Body, Mind & Soul - All Running

The old body is on the move... I started running again!!  Feels good in a muscle aching sort of way.  Last week, I ran 2-3 miles three times.  Thinking about training for a half marathon relay in May.  I suppose some would call it a quarter marathon. ha!

My mind has been spinning thinking about my school for the upcoming school year.  I so desperately want to do something career related.  I checked out the Princeton school and LOVED it.  The facility and staff are so top notch.  Been working on answering my essay questions which are practically finished.  My biggest hurdle is figuring out my child care for during the school year.  I'm supposed to do the practicum which is essentially working full time but I have a three year old who is not in school full time.  Plus, I don't know where I can even do the practicum.  Do I wait another year for this?  Do I seek out one of these alternate route programs instead?

Sunday school class has been such a GREAT experience.  I absolutely love teaching the class.  Its been so helpful to me spiritually as well.  Everything you need to know about being catholic you definitely learn in kindergarten.  The cup of seeds is flourishing (I meant that literally but I suppose its also figurative as well).  The kids made another beautiful project.  I'm just so thrilled that they have all learned something and enjoy coming to our class.

SOUL: Ash Wednesday

BODY & MIND: Ablation, Recovery & Sunday School

Surgery went well.  I am pretty much completely recovered, although I still feel a little tired.  I taught Sunday School this morning a mere two days after the ablation!

Thursday went very much according to plan.  I dropped off all the kids as usual at school.  I came home packed my bag for the hospital.  My husband drove me over to the hospital.  Check in and registration went quickly.  Totally grossed out when the male nurse mentioned shaving me for the procedure!!  Thankfully, I told him I wax and it would not be necessary.  I vaguely remember another nurse saying, "You are getting the medicine now" and lights out for me.  Unfortunately, my arrhythmia needed a little help getting triggered.  In addition to them putting adrenalin in my IV they had to wake me up from the anesthesia twice!  That was definitely weird.  I remember feeling very hot and asking for my socks to be taken off and asking how could I help.  Then before I knew it I was back in recovery with my husband at my side, meanwhile 5 hours had passed.  The ablation procedure consisted of a wire going through a vein (not artery) with a deflated "balloon" at the end.  The "balloon" had sensors on the outside so with one beat of my hear they got to see the inside of my right chamber from all angles.  Sure enough, they zapped three separate spots in the right chamber with "rogue cells."  I wore the heart monitor over night and had just 3 PVCs the entire night, whereas before I was having them 7% of the time with beta blockers.  Hooray!!

I have been so excited to teach my Sunday School Lent class because I put a lot of thought into the lesson.  The kids planted wheat grass seeds in a clear plastic cup and made crosses out of popsicle sticks.  The finished product should occur around Easter with really tall green grass coming out of the cup with the crosses, should look really attractive.  Emphasized Lent as a time when we really try hard to hear God by praying more, helping others and living simply.  A time of transformation, the seed into grass and the caterpillar into a butterfly (I read a story).  Hopefully they understood some of it, its hard concepts.

BODY & MIND: Ablation Anxiety & New Car Excitement

Weekend was very low key.  My mind keeps floating around different ideas about the spring and summer.  Starting the garden again, new pots from IKEA for the back yard, vacation, activities, the list goes on.  I keep hearing or reading various things (conversations, links on Facebook to Huffington Post articles) about feminism or motherhood or how ever you want to classify everything in those veins.  Its really making me want to research many different political topics and get some train of thought or action in place but alas I haven't been able to focus on that sort of thing while actually being a mother at this moment.

I kept getting teary eyed in church this Sunday.  I am nervous about my heart procedure.  I am confident I will be fine BUT you can't help but worry sometimes.  I'm glad its only a day away since I just want to put all this behind me.  I remember having all this anxiety and worry with my thyroid surgery.  Upon release from the hospital for that surgery, I remember sitting in my mom's car while she drove me home and a rush of tears came out of my eyes.  Pure happiness that the ordeal was over.  I can't wait to feel like that tomorrow or Friday when ever it hits me that this is all over.  No more breathlessness, no more anxiety, no more beta blockers.

Things (my lucks, perhaps) got kicked in the right direction this morning.  The lease inspector came to town to inspect the Odyssey.  There's a ding in the hood from a minor fender bender but we didn't know how closely they would look at everything else since its our first lease.  Things went well.  The hood dent was noted as were other things but it came up at or under our expectations of cost.  YIPPEE!!  I'm so excited to get rid of this car.  It was too big for my taste.  It served it purpose while we needed all the car seats and through our rear facing car seat years.  Everyone is facing forward and some in booster seats now.  We are ready to move on.  I'm liking the Mazda 5 as our next car, its a mini- minivan.   So one HUGE load off with the van inspection done.

So let the good times roll right into tomorrow, my "days off" as the children have taken to calling it.  Somehow I must include that idea of mom's"days off" are my going into surgery and staying over night in a hospital into my feminism/motherhood commentary if I ever get around to it. 

SOUL: Ski Karma

I believe in Karma.  I made the mistake of putting out some negative energy in my last post regarding our ski trip.  It totally came back to haunt me.  Have to admit I was nervous that the kids were going to be fighting me and my husband the whole weekend about wearing the necessary clothing and gear for the skiing adventure.  When ever we talked about the trip there was a lot of complaining...

"Why can't we learn to snowboard instead of ski?" (they can barely sled alone)
"Why can't we come home and sleep in our own beds?" (they are constantly begging to go places)
"I don't want to break my arm."  (They both have kids in their class that have broken arms while skiing!)

Then as luck would have it, the afternoon we were set to leave the tide turned.  The kids were excited to go.  They finally got it!!  Mommy and Daddy only plan fun things for them on the weekend!  We were all happily excited for our new experience.  I was looking forward to spending time with my family since we were staying with my cousin and his family.  Then the karma came.

SNOW.  At my house not up where the ski slopes are!  We looked online at weather reports which appeared to be unreliable since we were looking at snow and according to the weather report we weren't supposed to get any.  It finally let up and we headed out.  We were on the road for 15 minutes when our headlights were filled with snow again!  We turned around and went home.  Boo!

Ski Adventure weekend turned into IKEA furniture assembly weekend.

SOUL: Rock Star Week Abruptly Ends

How ironic that I claimed to be having a "rock star week" and my six year old son tells me I look like a rock star all in the same day.  Let the list of hair cut comments/reactions begin.  My own children are having the strangest reactions to my new REALLY blond highlights (that are actually quite shocking to me as well).

My six year old son "Wow!  You look like a rock star, mom!" That made me smile until he asked, "Are you wearing a wig?" I give him a chagrin and he tries to fix it by saying, "It just kind of looks like you are wearing a wig is all."  me --NOOOOOOOOOO!!

My four year old daughter at first said nothing and gave me a mad face.  I said, "What's the matter you don't like my hair?"  She said, "Why did you change it?  I liked the old way."  Me too, more and more.

My two year old, didn't even seem to notice.

My husband had an initial "Wow!" followed by the obligatory, "It looks nice."  BORING!  As usual can't read anything into this (really like it or completely hate it?  I think he'd tell me if he hated it).

This is definitely an adjustment time for me, I thought they were going to be subtle.  Are they super cool or super lame?  Not sure yet but its definitely in the extremes!

Attempting a first this weekend...  our first family ski trip!  This should be disastrous but I'm hoping for a surprise.  My kids hate wearing all the necessary ski/cold weather clothing like, gloves/mittens, snow pants.  I have only skied three times in my life.  I think that about sums it all up.