A Mother’s Musings, Mishaps and Milestones: September 2011

Has social Media killed society? Well.... I don't think I can say it's gone that far, but I do think it's killing me damaging my "literary brain" a little bit. It has, at the very least made me LAZY!

I received an email last week from a friend, one that goes all the way back with me to kindergarten. He titled his email "On being a good pen pal". Before even opening this correspondence I was rife with guilt. You see... *I* have not been a very good "Pen Pal" to this long time friend of mine; Someone who not only initiates our email correspondence each and every time, but who always has something to say, offer and who provides sage words for me a frequent basis. You see, social media has allowed me to assuage my guilt by tossing out these little blurbs via "comments" from time to time. It makes me feel on a daily basis that I've acknowledged and validated people existence on a daily basis without having to do or say much of anything at all! And in that respect.. "Ah, Social Media, I love you!" But in reality.... Someone deserves so much more that a few passing words from me, don't they?

Social Media is good for keeping me connected in some small way to the people that I grew up with and now live so very far away from, IF in fact I want to maintain some sort of connection. It allows me to see what their day to day lives look like and comment from time to time to know that I care what they do or say, but it's all very surface. I must give props to Social Media for reconnecting me to some people that I truly do need to be in better touch with and for strengthening and in some cases creating friendships that may not have existed. But oh.... it's so easy to tweet the mundane details of my life and update my status regarding my life, family, kids, running, etc.... in that I feel as though I've got it covered and why then sit down and try to make witty remarks about my day?

Social Media has made me not want to expand upon my musings, mishaps or milestones. My dear friend Dark Touch said this in his email to me and it was like a shovel to the side of my head... "
Facebook and Twitter kicked in and my updates became two sentence posts and my email became filled with advertisements and coupons". WOW! That's pretty much what's happened to me. I dread even opening my email anymore. It's all Twitter and Facebook email's - shit I've already read on Twitter and Facebook and then a whole bunch of Junk and well.... I have no need to write or respond or even think really.

So my status last night on Facebook that said:

A Mother's Musings, Mishaps & Milestones

I'm starting to feel like all these endorphins are killing brain cells. I simply cannot put a coherent thought down since stepping up my game physically. I ran 8 miles today and I'd love to blog about it and how marathon training is going {6 weeks to go} but alas my brain is mush...........

Maybe it's social media that's killing my brain cells and not the endorphins..... Food for though. I'm going to try to be better about this......

By the way... I'm a runner now. I'm running a half marathon in 6 weeks and I ran 8 miles yesterday. My longest run to date. I have no clue what I am doing and I'm loving every minute of it! {God these status update length blurbs do rock though!}

I'd like to say that I feel guilty about my Summer of Shelbi, but I don't think I do. It's not like I ran away and neglected my children. In fact Gigi & Lula were/are probably better off for it. I took some time for me. Read a book and am half way through a second. I love books, I love reading, I can and often have read a book in one sitting, but four years ago I became a mother and my "down time" was filled with any and every thing other than reading. Falling too exhausted into bed at the end of the day I turn the television on and a veg out rather than read. I think I've read 3 maybe 4 books {if you don't count the umpteen thousand children's books or parenting books} in the last 4 years, shameful, I know.

Fit Mama

I spent 16 weeks this summer working my butt off {literally}at Body Back I lost weight, lost tons of inches, and gained some serious strength and endurance. I was just about ready to run a half marathon next month {my first} in celebration of my 35th birthday. But my competitive side got the best of me and I fractured my tibia. Being benched to recover was not in the cards for me if I wanted to run an early October half Marathon not to mention highly frustrating. I couldn't think of anything worse but....6 weeks of recovery later and I discover that 16 weeks of busting my butt are gone down the drain. Turns out feeling like you're back at square one is a lot more annoying than having to sit on the sideline and watch everyone else play for two months. Well strength and endurance wise at least... I will hold onto the slim silver lining that I haven't gained any weight back. Now I have to figure out how to get myself ready to cross the finish line of a November Half Marathon instead.

Are you wondering how 16 weeks of Body Back boot camp for Mommy has made life for Gigi & Lula better?? Well.... endorphins are a wonderful thing! Not only that, but a stronger, leaner, more empowered mommy is a happier mommy. Feeling fit and sexy = feeling good about yourself. Feeling good about yourself makes you someone people want to be around. My kids found me wanting to be in my swim suit all summer at the pool and we logged some serious pool time! Gigi & Lula are both independent swimmers now! Check that out. More independent, empowered kiddos = happier kiddos. Happier Kiddos are kiddos people want to be around. So Mommy taking time to get fit made mommy want to spend the summer in a swim suit at the pool which in turn gave the girls the time and courage they needed to take of swimming all on their own! {more about this awesome news in a minute}  Taking the few hours a week to myself to workout, surround myself with amazing, supportive, motivating, women and catch a breath from being Mommy 24/7 made me a much better mother. There is no doubt in my mind that I got what I needed to I could give the kids what they needed.

{Not so} Selfish Vacation

After spending the summer getting ready to run 13.1 miles I was broken hearted when I came up lame two months ago. To be honest I came up lame 3 months ago but ignored my body refusing to believe, give in or admit that I was injured. Upon being ordered to complete rest for 6-8 weeks by my doctor I felt seriously depressed. More so because all of my BFFs were out there starting their training for the November Half Marathon. I was hearing about these great runs and they were running together. i was supposed to do a third session of Body Back {mostly because I could not stand to leave this extraordinary group of women} but I was hurt so now they are having all these amazing experiences without me.... I was dying. It seriously felt like my heart was breaking. Wicked-Step-Mother to the rescue! My anything but wicked Step-Mother saw a way to cheer everyone up but finding a smoking deal on flights back east. She flew the girls and I to Florida for three weeks. Yup three weeks with my father, WSM, brothers, grandparents, and future sister-in-law. Three weeks of sub 100 temperatures. Three weeks of fresh air, outdoor adventures, heaven.

So I jumped at the chance. I took Gigi out of school for three weeks. I did feel a little guilty. she had three days of school and then was gone for three weeks, but.... it's preschool. She's extremely bright at the same school as last year with the same teacher {who I cannot say enough how much I love!} she would be fine! She and Lula were more than fine! This was possibly the best vacation I have taken in a very long time! The girls are old enough to take on adventures and do stuff with and actually know that they are enjoying and learning and...we. did. everything! This "selfish vacation" to get me out of dodge, away from the fact that I'm sitting on my but healing while all my friends are out there running, away from the heat and the cabin fever that comes along with it ended up being a vacation where everyone got what they needed.

We explored Wakulla Springs both in a boat and in the water. The girls got to see more gators than I cared to see in water I was about to swim in.  Okay, honestly one gator is more than I want to see in water I am swimming in, but the springs are home to hundreds and we saw at least twenty. We saw turtles and manatee and every manor of bird and then we swam in the cleanest, clearest water I have ever seen in my life. Taking in dip in the cool almost cold spring water was like taking a dip in the fountain of youth. It just felt special. In fact the water was so spectacularly refreshing and beautiful that it didn't take long to forget that we'd just been exploring the spring a few hundred yards away where we saw alligators sunning themselves.

We spent an afternoon in a cave. Yup, a cave. We saw stalactites and stalagmites and tiny bats and honestly all had a great time exploring the cave. Not something I thought I'd ever do, but then again I was pretty sure I'd never get into a body of water in Florida that wasn't the ocean for fear of gators, but I did that  without too much hesitation at the springs.

We caught toads, and tree frogs and butterflies and lizards and saw a handful of deer. We climbed trees and fed ducks played in the rain and practically swam in large rain puddles. Just about everyday held some sort of nature adventure. The girls played and explored and learned and touched and had an all around amazing experience. They even got to celebrate FSU's first football game of the season by tailgating at FSU decked out in their Seminole finest!

It's been a full summer. I've been busying living life and not so much archiving it. I have tried to become a more adept photographer and chronicle this summer in that manner, but I am back now in front of my computer and I expect with 3 and 4 year old daughters I shall have my fill of mishaps to share. Here's hoping that there are a few milestones as well!