One Week Countdown to Queen Mothers Day!

One week to go before mothers around the world are celebrated.  This week I had many awesome moments.   These are my top 7.

1. All moms...Get ready to be jealous.  Most of you know how I love my countdown to my bday and Queen Mothers Day.  Well, today marked the first day of a week long celebration.  My girls set up a spa for me with fresh rose water, pedis and manis.   We ended with a dance party in a "college dorm" they created so I could "relive the 90's."  Seriously, this is what they said verbatim.  I am loved.

2. Rant...I don't like fake people who pretend to be your friend.  I don't like that moment when you recognize that your friend is really a sneaky lil bastard in disguise.  I like even less that sometimes, you have to accept it and only hope for karma to take a shot.  I do, however, love that karma will take that shot.  It does comeback around.  End rant.

3. This week I got to go on a field trip with my girl, Kiley.  Kind of felt like a rockstar mama.  My kids friends seem to like me and that makes me happy for Kiley.  Dont get me wrong, I am not going for the "friend mom" but it makes me happy that my kids friends like me enough to maybe work hard enough to meet my expectations.  Kiley had a blast and we even got to sneak off from the group to do our own thing and bond.  It was a wonderful day that made me even more thankful for my Gracie girl.

4. Spotify.  That's all.

5. Husband did it again.  Surprised me with a Louisville date to see the greatest musician in the world, Langhorne Slim.  The dude is amazing!  We even got to meet him at the end.  He, incidentally, loved my shirt which means he wants to marry me.  Obvi.  What he doesn't know is I already tricked a boy into marrying me.  A boy that still surprises me with amazing dates.  A boy that is still my best friend and the only one I want to hear any good music with. 

6. Kentucky Derby Day at our house is a big deal.  We don't go gallavanting with big Hollywood stars at Churchill downs.  We don't sip fancy drinks that taste like alcoholic gum.  We have a experience.  This year that included footprint horses, family wagers, making Derby hats and our old Kentucky homes.  Having a Run for the Roses race around the block.  Making yummy Kentucky foods like hot browns, benedictine sandwiches and Derby hat cookies.  That is the way we do it!

7.  Lastly I am grateful for Mary Wilkerson sharing this video with me.  It is 7 min long and a must watch for every mother on this very sacred week.  I urge all mommies to make this a special week focusing on those perfectly ordinary moments....

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=olSyCLJU3O0&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DolSyCLJU3O0

O7DSR 1

1.  Boston.  Here's the deal...I spent a good deal the last 24 hours feeling bad for the kid that was tricked by his big brother into blowing up people.  I felt bad until I saw the picture of this poor, troubled 19 year old walking and smiling behind the peaceful, kind 8 year old he would kill.  I mean the GUY...not kid...was smiling as he passed by that sweet boy, his mom and sister.  The boy was climbing on the barricades and watching the race completely unaware that in minutes he would be fatally wounded by a poor, troubled man.  His sister was standing next to him on her young legs that would later be amputated and his mom was on his other side, smiling and clapping before her brain injuries would leave her in critical care.  Nope, don't feel sorry for him.  Can't wait for his trial and though, I don't feel sorry for him, I will pray to God for his soul.  Maybe Allah can hook him up on the other side...

2 Dylan...my sweet, precious, charming hot mess.  He makes up this week and goes to jump in my bed for snuggles.  As soon as he is up, he jumps back down to stand on the edge of the be.  I say, "what are you doing?"  He smiles and says, "I am farting comfy mom.  I didn't wan to be stinky".  He then crawls back in bed and snuggles in.  Love that boy.

3 My little boy is preparing for Graduation.  In my mind he is still that sticky, adorable 2 year old who caught my heart.  That little boy who I knew was meant to be mine.  He will be graduating preschool with more personal accomplishments than most adults.  His social/emotional growth, courage, self control and confidence has grown in leaps and bounds!  He will be entering Kindergarten reading and writing full sentences but that pales to everything else he has succeeded at.  He has started to become a lil man full of smiles, love and outgoing warmth that is shared by all around him.  I am in awe...simply, in awe.

4 Kiley learning transubstantiation!  Say what???  Yes, friends.  My girl is preparing for her First Communion and she truly knows the definition and meaning of this word.  Our super solid, charismatic church has proven to not be, just a wonderful community, but a solid teaching ground for this all important and defining sacrament.  She also learned that the consecrated host is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus...holla old school Catholicism.  Our priest is an awesome witness to our catechism but also to joy in faith.  Joy!

5. Sacrament Bonanza!  The next 8 days my family will celebrate 2 confirmations and one Holy Eucharist.  I am overwhelmed by the amount of grace and love our family will be experiencing.  Confirmation is my favorite sacrament.  It is the equivalent of a protestant baptism.  Shawn and Emma will be assuming full responsibility and ownership of their own spirituality.  I am overwhelmed by their excitement and decision to fulfill this sacrament.

6. My husband completed his 2 comedy show fundraisers and while we have learned a lot, the greatest lesson is always go for your dreams.  It has been inspiring standing in the background, silently cheering on the man I love.  I am proud that he is such a creative man.  I am very thankful that, as a family, we all work together to support each other as individuals.  Our family is the most important passion we have but we also are finding ways to be alive with the talents God has given us.  Its important for my children to see my husband as a great father, hard worker, creative and passionate performer.  I hope they will one day be able to reach all of their goals just like him.

7. Lastly I completed my second 5k..."Prison Break".  I was so nervous about this event because I really wanted to beat my last time.   When we arrived there were only about 300 people, all of whom appeared to be awesome teens.  To me a teenager while I am running is terrifying.  All that judgement, joking and youth.  But, with my bestie Melissa we conquered that hurdle and began.  My favorite part of running is the halfway mark when you get a second win.  It is awesome!  At the end we were greeted by those terrifying teenagers cheering us on.  My time was one minute under...disappointed but not discouraged.  I will live to run another day.

And On the Seventh Day She Rested...

So, my sister Mary has an awesome blog and such a creative way to blog weekly. She calls it her "7 Quick Takes".  She logs seven great things that happened to her that week.  She even includes some rants.

My sister and her husband are also huge babies.  They will cry and whine if I steal this idea.  I get it.   Its her special blog.  But, I am going to kind of steal the idea of doing a weekly wrap up.  I am going to call it" And on the 7th Day She Rested".  Totally not blasphemous.  Me and God are besties.  Plus, it will remind me to blog those precious moments He gives me that I don't always celebrate.  I may have some rants in between but, I am sure you won't mind!

My last rant was on my Facebook Breakup.  After meeting with Ben and Jerrys and catching up with my housewives, I think I made a good call.  I kind of stalk facebook every once in awhile just to see what's up.Like a creepy ex girlfriend that can't let go.  Oh well.  I will be sharing my blog on the book of face just so people know I got a new blog to read.  I hope to have some readers but if not, no harm no foul.

I am hoping these little weekly blogs can be enjoyed by my children when they are older.  I am hoping they will read this crap and reflect on how awesome I am.  But, mostly I hope that they will know that they were my whole life and I wrote down moments so I wouldn't miss a thing.

My first entry will be tomorrow and it will be a dousy.

Facebook Quitter

So, here's the deal. I am quitting Facebook. We are breaking up. I have decided to move on. I wanted to share with everyone why. But, it may be controversial. You may feel judged for staying with Facebook. Don't. Our relationship is just not working. I am giving much more than i am getting. I sent Facebook a breakup letter today and it went like this...

Dear Facebook,

You gave me a good, strong 5 year run. You were a great friend to me. You brought me good news and sad news. You listened to me complain and even accepted my political opinions. You prayed for me and others. You reconnected me to friends i hadn't heard from in years and some I didn't want to. We stalked some people and loved the juicy results. We poured over photos looking for imperfections and got lost in the grainy details. You were my constant source of entertainment in the most inappropriate times. We have chatted during funerals, cracked up during church services, gossiped during work trainings. We have passively, aggressively jabbed our enemies and cheered on the victors. You stood by me and consoled me when i lost family members and friends. You have been a constant in my life for five years. But now, you are a constant annoyance.

Now, you are that friend that keeps calling even after i have sent you a text to let you know i am busy. You are that person at work that just won't shut up. You are that annoying stalker boyfriend that keeps asking for a status update. You are that person that sucks all of the most creative, intelligent people out of the room by your ranting about unimportant details. You are the person showing slides of your trip to Africa for an hour with no bathroom break. I don't blame you, its my fault too.

I showed you my pictures, told my stories, bored you with mundane details that sucked up precious moments of your life, too. I checked in with you like a stalker, looking to see who wanted to be my friend. I waited for your notifications and was as thrilled as a 16 year old waiting for a boy to call when i saw you left me some. I made you listen as i bragged about my family and showed off the great moments of our lives. I made you cheer for me, encourage me and even like me, when i knew you didnt want to. It's not you, it's me.

You see, I got these 5 incredible kids and a pretty great husband. I got a good job and real live friends. I have this really cool life i know God gave me and you are a distraction. You have made me miss moments that i cant get back....at the park, at home, at church, during work. These really great moments that won't come again. Because while i am busy updating you, showing you photos or becoming embroiled in a facebook battle, i am focusing on pretend things/people/conversations.

Today this stops. We can be friends. I will check in on you every once in awhile...but, I won't stay. I am going to invest my time into other things like people and interactions. I don't want you to go away mad I just want you to go away. You will find someone new, you always do. I want you to. I hope you bring them as much joy as you brought me. I hope you laugh, cry and whine together. Post some pictures, tell your truths. Know that i will be cheering you on from a different path. You have changed my life for the better but all good things must come to an end. You were an important part of my life that I don't need anymore.

Farewell Facebook!
Love, Katie

Don't get me wrong. This is best for me. Those that still are friends with Facebook, i got nothing but love for you. If you want to stay connected, visit my blog. I will keep that updated weekly and even post some pictures. Quitting Facebook will be tough. It will be a neverending journey of 12 steps and more. I may relapse but I am hoping to stay strong. Wish me luck fellow facebookers!

5K races for 2013

Here is my list.  The races are almost all speciality.  The purist will think I am" not really" running.  Each race will be a step closer to lowering my finish time.  Each second faster will get me closer to...dare I say it?...a half marathon.  So, for this year I will concentrate on fun races that will encourage, motivate and inspire me. 

As you look over my list, please add any other good races for me to consider.  I would love for a group of people to run with me and create a team.  We can be account-ability partners.  If you would like to commit to this, let me know.  We can benefit from lower registration costs.  We do not and should not try to stay with each other on race day.  We will meet at the start and finish line of each race.  This way no one will be pressured.  Sooooo excited!

March: Color Blast 3/23 in Owensboro
April: Urban Dare 4/28 Lexington.
           Or
          Color Blaze 4/27 bowling green
May: Color Bash 5/18 Lexington
          Anywhere 5k 5/25 Red River
           Gorge
June: Glow in the Park 6/14 Louisville
July: TBA-  looking for input
August: Ky Dirty Girl 8/24 Louisville
              Midsummers Night Run TBA
September: Run for Your Lives 9/7
                Flint, Michigan
                 Or
                Extreme Rampage 9/8 lex
October: Run Like Hell 10/26 lex
               Race for the cure lex
November: Glow in the Night 11/8
                     Lexington
December: Reindeer Ramble 12/8
                  Lexington

That's all folks!  Give me your feedback and add your favorites!

Mary's Challenge

I have been challenged. ..which incidentally I love.  My sister Mary sent me a list of questions to answer.  So I decided to do it.  I thought a lot about these questions and answered as honestly as I could. 

1.  What is my happiest memory? 
There are a million.  I live a pretty happy life.  Most recently it was crossing the finish line at my first 5k. This has been a goal of mine for a long time.  I was really scared to do this, mostly because my inner voice told me I would suck.  Guess what?  I didn't suck, I rocked!   I was over the moon happy.  I also learned yet one more lesson on how much my inner voice sucks.

2. What is a difficult life experience that you have lived through?
Easy.  The hardest thing I have ever been through was deciding to adopt our little boy, Keegan.  It was hard on many levels and made me question who I was and what was most important to me.  I found out through this experience that my marriage has to be number one, above all else.  I found out that with faith and Gods will you can truly conquer anything.  I found out that what you think is perfect and right, most often means it is difficult and without accolades.  I learned about the definition of true selflessness and patience.  In the end our family came out tested and stronger.  I trusted more firmly in God's will, my marriage and my family.  The only things that truly matter.

3. Why do I blog?
I started off blogging because I wanted a journaling experience where I could have a voice...but, it would have to be a positive voice.  People read this crap, you know?  His was a way for me to write positively instead of unleashing bitterness in a journal I kept under my bed. My kids can read this when I die and I will not be cringing from heaven.  It is a way to record beautiful moments in my life that I want to relive forever.

4.  Favorite Blog
Mary's.  It is pure amazingness.  Always makes me smile.  She is unguarded, opinionated and not too self righteous to realize she ruffles feathers.  In that she is courageous

5. Who do I admire most?
Right now it is my sister Theresa.  She just had twins and has a one year old and two year old.  Th thing is?  She rocks this and is almost always smiling.  I would die, literally die, if we had to do wife swap.  I would quit the show and give my check back.  She does it daily.  No breaks, little help and less complaining.  The most awesome thing?  Her kids are amazing, smart, always cute and hilarious.  That is what every mom should look to.  She is my superhero (at the moment...don't get a big head t...this changes all the time.  Next week it might be me!).

6 What is the easiest dish you make?
For all my crazy organic friends, please skip ahead to number 7.  My favorite dish is Easy Mac.  Never gear, I bust open a bag of carrots and throw in some applesauce for good measure.  If I want to get funky, I throw in some healthy hotdogs.  This by far is my favorite easy dish to make.

7. Favorite song?
Here's the scoop...I keep an ongoing track list of songs that I want played at my funeral.  True.  Currently it begins and ends with Sing Together by train.  Give it a listen and you shall see why.

8. Best place to visit?
Obviously, Michigan.  Leaving Michigan was one of the hardest things I have done.  I feel most happiest, most supported and most confident upon the mitt of the USA.  I love everything about Michigan.   My favorite places: my house, Ann Arbor, DIA, downtown Plymouth, Coney Island, St. Collette, Mary's house, Leannes family and ford rd.

9. 1 of your life's goals
I keep a list of 40 goals by 40 (Thanks to Aunt Pam).  My newest and best is running a 5k every month for one year.  Some of these will be in other states....maybe knock another goal off my list?  Solo roadtrip, no kids.  God bless all 5 but, this mommy still needs some" me" time and goals.  It gives me peace.

10. Favorite things to do with your kids?
I know I can't have a tie, but I do.  First, snuggling in my big bed and going to Russia.  Telling stories, watching movies, ticking and scaring the hide out of my kids.  Second, goings on adventures.  Waking up on a Saturday with no plans and ending up on top of a mountain or at a festival downtown.  No plans have yielded some of our greatest adventures!  Plus, it makes me less of a control freak.  Which, if I am honest, I need sometimes.

11. When have you felt closest to God?
Easy.  I have felt like Gods most precious friend 5 times.  Holding Shawnie at one month.  It was 3 am and I swear, looking at him I felt like God was with us.  Holding Emma right after birth.  She had a traumatic delivery and I held her with such a calm, peaceful feeling.  God was there.  Kiley was almost an emergency c section.  But after her birth, the whole room full of people literally disappeared.  It was Kiley and me.  God was there.  Dylan was my hippie birth.  I literally hand delivered him!  Watching his siblings come and hold him...I knew God was there.  The day Keegans adoption was finalized, we walked out of the courtroom.  The Sun was shining.  I picked up my boy, said a prayer of thanksgiving and knew God was there.  I have been abundantly blessed, undeservedly so...in my life God has been there.  The difference between myself and others?  I acknowledge his prescence and am humbled by his gifts.  I am not a Jesus freak, but I have no problem of thanking God for all He has done for me.

If you have a blog....answer the questions!   This was a great exercise!

Our futures So Dull I Never Will Wear Shades

This is a very critical rant on education. If you're a teacher, I would love your response to this frustrated and discouraged parent.

Dear Teachers of America ,

We have done everything right.  I sent you 4 children (so far) overly prepared for your classrooms.  In kindergarten all of my children were reading.  Not by accident.  I did this for you.

In Kindergarten all of my children were taught respect for others but mostly teachers.  I backed you even when you were wrong because my children needed to be taught that a teacher was the greatest asset in the world.

In Kindergarten all of my children knew that grades were everything trying your best was most important.  I backed this lesson by teaching them that if you work hard and do your best, good things will come to you.
For you, I taught them that education is a priceless endeavor the should be grateful for daily.

In Kindergarten all of my children were well versed in geography. I taught them what countries were not fortunate enough to have public school.  I taught them that children in Africa have to walk miles to go to school and we're thankful.  I taught them this because I needed them to value our public education system.  I did this for you.

Here's is what I got in return.  My children have never beenn challenged by any teacher, so far.  My children, with our lessons, have become your peer mentors (I am not dumb. This is another way of ensuring your behaviorally challenged students have a babysitter so you can catch up your failing students. True.) during their instructional time.  My children has been offered spots in gifted and talented schools. What a freaking racket that is!  This means, my children, overly prepared by me, are offered the "opportunity" to go to the worst schools in the districts in a secluded program to raise overall grades of it's failing population.  Thank you sir, may I please have another?  My children only have an option for a crappy high school because of where we live.  Their only other opportunities are more secluded programs or a lottery into an amazing school.  A freaking lottery!

Today my child, who is seriously a freaking genius, was told his project was "forgotten".  He was approached by HIS teacher to create a video game for the STEM fair.  My son spent weeks, with our encouragement and pushing, to create his own video game.  He had no help, unlike the projects that many times win, he did this all on his own.  He was beyond excited and for the first time we felt like he might have a true moment to shine.  Both of his grandparents were here from Michigan and 2 aunts and uncles (creating a good extended support system to again, help you).

Shawn and his dad arrived to find his game was not displayed.  His teacher had forgotten.  His teacher didn't forget his own club....they had a display.  He just forgot my son.  My son who I spoon fed everything you ever needed him to know or do.  My son, who will go on to become your future.  My son who is now defeated and all his drive gone.  My son who will never again believe that if you work hard and do your best...good things will happen.

Another educational disappointment for our family.  Keep spending your time and energy on the behavior kids, the kids unprepared, the kids with families who don't care, the kids that are failing your teaching and our schools.  These kids will not create a cure for cancer, they will not be leaders of men, they will not be the change you wish to see in this world. But because of your effort, they will get the most resources, the most care and attention and all of your energy.  They will burn you out. They will not perform.  Their parents will always complain and make your lives miserable ...while my son is forgotten again, by you.