Battling Through

Exhaustion has set in big time today. I woke up full of energy excited to head to the park area to hoist my new log with Ashley until I tried to warm up. Oh- man I could totally tell it was day four of hard work outs with no rest day. My legs where screaming & I just felt fatigued so fast. I had so much going on this week that it has thrown off my training so that I have no rest until Saturday- bummer. I mutt-led through my workout but it hurt! At one point my right leg wobbled so bad coming around a curve I almost ate pavement. That's when I stopped to walk to the next circuit. I have hit my wall and been training non-stop since late January. With my first easy run on Sunday I need to keep going. The hardest isn't until June & I fear I may have no motivation left. 

I was excited that we had a new face join us at our workout- Katie came with her two kids. She has her first ever mud run on Saturday! She is about to loose her sparkle & become a mud girl! She did great but I felt bad I wasn't much help today. Here is a picture of her with Ashley doing wall sits on the pool fence.

Katie did a GREAT job today working out! I wish her the best of luck in Oregon as she tackles her first race. Now here is the picture of us with our logs.

 

 We were super excited! Did you catch the were part-lol I was so exhausted after hauling that 40+ pound log around the hills it was no joke. But I hope all this hard work & training pays off come June. That whatever obstacle they throw our way looks easy because we prepped so well. I even got almost to the end of the monkey bars today! That is HUGE for me,those silly things have been a thorn in my side.

I will keep plugging away & I hope to find a way to get over my wall . Sunday is a fun 5k run with my youngest Jacob in Seattle. Maybe just putting an easy fun run at the beginning will do the trick. I saw this quote on another great bloggers post & it is so true.

"Enjoy your sweat because hard work doesn't guarantee success, but without it you don't have a chance."

-Alex Rodriguez

 

Pumpin Up at the Park

I am back at the park for Tuesday, Thursday & some Saturday workouts & LOVING IT! My girl Ashley is joining me on a regular basis with a few other lovely ladies around our neighborhood stopping by on some days to join us. You saw the post with us hanging upside down on the monkey bars for our sit ups. Yesterday we utilized the picnic table for some ab work as well. There is always some place in any park setting that you can make work for ABS!

 

 

If the picture where closer you'd see my red face & it was all kinds of scrunched up! We where doing what Ashley calls the Clock- almost straight up count to ten then a little lower count to ten all the way until your legs are straight in front working the lower abs. You are pushing your belly button down towards the table the whole time. IT HURTS after 3 sets for me. Here is a quick over view of our whole workout yesterday.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
- Howard Thurman

Today it was
100 meter sprints x5
110 lunges with 25 to 30 pounds
carrying 25 or 30 pounds over my head x4
2 pull ups
12 burpees
40 push ups
flutter kicks
abs using a picnic table called the clock (ouch!)
60 kettle bell swings with 15llbs
Practiced hoisting a log
It was an AMAZING Workout!!

 Now for Thursday we are going to use that log we hoisted in Tuesday's workout. Ashley's husband chopped it into two pieces for us. One weighs 43 pounds & one weighs 47 pounds. We will be carrying the log as best we can up some hills & back down. All of this is to help us get ready for our Spartan Sprint in June. It's also a lot of fun to laugh at ourselves as we make crazy attempts that sometimes look comical.

 If you haven't gotten off the couch this week WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  No one but you can make the leap to get started- which is the hardest part. We never care who joins our workouts- yesterday Stefanie came along for the ride while her 3 year old daughter played . It's all about trying to get moving & then turning it into a habit for life. Now that we've started why stop? Why go backwards instead of trying new things & moving forward.

I've said it before & I'll say it again. I may not be the fastest on the race course but I am determined to finish & try it all! Do your best & have fun that's what it is all about. If I am getting a great workout in as well- then that's my cherry on top!

Teacher Appreciation

One thing I can get behind is Teacher Appreciation week. Not only because I use to teach full time myself but because HELLO they are the one's who are helping shape our children five days a week! If you get a bad nut for a teacher the scars they can leave on your kids is just painful to my heart. When the boys are blessed as we have been the past few years with great teachers who care- you see amazing results. You see your children blossom & come to life! They are excited to go to school, excited to do school projects, & excited to tell me all about their days. For this I am so grateful that I attempted to make a cute little gift for the younger boys teachers. It looked super simple but alas wasn't. But now I know exactly what to do should I ever decide to make them again or for anyone. Don't forget to say Thank You to your kids teacher's this week- they deserve it everyday!

 

I now know I could use a coffee can or soup can to have a lower height- but over all it's the thought that counts.

Student of the Month

As many of my readers already know this is Jeremy's first year in school full time. I home schooled him up until this past September. Well today he was recognized as Student of the Month for his class! We are beyond proud of him! He has worked really hard even on days he really wanted to be at home. He misses school for doctor's appointments a lot but still loves to go back to school with a smile on his face. Today just reinforced that I made the right decision last year in deciding to let him start school. It was such a hard choice but he is truly blossoming into a wonderful young man. He was surprised today when he saw me in their gym. We had not told him he was Student of the Month so he could stay focused. Sheer joy & happiness covered his little face as they announced his name. What a moment! I so wish his dad could have been there. I know he will continue to do well & hope his dad will get to witness him receiving another award in his future. Words can't describe how I felt as he hugged me & said " Mom this is the first time I ever won a medal ever!". Tears almost fell- he is a very special young man.

Realizing HE was Student of the Month for his class

He is proof that God puts some of the greatest things in small packages <3 Love him so much !

Motivation

I have not stopped working out & getting ready for my races that are coming up soon. The first is the Seattle Color Run on Mother's Day with my youngest Jacob. We are both really excited to be doing our first 5K together. We are being joined by some good friends with their children as well. It will be a fabulous day!

My biggest race is on June 16th when six fabulous ladies & I run the PNW Spartan Sprint together. With that in mind I have been training non-stop when I have a free moment. We do all kinds of crazy training some involves monkey bars which I still can't master. Climbing a rope, running sprints up hills with 50llbs sacks on our backs. All my walks now have me wearing a 25llbs weighted vest. I therefore spend a lot of time on pinterest in the evenings after the kids go to bed. I find I need extra motivation in quotes or pictures. Therefore I pin them to my boards. Here are few new favorites to share. I hope all you have been training are enjoying keeping up your fitness goals as much as me. If you don't enjoy it then something's wrong. We girls find ourselves laughing at eachother quite often. It is  much easier to relax & enjoy the process then to hate every moment. You'll see great change happen when it becomes a habit you look forward to doing every day.

See what I mean, we do silly things while we train! These where the start of hanging sit-ups.

I get tired every day I train- But I love it!

These are just a few that I read for help when I am exhausted. Your body can do so much more then we think! Never Give Up!!

Grunt Fitness 365

Check out this great Facebook page for more inspiration through words & recipes.

Biggest Motivator so far this week- if he can accomplish his goals then why not ME!

Month of Awareness

May has always been the month of awareness for the Sturge-Weber Foundation. Sturge-Weber (SWS) is what Jeremy was born with that has consumed our lives since October 27, 2000. For those of you who may have never heard of SWS chances are you've seen someone with a Port Wine Stain (birthmark) & they may have had SWS. Not all SWS angels have visible signs but a lot like Jeremy will have a large birthmark. Jeremy has made me as a mom more patient then I ever thought possible. Patient with doctors who have no idea what to do for him in a crisis, patient with nurses who ask a hundred times what medicines he is on & why. Patient with the lab techs who have a hard time finding a vein- even though usually I am very nicely with tight lips saying no more pokes! More patient as a teacher as I learned how to teach a child whose development was delayed with every seizure that gripped his small body. It has also made me grateful.

I am grateful to be this amazing little boys mom. A boy who see's his cup as half full never half empty. A little guy who never cares if he has seen something a hundred times before it always looks new & exciting to him! He has opened my eyes up to all our blessings & not our short comings. In his eyes I am superwoman & his dad is his hero. He tolerates medical tests that most kids would scream & cry over . He takes  medicine better then most adults. He has his moments when my patience is tested to the very end then he smiles and hugs me with his little arms and I melt. I'll never know why God blessed us with Jeremy & SWS diagnosis but I can't imagine not having him our lives. 

With that said please take the time to go look at the Sturge-Weber Foundation website. Learn a little more about living with SWS. There is NO CURE only the hope of making life better for those with SWS. Research is critical as know one knows the cause of SWS. Only that it happens at 18 - 20 weeks gestation in the womb. Money is vital for the funding of that research so if you feel called to donate in Jeremy's name then please feel free.

Our main goal is for when you or anyone see another person with a PWS or having a seizure to not make them feel isolated. They are just like you & me. They want the best life possible that they can lead. Be their friend and help them if they ask for help. Jeremy may not be big in stature but his heart is as big as the ocean as he always says.

My EFMP Angel : Link to a little more background on Jeremy. Just sharing a few pictures of my guy & his new favorite video. He makes us play it on the TV all the time now because he loves Banyan. Sturge - Weber is ever changing my son's world.  We will help spread the word so maybe one day the research will help make his life better.

10 months day before his second seizures that landed us in the Colorado hospital for almost a week.

3 years old playing at the Children's museum with is favorite thing trains!

My favorite picture of Jeremy with  my dad. He loves with all his heart everyday. His hugs are the best hugs in my whole world.