Waving the White Flag

I firmly believe that positive thinking can keep me healthy. Repeating that I am not sick and taking all the meds usually does the trick.

I knew this was coming. I have battled allergies and sinus infections for as long as I have memories. I tried allergy shots but the side effects weren’t worth whatever solution was supposed to happen.

So again, I knew this was coming but could not stop it.

We have been so busy lately and then the ragweed monster came to fight. It started with a little congestion and morphed in to a cough. I kept pushing - as I do - and took OTC meds to contain it. A few weeks later and I am on round 2 of prednisone and have an appointment with the allergist on Friday.

I am tired. Exhausted. I am coughing still and my voice is downright scary. I could deal with those things but I have become grumpy and snappy. I draw the line there.

I am not an unhappy human. I like hugs and smiles and people. But today I was grumpy and snappy and realize that I need to get myself well.

So, off to bed I go and hopefully rest helps. Hopefully the meds help. And hopefully I am 100% again soon.

See ya on the roads...when I feel better.

Social Reality vs. Perception and Being Real

I did something this morning that I never do...I posted a family photo and then deleted it a few minutes later. I had taken time last night to crop it and capture the smiles and logged in this morning and loaded it to Instagram/FB and then started to think about it and decided it needed to come down.

Why?

It was fake. It showed the four of us smiling and giving the impression that we were having an amazing time at an event. We weren't. The event was great but the Altman family was not at our best.

A Little Kindness Please....

I wrote this blog post in my head as I was driving to work and then I spent most of the day scheduling social media for Leadership Knoxville, Intro Knox, and Connect Knox and many of the posts revolved around the LK18 Lead with Kindness Initiative and their week of kindness happening in June. It's funny when my personal thoughts overlap with the work day in this way.

As I left for work today, I forgot Lyons View Pike was closed this morning and I am guessing that I wasn't the only one because there was a weird traffic jam on Northshore Drive trying to get to the interstate.

TGIF, Weekends, and Technology! Oh My!

For so many years, I would laugh when people would give the ol' TGIF and praise the weekend. In my two previous tenures with KTC, I didn't have a weekend because I worked most Saturdays and then spent Sunday cleaning up loose ends from Saturday. I hardly ever took a day off so the concept of leaving work behind for two whole days was totally foreign to me.

Truth be told, if you have kids, you don't really ever get a weekend because you are on call 24/7 but that's a discussion for another day.

Now that I've been out of the weekend events world for a year, I understand this amazing concept that is the weekend and I am hooked. I'm hooked not because I don't like my current job but because I get two full days to spend with my #altmanboys and focus on being mommy and trying to prepare us for the week ahead. Side note - if I ever do get back into full-time event planning, I fully understand the necessity of taking real/full days off for sanity and recharging and life.

Weekdays and weekends are still crazy for us and there are some weekends where the kids get along well and I end it feeling accomplished and there are others when I want to sleep on the deck just because I can't take any more arguing and I am drowning in laundry and things to do.

Each weekend brings special moments but this weekend was exceptional. 

We went to Ooltewah on Friday afternoon where we spent time with my grandparents and my sister and her youngest. We sat on the porch in rocking chairs while the kids went crazy and we caught up on life. 

For anyone following social, you saw that Jackson ran his first official 5K yesterday. I'm beyond proud. And I am beyond grateful to Dr. Sears who has taken care of our boy since he was 7 days old and made it possible for Jackson to walk and run like other kiddos.

After the race, we visited with my grandparents for a bit and headed back here to trim the hedges as well as mow the lawn and get laundry started. We ended the day with dinner on the deck and then snuggles on the sofa.

Today was like a week in one day. Altman ran on the tready while I paid bills and started more laundry. The boys dropped me off on Sutherland Avenue so I could run and meet them at Tyson Park. I had a surprisingly fast (and accidental) progression run and finished up in time to play, pick up our Clicklist, make brunch at home and then head downtown to see the chalk drawings before they are rained out. We stopped for ice cream at the Phoenix Pharmacy and then back home. Since then, I have finished four loads of laundry (with one more round to finish), prepped/cooked food for the week, cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms, reviewed my schedule for work and life, and cooked dinner.

All of these things can be accomplished because of technology -  it allows us to do more during those two days. Clicklist may be the greatest invention ever. I spend less money because there are fewer impulse buys and I save an hour every weekend by choosing my items (that are already saved in their system) and clicking submit each Saturday evening - all for the low five dollar service charge. Additionally, I used Amazon to order a few supplies and I am getting ready to place an order via Target for a few other items that I prefer to get there. I don't have to leave home and all the things we need will be here by Tuesday at the latest.

As I look ahead to tomorrow, I am hopeful that we are ready for the week. We have food. Workouts are planned. Meetings are set. We're ready for the boys' activities. Laundry is almost completed. Almost.

I'm far from perfect and most days, I question whether or not I'll make it to bedtime alive but I am thankful for the two days to be mommy and catch up with my boys. 

Cheers to Monday and hopefully I'll see you on the roads. 

Prepping for #CHKM2108 Week

Today is Saturday. I think. My days have been off for over a week and taking off some time last week didn't help my cause.

But, I am pretty sure today is Saturday and this time next week, the Covenant Kids Run will be underway. What the hay??? How did we get here again?

As usual, I have spent the last three months excited, frustrated, ready for race weekend, and ready for race weekend to be over.

Each year presents a new set of challenges. Some years, I have been the KTC ED. Other years, I have been member of the Marathon Organizing Committee with no title. We could make one up...Jack of All Trades Captain. Herds Cats Captain. Puts Out Fires Captain. Or, we could just say I am a volunteer. ;)

All that said, since 2007, I have been the wife of the marathon director for better or worse and until death do us part.

So we are here. Just a week out and I spent most of today prepping for the week and trying to love on the boys as much as possible. When we wake up on Monday, there is no rest for the weary and no breaks for any of us.

Today, I have done:
-Two loads of dishes
-Currently on load 5 of laundry with 3 more to go either tonight or tomorrow -> that includes folding and putting things away
-Written the grocery list
-Gone to the grocery store and put away all the groceries
-Did 45 minutes of yoga
-Played cars
-Made chili
-Cut up carrots, cucumbers, and peeled oranges for the week
-Made green cupcakes with green icing and green sprinkles
-Refereed 1,000,001 fights and probably have a few to go

We still need to eat and I still have research to do for my work next Sunday as the race analyst for CHKM/WBIR. I need to assemble a notebook and make sure I have stats and information ready for live TV.

I *think* we are ready. I have poured a glass of prosecco and we'll eat in just a bit and watch our Vols play basketball.

We have plenty of food for the week and shouldn't have to cook. We should be able to grab and go all week and stay fed without eating fast food. I've looked at the schedule and set aside time every day to workout.

It's going to be a wild one and I'm sure there will be tears and laughter and more memories made for the Altman Family.

See you out there! 

A Peek Inside a Working Mom Week

I'm taking a moment to reflect on my week. I don't get to sit and just reflect often so when I do, I find our lives to be a bit incredible. 

I had 5 or 6 phone meetings and an online workshop on Monday. I was honored to hear presentations from local nonprofit groups on Tuesday for this United Way grant funding cycle. I left United Way and spent time with other active parents serving on the PTO board at Rocky Hill. We spent Wednesday morning visiting veterans and I spent the afternoon in an incredible meeting with local literacy and education experts discussing reading and literacy in our community. Thursday was spent in final prep mode for the Thomas Friedman event that brought almost 800 community members out for an incredible lecture.

I worked every night this week. Even on Valentine's Day. There were emails to answer and plans to finalize.

There is also this little marathon event coming up in March and there was a price increase this week so Altman was working right alongside me. 

There are also children to raise so I cooked dinners, did laundry, broke up fights, cuddled, and snuggled. I took Jackson for a run on Tuesday so that we could have some time together and catch up. Because Altman had a late meeting on Tuesday, we picked up Karson and had mommy/boys time until daddy came home. 

Then Wednesday came and with the giving of Valentine's, there was also the giving of Flu B. Jackson began complaining of a stomachache around dinner and was throwing up by 8:30 pm. He kept going through the night and finally settled around 3:00 AM. Then, he had nightmares for two hours. Then, he was up and throwing up again. He even threw up at the doctor's office where he tested positive for Flu B. 

I would say that I slept roughly two hours if that. And I only slept those two hours because I physically passed out while trying to stay awake and anticipate the next round of vomit.

There were no naps yesterday. The triple latte from Starbucks and the adrenaline from event day kept me moving into the evening. I was able to finally get home around 10:15 PM last night and since the kids refused sleep until I got home, we got them both to bed around 11:00 PM.

I'd could say this isn't a typical week but it actually is pretty typical. There might not be an 800 person event but I host a ton of meetings and each one is almost like a mini-event.

No complaints here. We picked this life and I love it. This time of year always brings an extra need for reflection and I am so proud of this incredible journey that we are on and also laughing at how you just never know what life will throw at you. Literally. 

I was able to get coverage for myself for a meeting today so that I can work at home and take care of my kiddo (who is still very sick). 

And no, just because this is the weekend doesn't mean there is downtime. The boys aren't yet both at an age where they don't need us so we'll be working on keeping them alive until time for school again.

And there is lots of laundry to do. A lot. It's like a service line of sheets and towels that are waiting to be cleaned (sanitized) from our recent flu adventures.

So, the week isn't over but and will probably just blur into the next one. That's okay.

That's all for now, I've got a sick kid to check on. See you on the roads! K

Goal: Give Myself a Break

I haven't looked up any statistics but I would venture to guess that most people would find themselves to be their own worst critics. I certainly am. There is no one in the world that could be harder on me than myself. I've been this way since I was a child. I am sure that's shocking news for everyone. :)

As I've gotten older, I have become slightly more patient (when I had zero patience for many years) and slightly more flexible in life but I would like to be able to give myself a break once in awhile.

I'd say I am a work in progress but I don't like the message indicated by that phrase. It sounds like there's something wrong with me and I need to be "fixed". It takes all types of personalities for the world to go round and I won't apologize or feel bad for working hard, being detailed, being organized, making every effort for things to run smoothly, and putting my heart and soul in to whatever I do in life. It's who I am and I'm proud of it but I also understand that there's room for growth.

With that said, I've decided that a new goal in life is to give myself a break when warranted.

Here's an example:

I was very sick last week. I was basically comatose on Tuesday and in a fog through Friday. I got up Saturday morning with the intention of running six miles because that's what was on my schedule. It didn't matter that I had been sick. It didn't matter that I didn't run Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. It didn't matter that I was wheezing and coughing up lungs after running for four minutes during a run/walk workout on the treadmill on Friday.

The six-miler didn't happen. I ran half a mile and it hurt to breathe. I finished mile one and took a short break in which another runner stopped to tell me what a great day it was for a run and that maybe I should try some strides to open up my lungs and that they always work for him....