2014 Year in Review (So Far)

A bad run  usually sparks reflection for me. Last Friday's terrible run did just that and I thought I'd do a quick recap of 2014 to date.

The Good:

• Celebrating 12 years together with my best friend
• Celebrating 10 years of marriage to that man
• Two beautiful boys with red hair
• Taking a leap and starting my own business
• Great friends who encouraged me to take the leap
• Awesome clients that I am privileged and humbled to represent
• New friends
• One of the most enjoyable and successful Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon events that we've had in all these years (Thanks MOC members! You guys rock!)
• A successful foot surgery for Jackson
• Lots of great things happening for friends...engagements, marriages, children, new jobs, and more
• Being able to see my grandparents fairly often and having them be part of the boys' life
• An upcoming vacation
• Having a comfortable home and cars to drive us around
• Celebrating Karson's first birthday with friends and family
• Celebrating Jackson's 5th birthday with friends
• Celebrating the removal of Jackson's cast with so many good friends
• AYSO and the Fire Dragon team
• Trains....Jackson LOVES trains
• Athletic balls....Karson is obsessed
• Our neighbors, Janet and Lester
• Being named 40 Under 40
• Being lucky enough to be asked to serve on a variety of nonprofit board of directors and give back to this awesome community
• Being healthy and able to run, yoga, and whatever other activity that I want to do

The Bad:

• A long summer due to Jackson's surgery with few visits to the pool, splash pads, and very little time playing at Ijams and the Quarry
• Teething...I forgot how awful teething can be - especially when the little one cuts 4 teeth in two weeks
• Being hit hard with the realization that even as adults, some folks are totally two-faced and not who you thought they were
• Needing to stay on a regular schedule of covering the gray hairs (I guess that is good for Lauren!)
• Wrinkles

The Ugly:

• Not sleeping for at least two years....through the end of pregnancy and since Karson was born
• Not sleeping...Karson still doesn't sleep through the night but it is getting better

So much more good than bad. And, the "ugly" really isnt' that terrible. I have a kid that is excited about life and that is really awesome.

I am looking forward to what the rest of 2014 brings for us. It seems that each year is harder than the one before but always in a good way. Each year, I learn more about myself and the world. And hopefully, I become a better person with each passing day, week, and year.

See you on the roads!

Exercise and Food and Spilling My Secret

I blogged a few weeks ago about putting in the work to reach my fitness goals. It has been going well. I have been building my mileage base and have been doing yoga and strength training (not in the gym but using body weight exercises). Pushing Jackson in the jog stroller has really helped my strength as well.

The next step in my fitness path is food. The thing is that I don't really eat terribly so this gets tricky.

Here is what I know about my system...I have a terrible time with acid reflux and heartburn if I am not particular in what I eat. So, lots of wheat/gluten products make me feel worse and cause me to eat a lot of Tums and Zantac. I have not been diagnosed as celiac but I have done a lot of experimenting and this is what I have found over the years. Steering clear of these foods is so much better than being on daily medication.

I also know that I have less reflux when I eat less dairy. That is an issue because I LOVE ice cream. I love it so much that in 2008, Jason and I spent an entire year without it because we ate so much ice cream every day. (Yes. An entire year. It was our New Year's resolution along with no fast food. And yes, we went an entire year without ice cream and fast food.) When I say "so much" ice cream, I mean at least a bowl and probably two per night. It starts off innocently with a small bowl (we switched from the larger bowls years ago to be healthier) and then Altman always asks, "Did you get enough?" My reply is always that "I could eat a little more." Never fails. Never.

We hardly eat fast food. We don't really eat out. We cook almost every night at home or make enough food for leftovers. I have some lunch meetings but try to limit those to once or twice per week.

Not only do I like ice cream but I like sweets. I started eating a lot more sweet foods when I was pregnant with Karson. I couldn't have wine so I had chocolate chips, ice cream, cookies, brownies, or whatever was around. This is a big confession for me because now that I have said it out loud to all of you, I have to acknowledge that I eat too many sweets. My secret is out.

Bottom line? The road to "Fit Kristy" isn't going to smooth if I can't get the sweet obsession under control. I can run 50 miles a week (no, not doing that mileage right now but I have in the past) but it will all be junk if I am filling my body with junk.

So there it is. There is no ice cream in the freezer right now. I am planning to make some pudding with greek yogurt later. I have had two Oreo's today and a handful of chocolate chips. Yes. It is 4 pm. And yes, I had them before my workout. It is stress eating which I will address in a later blog.

For now, I will greet my boys at the door and get ready for dinner. Each day, hour, and minute is an opportunity to start fresh and I am going to take advantage of a new hour to play with the kids and drink lots of water.

See you on the roads!

School Days

I am loving the back to school photos. The great thing about social media is the ability to watch the children of family and friends grow up and move through new life experiences. The photos remind me of my first school days and make me weepy for when the boys head off to school.

That brings me to the reason for this post and something that I have been thinking about all week.

Jackson is 5. He is a summer baby. He is a boy. Why does that matter, you ask?

Technically, we could have sent Jackson to kindergarten this year. Truthfully, we never considered it. Last summer, having a conversation about the kids with someone that I barely knew. Karson was a newborn and this person was asking about my family and other children. I was telling him all about Jackson and his upcoming 4th birthday. This gentleman noted that he didn't know me well or know Jackson at all but asked if I was considering waiting until he was 6 to start him in school.

The thought had never crossed my mind until then.

I read articles, asked friends, and asked educators about 5 vs. 6 and summer babies vs. fall/winter babies. I sought answers regarding maturity and the pros vs. cons of sending him at 5 or waiting a year.

Within a few weeks, we had our decision. Last August, we knew that we wouldn't be sending Jackson to school this year.

I am so glad and I couldn't be happier with the decision.

My heart would not be able to handle a first day of school right now.

Honestly, Jackson's heart wouldn't be able to handle a first day of school right now.

He has some maturing to do before he can roll into kindergarten and succeed. He is smart. Yes, I am his mom and have to say that but he is truly smart. He is already learning to read, his writing gets better everyday, and we've started working on basic math.

So, with all this said, I have found myself explaining to people over and over this last week when they ask if he's starting school this year. The funny part is that most of the kids in his pre-school class are all staying in pre-school another year. I don't know if their parents are being asked the same question or if they need to explain but I suddenly feel the need to develop an elevator speech or talking points for when the question comes.

I know we've made the right choice. I know that once he starts school, he will be there for a long time. I know that I can't get back this time with him and there is absolutely no reason to rush. I was the youngest in my class and I know that I was really at a disadvantage so many times. I know that I am going to really enjoy the next year.

And speaking of, for this year, we'll post vacation pictures in September and December. We'll send our love from Columbus in October. We'll post pic's of zoo trips in the middle of the day in the middle of the week.

And, we'll start the process of touring schools and interviewing future educators for our oldest child. The kindergarten timing decision was easy but now we have to determine the best educational route for our guy because not only are academics important, but I want to make sure that he is receiving the best overall education available.

See you on the roads.