c spot: front row for the show

this is what happened after i made a point to tell the kids to make sure they drank their milk with their breakfast yesterday morning...validating the fact that i am, indeed, talking to the wall.

and this was annslee's tray after specifically telling her to keep her breakfast on her plate.

hello wall. my name is mindy. after talking to you on a regular basis for years now...it's nice to finally, officially meet you. i thought it was high-time that i formally introduced myself.

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annslee wore her very, first piggy tails ever yesterday. this is a very important time in a girl's life.

while getting her ready for our hobby lobby outing...she began insisting upon wearing her elmo t-shirt. it was cold outside...so i talked her into putting it on under her comfy cozies. however...just one elmo shirt was not good enough. she wanted to wear two. after much protesting in the form of screaming at me...i talked her into just one. but she was never fully satisfied with the outfit.

i, on the other hand, impressed myself with jeans, a tank, a shirt, a scarf, and boots. this is the most "dressed" i've been in a good, hot minute.

she finally talked (screamed) me into a wardrobe change half-way through the day. i realized that i needed to chose my battles wisely...and on this particular day...the clothes was not one of them. i had bigger fish to fry...like sitting in the highchair for meals instead of ON TOP of the table and allowing ME to carry the glass, apothecary bottles through the store instead of her balancing them on her head.

****

last night...i went for my second run of the week. be impressed. i have not run anywhere since i was pregnant with colton. except for that time during the last winter olympics, when i had convinced myself that if i could just get into shape...curling would be an option for me come next winter olympics...so i ran around the block once and then decided that curling really didn't take that much cardio strength anyways...so i could just practice my shuffleboard skills with the broom and a cookie on the kitchen floor and call it a day.

anyways...i laced up the running shoes two nights ago and set out to run around the 2-block loop in our neighborhood. i told myself, "just make it to the mailboxes at the end of the street...and then you can walk." and when i got there...i told myself, "just get to the next street and then you can walk." i did that until i got all the way around and didn't stop until i hit our front walk. i was pretty proud of myself but was secretly a little scared that it would turn out just like my "training for the winter olympics" stint. i told myself, as i was nursing a wicked, side cramp, "just lace up the shoes again."

so...last night...for the second night in a row, i did. before i left, chad told me what route would be a full mile. i told myself not to worry about that and to just run the same loop i did the night before and to be proud of that. but last night turned out a little different. instead of listening to myself gasping for air...i put the earphones in and ran to eminem instead. and instead of looking at the ground in front of me...i kept my focus on the light of the full moon in front of me. it's amazing how much easier it is to stay on track when you drown out the superfluous noise and keep your gaze focused on the light.

i'm well aware of the life metaphor is so neatly layed out here that it might as well be wrapped in brown paper and tied up with a bow...but the only problem is...

i don't really think that i want to equate eminem with the noise that i should be blaring into my ears. BUT...the light thing...

well that's genius.

the point is...instead of going straight and staying on the easier and quicker route, i turned left and ran the actual mile. without stopping. i listened to the music and i focused on the moon instead of my racing heart, my staggered breaths, and my aching muscles.

today...as the sore muscles in my legs send mixed messages of "thatta girl" and "please...for the love of all the sand on the beach...don't do that to us again"...i'm telling myself to just "lace up the shoes again."

****

after my run...i came home to this.

chad let her pick out her own pajamas, which included 3 pairs of pants. (that's why she looks a little puffy.)

and they were all running around the house in winter hats, gloves, and scarves as annslee chased them with the gun.

and chad just looked at me like it was totally normal.

i leave for 10 minutes and they all go out of their minds.

today...chad's dad and his wife get here from iowa for a visit so i was going to get my entertaining on and bust out dinner in the crock pot. i set annslee up at the kitchen table with a coloring book and some colors...although that was no match for the entertainment that i provided while trying to get dinner assembled.

first, i went for the milk and somehow lost control of the eggs. that resulted in eggs splattering all over the floor and under the fridge.

that was fun.

brucshetta. it hit my foot before hitting the floor...causing a flash memory of the jug-o-wine incident of 2011 and a nasty cut.

i couldn't find any bandaids, (due to the girls' fascination with wearing them even if they don't have a reason to) so i was dripping blood everywhere until i finally found a piece of tape.

after cleaning that mess up and contemplating ordering pizza for dinner...i got er' done.