Gotta keep'm motivated (ha! get it?)...

So, if you didn't know this, having kids is amazing.  It's beyond wonderful.  Nothing gives you a greater sense of purpose.  Nothing is more amazing.  I never cared one bit about any of the steps another person took.  But when Davey walks across the living room I point it out in great exclamation despite how many times he's done it that day.  Amazed.  That's me.  And when Charlie does these things that I would find impossible given her inability to MOVE HER KNEES, I am once again amazed.  My children, all children, are amazing.

With that said, every day that goes by I think more and more about my influence on them.  Joe and I have been talking about whether or not we should buy a house near a "better" school system in another town.  The house we're in now is his grandmother's and is bought and paid for (that means FREE).  For me, my dream house has an attic room.  But my dream house is also out in the country where you can actually see all of the stars and where cotton blooms and where things seem a little more...untouched.  So I don't have an attic room, but I think I'd like to stay here.  What about that "better" school system though?  Is it better?  True, the school closest to us is probably made up of lower income kids, but does that make education worse?  My husband, his sister, my niece all went or go to these schools.  And they're all enormously smart.  And this is why - their parents.  Their family.  The people they grew up around.  My influence on my children is not only as a rule maker or that lady that makes sure no one catches on fire.  I have to be an educator as well.  We read books now, and when they're older, we'll see natural history museums and go to historic landmarks in our area (and there are so many).  I look forward to that.

But these past few weeks, an area of influence I've been very conscious of has been food and exercise.  These kids keep growing and I'm lead to believe they won't stop.  Say what?  So I have to get real about the example I'm setting for my kids.  I was really fortunate that my mother was so health conscious.  Especially through my high school years.  There wasn't a cookie, potato chip, or soda to be found in our house.  That's not to say she didn't make divinity fudge with my sister every Christmas or buttermilk biscuits with molasses on Saturday mornings.  We ate and we ate well.  But then there's that college age freedom of getting to eat whatever you want (oh THAT'S where the phrase "freshman 15" comes from...) because mom's not around to make you eat baked salmon and broccoli for dinner.  Totinos Party Pizza?  I'll take four!

I've been fortunate enough to have a decent metabolism.  I've never been overweight per se...but none of that really matters because at my very skinniest (which I am not at now) I was probably the most unhealthy I've ever been.  And yes, I've lost most of my pregnancy weight, but most of that is due to stress or being too busy to eat.  It's not from all that wonderful running and those kale smoothies I've been drinking.

(Woah this is a long post)

I found this today...perhaps by some divine force.   Really I probably found it because I just click on link after link I find on favorite blogs I read.  I've been looking for inspiration to run lately.  My in laws have a treadmill along with some other equipment and I keep telling myself I'm going to go workout over there every day while the kids nap and Joe can watch them.  But really, I'd rather run outside.  Spring is starting to make it's way into our every day life and it's made everyone so overjoyed, including myself.  There's no better way to celebrate that than running outside in it.  There's even a newly paved road a little ways down from us.  Perfect for running.  And for days I want a challenge, we live on a gravel road, perfect for extreme running. 

So this is me making a public declaration:  I have been inspired (thank you the little red house).  I will start running every day.  I will make time for it.  I will teach my kids to make time for their health and well being.  I will feed them and play with them and teach them to treat themselves like the phenomenal, walking, beating the odds, amazing children they are. 

Let's go!!!