I only have 1 hour

It has been a busy week running here and there and everywhere. There is so much to do with school and all the end of the year "outside" programs that we are involved in. Debate is ending this weekend.........THANK GOD! There is so much to do when it comes to debate. We do it because it is a GREAT class and Matthew learns so much from it. It is a political science, economic, history and debate class rolled into one......There is always a tremendous amount of learning going on for everyone; from the debaters, to the parent judges, and the sibling timers. It really is amazing. You can't walk out of one of these debates without saying........hhhhhuuuuuu.....What did he say?

If you home school get your high school students into one of these classes and make them go. Take them kicking and screaming if you have too. It really is worth it. You will feel dumber then you ever have in your life but I tell you, they will learn so much.This program is called the National Forensic League of Debaters, it is all over the county and a remarkable class.

Next year it is Stephen's turn to start......I will be dragging, my by then 15 year old 6 ft 4 in., son all the way to get him there, but he will go.

He will be mad as anything. He will fight every Wednesday. I don't care. I will sit in the class with him if I have too. If there is one thing I am it is determined and tough. (okay that's two things).......... I believe in this class that much. We will get the job done and he will be the better for it.

Tomorrow we have a big debate tournament..........It will be all day from 8 to 8. And then, I think it is over, for this year. I hope!

I did not come here tonight to talk about debate and school.

I came to talk about working out and feeling frustrated.

I am trying to workout HARD again. Like I use too. I am trying to do a lot of things.......just for an hour. Unless that hour is in the middle of the night, it goes by so fast and it is so hard to get anything done.

You would think all I have to do is get ready and go.

Not so easy! I find getting out and staying focused very hard. There are always obstacles............such as kids, the phone or people I know stopping to say hello. I try to get up very early to get a workout in but sometimes Mary Elizabeth is up so much at night I can't move in the morning. Some nights, I wake up and find her curled up in the middle of my back.....I think how did she get in here? Then I remember...... I let her in........I know.....but we get so tired. We just roll over, pull her in......and hope for to get back to sleep.

Those are the days I try to fit a workout in after school with the kids or even sometimes at the end of the day.

When this happens:

I have to take my phone in case it rings with work for our business. I have to handle the calls and it does not matter where I am. I have to be ready to take down all the important information needed. I am the secretary in this operation and this is my job. Working out or not. Then there is always the friendly neighbor or passer bye that wants to stop me to say, "Hello". How are you? And "What are you doing out on the road?" "How far do you go?" I tell them, " I set my timer for an hour........that is all the time I can give myself." I want to tell them........"GEEE?? I really need to get going.....your holding me up.......don't you see I'm trying to get a workout in? What's wrong with you?" Then there are my kids; I don't care what time of day it is they want to come...........Yes! It is great! They want to be with me and I am "so happy". How many 16, 14 and 12 year old kids do you know that want to hang out with their mom? As Liz says "I'm so happy"........ well....... kind of. But, not so much when I want to workout. I have always taken my kids with me any were I go from the time they where very little. When I played at the Karate School, we took classes together. I also helped teach their classes. I was always there with them, they where always there with me. Now things are different, they are older and we are not at Karate right now. We as a family are running.........or trying to run. I try to get the kids out with me and make it a thing we can all do together. Maybe it is home school........I don't know. But sometimes, I just want a little space.....to run and listen to something on an I-pod....(not even mine or my music..... I wouldn't even know what to listen to if I had my own.) I just want to listen to what my kids have on their I pods and run........there have been a few times I would come home and tell my son to take this song off and I will ask him, do you really want this in your life? Stephen goes great guns in the beginning. But, then I find myself slowing "up" to drag him along. I don't want to do this.........I really just want to go. There is Elizabeth. She wants to run too. When I put her in the stroller she tries to climb out. She wants to walk. She tells me she is big now. She is 2.5. When I have her in the stroller, I worry about cars coming to close to us. I worry about having to get out of the way while the cars go rushing by. Now, I have put her in a back pack.........I'm caring 28 pounds on my back just so I can get a decent workout in...........people are telling me..........Oh! you shouldn't do that..........you will hurt this or that........But......... If your a mother then you know......these are the things we have to do. Like today, I got up early to run........by myself..........my 12 year old heard me up and around. She came down to see what I was up so early to do.....and asked me if I was going running. I told her I was and asked her if she wanted to go. She told me that is why she got up so early. GRRREAT! I thought. We started easy. I wanted to keep it kind of light.........she is only 12. BUT! I go for one hour and then I come home. She knows that. Ten minutes goes by, she says......."How long has it been? Oh, 10 minutes? It seems longer." I tell her, we can turn back and I will be happy to let her go in and wait until everyone wakes up but just be quite. Start reading your book for school. She says "No.....I'll stay." We run some more...........then start walking..........ugggggggg! I only have an hour I think to myself. We run...........she complains about her.....foot, ankle, knee, shins, elbow, nose, finger, eyelashes......we walk.......ugggg! I asked her again..........do you want to turn around and then I can finish myself.........NO! This goes on for the full hour. I say things like........are you in pain? NO. Is it an ache? NO. Do we need to go home? NO. NO. NO. NO. UUUGGGG! I only have an hour to get this done........... The hour ends.........we walk towards the house. Thinking ~ Boy that was not what I wanted today......we start to go in. As we get to the door She stops me, gives me a hug and says "THANKS MOM, I Really love going running with you." GEEEE! Now I feel bad.............It is only an hour............ For her, I should have a life time. I have to learn to stop and realize my time with her is only for a short while and most of all...........It is only a run. . One day I will have more then an hour to do whatever I want. I must remember not to rush things so much. Take my time and enjoy my hour run with my daughter.