you.are.my.sunshine: Marathon

On Saturday, my kids ran a mile and I ran a marathon.

Sort of....

J was up early at a painting job, and I cheerily woke the children with a reminder that they were participating in the school fun run!

Here's the unfiltered response:

After some...
cajoling,
begging,
pleading,
Justin Timberlake,
kitchen dancing,
and breakfast,
we were all in MUCH better moods.

That is, until it came time to put on shoes. Only the older two girls were participating in the run, but we had planned to bike to the park, where the festivities were taking place. The Big Guy couldn't find his tennis shoes and while everyone else laced up, he went in full psycho tantrum mode.

We had been looking for these pesky shoes for a few days, but since the weather had been nice, we'd reverted to sandals, hoping they would show up. I immediately sent the whole crew on a search party for the missing sneaks. Twenty minutes later, we'd come up with absolutely nothing.

How can shoes disappear? I understand hats, gloves, library books, but shoes? Aren't those attached to your body when you walk into and out of this house? How could they possibly vanish?

I texted the hubster a quick shot of the scream-fest and his genius reply was,
"Save your sanity. Go buy him a cheap pair."

We had a few extra minutes.
"Everyone on bikes with helmets, let's go!"
We pedaled to the local Shopko where I found a pair on clearance for $9.
He found a pair for $33.
I don't think I need to explain to you why I didn't engage.
I was alone in a department store with four children.
He weighs 41 pounds.
In the confines of my own home, I will tell him "no" and when he whines, I'll risk the certainty of a chiropractic visit to drag his sorry, screaming, butt to his room all day long.
But in the shoe department?
Nope. Nah. No thanks.

This kid is a warrior. He doesn't back down. It's going to serve him well someday. In the meantime, I have to survive raising him, which includes a shrewd, cunning ability to PICK MY BATTLES.
Shoes is not one of them.

Cha-ching.
I walked out of there $33 lighter but my reward was a kid whose smile portrayed the kind of joy you typically see on PowerBall winners' faces.

I justified the splurge by telling myself that the shirt he was wearing
(he has informed us that he will ONLY wear muscle shirts from now on)
cost 25 WHOLE CENTS at a garage sale.

You win some, you lose some.
He's apparently going to be more high maintenance than my girls in the clothing department.
Just, whatever.

We got the snazzy shoes on his feet we were off to the RACES, people.

Look at those smiles.

I'm gonna' call VICTORY for the fact that I was able to turn four sour attitudes (refer to picture #1) into this kind of pre-race enthusiasm.
Go me.

Tulip finished her half mile race screaming, "I didn't even walk one time, mom!!"

Girl, for the love of MOSES, you're almost done. Just focus.

Peach ran the whole mile, also without stopping, as evidenced by this dramatic finish:

We cheered like it was the Boston Marathon and when it was over, the Big Guy wanted to run the 100 yards from where we were standing to the finish line. As previously referenced, he's nothing if not persistent, so when the coast was clear I let him loose. Wouldn't you know, the finish line crew gave him a ribbon for that quick sprint, which totally torked his sisters, who had ACTUALLY EARNED THEIRS.

At this point, the kids were done running, but my "race" had only begun.

We biked home, first stopping at a friend's bake sale. The Big Guy started getting out of the bike trailer a couple seconds before I had completely stopped, so I ended up running him over.
Awesome.

After I settled that storm, we came home and I found the missing shoes. OF COURSE, I DID, while not even looking for them, in a closet where I had already searched multiple times, stuffed BEHIND the vacuum cleaner.
Isn't that where you keep yours?

I got over it pretty quickly because now that THIRTY FIVE is quickly becoming one of my identifying numbers (tomorrow!), I just don't have time to care about everything anymore.

We planted flowers and made our porch look pretty.

We had some friends over, took a picnic to the park, played at the waterfall and went to the library.

Let me explain something to you. When you've been cooped up with below zero temperatures all winter, there is NOTHING that you cannot fit into a beautiful 70 degree spring day.

By the time J got home, he could see I was exhausted in a happy way. Because he's awesome, he immediately dialed a babysitter and brought me to the winery.

We ate queso, tried new drinks, sat by the fire and laughed like hyenas.
We left far later than is responsible for two people who need to be up with the sun, caring for offspring the next day.