A little bit of crazy

I have an intense phobia of snakes. I can't see one on tv, in a book, or even think about one. I get the chills just thinking about them. I live in Florida. Near trees and a body of water. It was bound to happen. The other day, Pepper scratched at the back door. I was making lunch so I wasn't really paying attention. I opened the door to let her out only to see a 2 foot snake slithering across my patio about one foot from my door. I screamed. I slammed the door, and then hopped around my house in fear that the snake would find its way inside. Then I remembered I should call Pepper in since I didn't know if it was poisonous. I slowly inched my way to the door and whimpered for Pepper until she came in. Actually, it didn't take much convincing. She didn't want to mess with it. I went back to making lunch because the girls were hungry. I kept an eye on my patio though until I finally saw it move to the yard. I was shaking so bad I could barely make lunch. I sent a text to E because I was so freaked out. I knew he couldn't do anything, but I needed to share. Thank goodness he was already on his way home so he was able to check out the yard shortly after I saw it. He didn't see it. I started crying after he came in. I couldn't hold in my fear anymore. I kept it together because I don't want to pass my phobias on to my kids, but I was so close to losing it. I haven't seen it since, and the dogs have also checked the yard for me. E found a hole that it may have gone in which is right by the wall to our room. I was expecting to see it curled up in my bed. (I may have issues.) Either way, it hasn't been seen since then. The rational side of me knows that they are out there, and there probably have been others in the yard. However, the crazy side of me was terrified the damn snake was going to crawl through the doggie door at night. I am the one that is on poop scooping detail, but that job is not happening for a while unless E does it. I wonder if I can teach the dogs to use the toilet...

Precious sleep

Meeghan seems to be going through some sort of sleep regression phase. She does great until about 1 in the morning. The only thing that calms her down is to sit on the couch with the tv on. She isn't particular about what is on, she just likes the it on. I know, I know. Kids her age shouldn't watch tv, but darn it I want to go back to sleep! Usually within 10 minutes she is asleep. Unfortunately that means I am stuck on the couch with her. I used to be able to place her back in the crib without a problem, but lately she wakes up and cries.  And cries and cries. I once spent two hours trying to get her back to sleep in the crib. Last night I tried for an hour before I moved her to the couch. She is very stubborn. So now if she falls asleep on the couch with me, we stay there. The couch reclines on both ends so I can at least stretch out while holding her. I must find a way to break this cycle though. I miss sleeping in my bed.

Gate River Run 2014 Recap

Yesterday I ran the Gate River Run for the first time. It is here in Jacksonville, and it is the USATF's 15K Championship. That meant there were some speedy people. However, I am not one of them. My goals for this race were pretty simple: finish in 1:30, run the dreaded Green Monster (a massive bridge that is at mile 8 of the race), and enjoy myself. I accomplished 2 of the 3. I did run the entire bridge which was a boost for me after failing to run the overpasses at the Princess Half Marathon. I did have some flashbacks when I started up the off ramp of the bridge. I thought for sure it would beat me, but I just looked at the feet in front of me and waited until I couldn't feel an incline anymore. From there, the rest of the race is downhill, literally, to the finish line. I did enjoy myself. There were so many people out cheering runners and giving away stuff. The course goes through neighborhoods, and the residents turned it into a huge block party. There was free beer, oranges, mimosas, popsicles, and breakfast food. There were a few houses that sprayed their hoses to cool off runners. It felt great since it warmed up quickly. There were bands along the course as well. There is nothing like listening to live music as you run. I did not finish in 1:30. I finished in 1:32:33. I was so close, but a water stop where water went up my nose and the bridge killed my pace at the end.

Near the finish line

The lovely medal

After I ran, it was Hannah's turn. They offer a free mile race to kids 13 and under. Hannah was so excited to run her race. It was all she could talk about that morning. After a lengthy delay, she was able to start. I tried to run with her, but she kept yelling at me to go wait with E at the finish line. I decided to duck behind people so I could keep an eye on her. I am glad I did because she missed the turnaround point and kept running straight. She must have been in the zone. There was no barricade to stop her, and the police officer blocking traffic didn't seem to care if she kept running. Luckily, I caught up with her pretty quickly and turned her around. She then yelled at me for running with her so I had to hide again behind people. She finished her mile in about 10 minutes. I was very proud of her for running the entire thing. When we have her run at home she always starts saying her feet hurt and she has to walk. After she crossed the finish line she was given a medal and a shirt. She wore the medal all day. She even wore it to the grocery store. I may have a little runner in the family. 

Heading towards the finish line

We will definitely be running this next year.

Run now, wine later

I caught the Disney running bug a few weeks ago at the Princess half. I wanted to try the other races at Disney, but I was going to wait until next year when E would be home. I have been eyeing Wine and Dine, but I knew I wanted to run it with E so it was off the list until 2015. However, someone I went to high school with commented on my Facebook status about the half saying she was going to run Wine and Dine and I should run it with her. Long story short, I registered for Wine and Dine this year. I have no clue how I am going to squeeze in my long training runs with E gone, but that is something I will figure out when it is time. No way am I pushing the double stroller for 13 miles. It killed me to push it for 3. For now though I am focusing on the fun part. I get to run in 3 Disney parks at night, and then I get to recover at Epcot enjoying the Food and Wine Festival. I love food! You get a free glass of wine or beer too. I don't really like either one, but I will never say no to free alcohol. I am also tossing around the idea of a costume. I was thinking something that represented food or something from the movie Ratatouille. Not sure yet, but I have 8 months to decide.

Should it stay or should it go?

E and I are facing what a lot of couples face when they decide they are done having children: what to do with all the stuff. When we moved here, we decided to throw all the baby stuff in a box for a "just in case". Since I am doing all I can to ensure there will be no surprise, I want to declutter the garage. I keep asking E if he is okay with me donating or taking it to a consignment shop. I don't really get an answer. He keeps joking about having a third, and even though I know he is fine with two, I am afraid he is going to jinx us. So I ask you this, for those of you who knew they were finished having children how long did you hold on to the baby items? The infant seats, the high chairs, jumpers, bath tubs, etc. I am terrified if I get rid of it, I will need it. At the same time, I want it out of my garage.

3 year olds

I am struggling right now with Hannah. She is acting out in every way, and I can't find a way to stop the behavior. I am tired of hearing no when I ask her to do something. She has become demanding, bossy, and very stubborn. I have tried several discipline methods as well as just talking to her about her behavior. Nothing is getting through to her. It is exhausting. She is even getting physical when she is angry. The other day she intentionally threw a ball at my face when she was one foot from me. My ear was ringing from it. Today she smacked E with a piece of paper after he asked her to pick up her toys in the playroom. It took her 3 hours to clean the playroom. It wasn't even that messy. She just did everything she could to not clean the playroom. I know this is typical 3 year old behavior. I hate it. I really don't like this phase. I know people say they love this stage, but I don't. This is the reason why I am stopping at two kids. I don't want to keep dealing with this developmental stage. I rather be up all night with a newborn. Although she did give me a good laugh tonight when she busted out with the word "ticklef#@k". I asked her where she heard that and she said she made it up. I do my best to watch my language around her, but I guess sometimes words just slip out. She is counting down the weeks until she turns 4, and so am I. Hopefully with turning 4, and going back to preschool, she will start to mature just a bit (or she will continue to be an ornery thing, but smarter).