of your Thanksgiving preparations went well today.

 

I hope you got to be a bit lazy.

 

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It’s Late

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It’s 8:30pm which means it’s super late. Super late. Like I should’ve been in bed an hour ago late. I mean it’s dark by 4:30pm so bedtime can’t be much later than 7:30, right? Please tell me I’m right. So why are all of my kids still up?

 

I was talking to a friend last week. This friend is still deep in the trenches of littles. She has a two year old, four year old and six year old. Bedtimes are still a very big deal in her house. The whole snack time, bath time, book time, bed time thing. I loved that routine until I didn’t love that routine anymore. I told her that soon…so very very very soon…the kids will go to bed after you do. In fact they will bathe themselves, then get their own snacks, put their own clothes in the hamper(if you are lucky), read their own books(any books they want…in fact big books that you don’t even understand), and then they will just turn off the lights when they are ready to close their eyes. Sometimes you mumble to them before you head off to bed, “Turn off the lights before you fall asleep, okay?” That’s the new goodnight routine. Even our six year old now showers herself, gets her own snack, and reads her own stories. But she does get an extra snuggle, a proper tucking in, and has to go to bed before us. Mostly.

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And soon, I know, I’ll be in bed before the kids get home. They’ll be out and I’ll be worried and sleeping with one eye open, listening for the door to open and close.

 

Just like it might be hard for her to imagine a life without a bedtime routine, it’s hard for me to imagine a life without the kids at home most nights. But it doesn’t matter if I can imagine it or not, it will still happen and I am always amazed by the relative ease of parenting transitions as fighting them is futile. Just like I can’t believe my once small child is taller than me. Or better at math. Or borrows my shoes.

 

But I have to go because it’s late. It’s 8:30 and everyone is still up and I know I need to the get the youngest to bed so I can get to bed. Or maybe I’ll just have her sisters give her that extra snuggle so I can go shut my eyes to be ready for tomorrow and the new changes it could bring.

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Monday

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My dad and I spent the day in Duluth. My grandma is still kicking. Well, not really kicking…but still here with us. She’s been in hospice for two weeks and has surprised everyone. Well, she has surprised everyone that doesn’t know her well.

 

She’s too stubborn to die. The doctors had given her days just two weeks ago. Now they aren’t sure when she will slip away. But she’s failing. She hasn’t really eaten or drank in almost a month. Is DNR and doesn’t wake-up much.

 

But she smiled when I talked to her today. I spent the day beside her and watched The Price Is Right, The Young And The Restless, and Dr. Phil.

 

It was a good day. Even with bad TV.

 

Besides spending more time with my grandma, it was a bonus to spent five hours in the car with my dad. It’s not often that we get that kind of time to just chat. We talked about old times and good times and kid times, and we drank a lot of coffee. We always drink coffee together.

 

It was a good Monday.

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The AMAs

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I’m sitting here with my three kids(and my two cats) watching the American Music Awards. Jed is in the other room watching Fargo or something. He doesn’t love pop and current culture. But ask him about Dave Matthews – he is your man! Although he is learning to Whip and Nae Nae…okay, not really. Please don’t ask him to Whip and Nae Nae. Mom, I’ll wait while you Google Whip and Nae Nae.

 

My girls are spending their time either sitting and singing and talking about which artists they love, or  jumping up and lunging towards the TV as their favorite artists perform. Astrid’s now gone to bed. I’m debating on if it’s a good idea to let the other two stay up until 10pm until this is over. I think they should. They’ll remember this one time on a Sunday night.

 

I wonder if they will remember watching this with me 30 years from now. Will they be 40ish watching with their own kids talking about how One Direction played a new song or that Ariana Grande was amazing. What will their Nae Nae be? Will they tell their kids that the music was better back in the teens or that new artists totally ripped off Rhianna, just like I’m pretty sure 5 Seconds Of Summer just played a Duran Duran song.

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I made my parents watch the AMAs with me back in the mid-1980s. My parents were not exactly relevant nor pop culture educated at the time. They still loved the hits from the 50s and 60s and felt comfortable and happy in their old music bubble. They didn’t understand my love for Boy George and Culture Club, my 80s punk, Billy Idol, or my need to wear pink eye shadow striped across my temple or streaks in my hair. I still remember jumping up and down and lunging at the TV and dancing when my favorite bands came on. My parents sat back in their recliners – my step dad with a smoke and my mom with a cup of Constant Comment tea – and smiled while shaking their heads. They didn’t get my obsession with the popular music of the day, but they respected me enough as a teenager to give me the latitude to like what I liked. Just like I don’t judge a little One Direction love going on here these days.

 

For me music will always bridge the generations – I still appreciate the 40s Big Band music that my Grandparents’ played, the twist and shouts that my dad loved, the folk music from my mom(with some Beatles mixed in), my 80s punk and pop, and now I can Whip and Nae Nae like a boss.

 

I just hope my kids let me come to their house in the 2040s with their kids so we can watch the AMAs all together…and let me share some music to pass down to the next generation of music lovers while I sit back with a cup of tea and a smile.

 

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How To Get A New Kitchen Floor

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…have a pipe break under your kitchen floor. Your kitchen floor that doesn’t have a basement under it.

 

Good times.

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Silver lining – we never did like the tile on this floor. What a great opportunity to get a new one!

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Five For Friday

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I’m linking up with Angela again this Friday!

 

Five Instagrams For A Friday:

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  1. #prayforparis I took this shot of The Eiffel Tower on Valentine’s Day 1999
  2. We took a family hike on Sunday. It was 60 degrees in November in Minnesota – CRAZY!!
  3. Mad for Plaid! LOVING all of the Fall offerings from Aventura this season! Love being an ambassador for them. I have coupon codes too – so now is the time to shop!
  4. Physical Training is going well and I’m getting stronger and faster! LOVE my wrap from Momentum Jewelry – 26.2 #boston2016 here I come!
  5. The holiday line from Matilda Jane Clothing is just dreamy – and these girls aren’t too shabby either! And cooperating for Holiday pictures no less!

Follow me on Instagram!

Five Posts For A Friday:

A lot has changed and happened since I posted last Friday. The world weeps as extremists terrorize the innocent. We need to weep along with them, yet let them know that we are not afraid. And we must continue to help the innocent.

 

The world is suffering the worst refugee crises in decades. One mother writes here about why we must all help and why.

 

Angela wrote one of my favorite things this week – nighttime running safety. I’ve written how I am one of those who actually prefers not to be seen as I’m more afraid of being attacked than of being hit by a car – and run knowing that I yield and give vehicles the right of way. Now that we’ve moved out of the city though – it’s DARK out here and I’m running like a Glow-Worm to see and be seen. Love her tips.

 

My dear friend Jennie lives just outside of Paris. Her family is safe and I love what she wrote this week. We continue to send love to her, her family, and her friends.

 

My friend Arnebya is a true gem, a brilliant writer, and just all around kick-ass person. What she wrote here about searching for love as a young girl hit hard and close to home…and now as a parent..whew.

 

And the best news all week – drinking coffee makes you live longer! So I believe I will live to be 526.

 

Happy Friday!

 

 

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Physical Therapy For A Running Injury

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Not much is more humbling than physical therapy. I’ve been in PT for six weeks now. Injured for eight weeks – but it took me almost two weeks to even get to the doctor as I was in complete denial that something was wrong. Even though my ankle hurt like hell. And I couldn’t walk. Or run. Or really talk without extreme pain. But instead I used meditation and prayer and acupuncture and denial. None of those really worked, so eventually I succumbed to modern medicine as I really really wanted to run again.

 

Has it been mentioned that runners are incredibly stubborn?

 

I laughed the first few times I went to PT as the exercises seemed so small and silly. But I did them as instructed. And each time she added more strength exercises – and stretching exercises – and we’ve worked on my form and my cadence. And now I pretty much just want to go to PT every single day as she knows so much. And I’ve truly found out that I know so little.

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You see I’ve done this running thing on my own for 20+ years  – without ever having a coach, a running group, a running friend, or even an online running community. Through my injury I’m meeting more and more people who all work together to lift up and support this community – through cheering, education, fun, and fitness.

 

However – with the good comes the bad…before PT I was just obsessed with running. Now I’m obsessed with EVERYTHING that has to do with good running…so how am I suppose to do anything but work on running better, running stronger, running faster, running more social. ALLTHERUNNING!!!

 

Has it been mentioned before that runners are crazy?

 

I’m 5 weeks out from the official start of Boston 2016 Marathon training -and I feel like I’m on a good path to make this training cycle good and healthy and injury free. Just don’t expect me to do anything but eat sleep and breathe running. Also, don’t let my PT person break-up with me.

 

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