Lots of artwork so little room

Once kids get into school, the artwork that is sent home with them starts to pile up. Being an artist, I have an infinity to keep everything that Jonah & McKenna create. Being a organized people, I have to struggle with how much I keep and where to store it. I have found some really great ideas on the internet and as I have been learning more about EverNote.

So here's how I capture all the wonderful artwork and still keep sanity and organization to the house.
 

1. I borrowed a fun tip from a colleague - I tape up my favorites of their artwork to the back of cabinet doors. It brights the insides of my cabinets and makes me smile each time I open the doors.

2. I take pictures of the kids holding their artwork. (See pictures with this blog.) This serves two purposes - I get to capture the artwork and I have a catalog of how they are growing.

3. I take a picture of just the artwork. I will eventually create a photo album of all of their artwork. Someday they will able to look back through their book and see how their creativity came alive.

4. Using Evernote, you are also able to store your pictures in a digital notebook. This works well if you are super tech savvy and want everything digital. I'm not going this route but I love the concept.

Those are my tips for saving memories and cutting clutter. What are yours?

Set backs.

Needless to say, when you train for an event like a 1/2 marathon there are bond to be aches and pains along the way. Before starting my training, I had been working through a tight IT band on my right leg. I got that under control. Then I developed blisters on the top of my second toes on both feet. Better socks and some body glide made that a non-issue. Of course, there are the obviously endurance & energy walls that get thrown up along the way as well.

There are always challenges and set backs with any goal.  This has been my mantra over the last two weeks. I'm currently wrestling a IT band issue on my left leg which has cause pain in my left knee. I'm currently back in my therapist's care and I'm taking small strides to get back my mileage.

It was really tough to take a break from training. I learned to love the early morning runs and the time to myself to think about "stuff". I'm still waking up earlier to strength train but it's not the same. The worse part is the mental picture of not being able to run the whole race. I'm trying to suppress that thought as much as I can because I still have time to work this out.

I'm committed to this race and to running. I'm definitely learning my lessons through each challenge that I face. No goal worth pursuing is going to come easy. The process for achieving any goal keeps you humble, thankful, creative and motivated. And if you know me, you know I love "the process."

Inspiration Wednesday. . .

I woke up this morning incredibly tired. The alarm on my phone went off at 5:45am and I immediately silenced it. I lied in bed semi-conscience feeling snugly and warm and debating whether I should get up and run my 6 miles for the day. Fifteen minutes later, I was up and downstairs changing into my running shoes. I tied my laces tight and pulled on my fleece. I stretched to get the blood flowing. To really encourage myself to get out of the house, I set the timer on my Endomondo iphone app. It counted me down out of the house on to the cold streets of Dunwoody.

The first mile of a cold, early morning is the hardest. I'm trying to get my mind into the game as well as my body. I try to shake the negative thoughts and focus on the day and the now. This morning I remember the pictures that were send to me by my Rally Kids' Mom, TiaAnna. I thought about Celah & her brother, Jacob, smiles. I thought about the smiles of my own children. My inspiration had been found and the 6 miles ticked by pretty quickly.

I didn't realize when I signed up for the Rally Athlete Georgia 1/2 Marathon that it would effect my life in so many ways. That it would give me a chance to push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of. That so many great friends would give so generously to this cause.

Smiles are very inspirational as well as contagious. . .  Thank you Celah & Jacob for encouraging me and touching my life in so many way.

P.S. Just a funny story about these pictures. I received them in an email from TiaAnna on a Saturday morning. I was very touched by her email and the pictures were so precious. My son walked up behind me as I was opening them. I told him that Celah was the little girl that I was helping to raise money for. Jonah looked at me very puzzled and said, "Mommy, are you going to buy her?" Of course, I was cracking up and I re-explained my efforts. Hilarious moment.

A tribute to my youngest. . .

My little girl upgraded to a big girl bed last week. I cannot believe how much she has grown up. I know that the second child learns a lot from a older sibling but she is amazing. My baby is slowly growing out of being my baby.
Yes, there is a small tear in my eye at this moment.

My McKenna. . .

• Super sweet and that smile!
• I could just kiss her face!
• Her giggles make you giggle
• She is totally monkey see, monkey do with her brother
• She loves to watch cartoons. She asks every morning, "is it cartoon day?"
• She wants what she wants (period)
• Loves her milky
• Doesn't leave home without her "moo-moo" (aka her little blanket that have a cow head aka a lovely)
• Can total amuse herself.
• Loves to be held tight. 
• Wants to be around her big brother always.
• Has a willingness to be helpful.
• Always wants a song before going to sleep. 

She'll always be my baby. (I think I just quoted a cheesy song.)

Unknown challenges

I have been thinking about the 1/2 marathon and the actual distance I have to run. I have been really good about my training and running my miles. I'm worried about the actual course for this race. I have no idea what the landscape looks like. I have heard that it is hilly and that I should train accordingly. But what does that mean in reality - hilly. Are there rolling hills? Are there steep hills? Is there one hill and then flat terrain for the next mile? Argh. The unknown sucks.

If you're a close friend of mine, you know that I like to be prepared. But the flip side of that is if you know what you are truly getting into, would it even be a challenge at that point? Part of me wants to drive the course and see what I'm in for. The other part wants me to train as if I had to run up hill for 13.1 miles. At that point, wouldn't I be ready for anything? Would the actual course be a surprise and a unknown challenge?

I'm going to hold off on knowing the landscape of the actual course. I'll let you know how that goes :)

What motivates a runner

Running is obviously a solitary sport. There is lots of time for one to get lost in thought as you tick the miles away. Every runner has their own motivations and reasons to do what they do. Since I have been training for the 1/2 marathon, I have to learn a few things to help keep me focused and motivated.

First, I'm motivated because I get to run. I get the opportunity to wake up and run. I recently read Michael Hyatt's blog post on How Shift in Your Vocabulary Can Instantly Change Your Attitude
(http://michaelhyatt.com/how-a-shift-in-your-vocabulary-can-instantly-change-your-attitude.html). This was a revelation to me. I don't have to do fill in the blank. I get to do fill in the blank.  I think about this on every run. Every time I feel like quitting, I think about how lucky I am that I get to do this. That I have two legs that work perfectly (most of the time). That I'm not held back by my health or a disease. And though it might be tough to run 6, 7, 8 miles, I could think of much tougher situations to go through. I'll take the tight hamstrings, blisters on my toes, aches in my knees because all of it makes me feel alive.

My motivation and focus comes from my attitude about what I'm doing. I love the accomplishment of running distances. I love the way I feel while I'm doing it. It's allow me the time to focus on whatever needs my attention - the days goal, this particular run, my family, solutions to any issues going on at the time, working through creative projects. There is such a perfect harmony of exercising your body and your brain and that's what running allows me (and others) to do.

Have I got you motivated yet? What ever you are thinking is impossible, is definitely possible. Just change your vocabulary and watch it happen.