Weather: It’s all About Perspective

For my run this morning it was partly sunny and 41 degrees!!!!! Just this morning my kids were complaining a bit about the snow melting and they’ve only been sledding 2-3 times and skiing once. I felt their disappointment yet so appreciated the weather Mother Nature has given me to meet my goal of running outdoors for 12 months this year.

So, as I walked out the door with no winter hat, neck warmer, gloves or coat I took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled out pure joy for the warmth. Now, there may be many runners who have left the hat, gloves, neck warmer and coat behind when they’ve run thus far this winter, but not me. Although I have learned to appreciate all four seasons I hate being cold and it happens to me a lot.

I am known within my family for being cold. I can recall getting an electric blanket for Christmas one year and a pair of battery-operated warming socks another. Both of which I no longer have in my possession, but when I curl up, on, or under my heating pad at night it generally isn’t because of aches and pains, although occasionally it is.

Monday Comic

Introducing…Favorite Photo Friday

By now, if you’ve been a regular reader of this blog you know that I am passionate about running and baking, among other things. What my blog has yet to demonstrate is how much I enjoy taking photos. Beginning today, in an effort to post more regularly and to expose my passion for photography I am introducing Favorite Photo Friday. I have never taken a photography class and all my learning has either been from my mom who loved taking photos, especially of her children (as do I), or trial and error. Each photo I post will be taken by me with the possibility of the occasional photo taken by someone I know personally.

Photo taken on July, 29, 2000 by Daria Lapp

Digital cameras have allowed the opportunity to take and retake a photo until it is deemed perfect, this photo however was taken with a 35mm camera and was filled with sheer love.

Running Like a Girl

I’ve recently found a few blogs that I have latched onto in such a way I visit them daily. The one I want to share with you today is womensrunningmagazine.wordpress.com. Every weekday I visit the site looking for inspiration and a golden nugget of running knowledge from experienced female runners. I was beginning to think of myself as an intermediate runner, just because of the frequency and passion I’ve been running with these past few seasons. If you looked to the “advanced runners” though I’m a beginner, based on the number of miles I run a week. I have never had a coach and I have never been involved with an organized running group. This blog is quickly becoming my coach and source of much needed knowledge; such as today’s post of how to drink water from a paper cup while running (http://womensrunningmagazine.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/tuesdays-tip-keep-it-in-the-cup/) REAL useful information! It boosted me a bit to read this and think, yeah I figured that one out on my own during one of my recent races. OK, now I didn’t figure that out all by myself per se, I watched others, most likely intermediate or more advanced. For those of you who have never tried it really is harder than it sounds.

I’ve enjoyed running on many Mondays since the school year started and I became more dedicated to running. So, yesterday when there was no school for the second Monday I was feeling a bit frustrated that I couldn’t run. And I consciously use the word couldn’t because I refuse to run in the dark and with the shorter winter days light is most ample during school hours. Check out this link to yesterday’s post.

http://womensrunningmagazine.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/monday-motivation-top-ten-reasons-to-run-today/

After my schedule opened up this morning and I had the time to run I reread that link to psych myself up for running. Even though the list resonated with me so much I could have written it myself, it was really hard to change into running clothes because I had already taken a shower and my hair came out great. All the women runners reading this completely understand me right now, the men are shaking their heads. Yep, I’m lovin’ the women’s running blog! I’m happy to say that it only took me spending $7.00 on some new music for my playlist and off I went running out the door with my great hair, sans ponytail, tucked under my hat and neckwarmer.

How I was Volunteered through Compliments to Donate Fresh Baked Cookies

I’d rather be baking right now. Hmm, that would make the perfect bumper sticker for me. I have a coffee cake “started” and waiting for me in my kitchen, but I don’t have enough time to mix it up and bake it before picking my son up from school. So, the dry ingredients and the dry filling sit in bowls while the butter softens in the mixer awaiting my arrival back from the school in an hour.

Aaahhhhh baking. If you haven’t read my post “The Story Behind DDD” that I posted in October 2011, now might be a good time to read about my therapeutic passion for baking. I was at a Parent Advisory meeting yesterday morning at The Parenting Place, one of my favorite places and one of my favorite meetings. I have taken many things away from The Parenting Place over the years; friends, support, toys (from the lending library), a college student who began as a babysitter and grew into family and an hour or so of sanity for several years while my kids were very young during their wonderfully run Friday playgroup just to name a few. The Parenting Place is one of the wonderful resources my community offers that if I were to come into a lot of money I would write a big check with a smile on my face and a thank you on the memo line.

We were discussing their big semi-formal fundraiser that coincides with Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Blue Ribbon Ball (April 21 – mark your calendars now!). My husband and I reluctantly (me, more than him) decided not to attend last year in part because of the $50/person ticket price. I had already decided that this year I would be RSVPing with a resounding yes! The topic of silent auction items came up and Fran (love Fran!) looked directly at me when she asked us all to think about any talents we could donate to the silent auction. “Fran, why are you looking right at me?” “Your baking.”

I never before knew the answer to the question What talent would you perform in a talent show or the Miss America pageant? Oh, Fran! Baking! I have a talent, and what makes it more flattering is that someone other than myself has named my talent.

 

So that is the story behind the tray of cookies you will find at The Parenting Place’s Blue Ribbon Ball silent auction, and why I will be stalking it in a spy-like manner. The highest bidder will win two-dozen cookies baked by me to be delivered within La Crosse city limits every other month for one year. In the end I will have shared my six favorites cookie recipes, one of which is bound to be my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

A Visual

Was Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream to Give Kids a Day Off of School?

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”

 - Martin Luther King, Jr.

As I sit here home with my two children I can’t help but think what Martin Luther King Jr. would have thought about having a teacher in-service today? Having not known the man personally and history not being my strong suit I can only speculate. I think he would have liked the idea of using his birthday to reenergize teachers about teaching students about equality and character education, but I doubt this is the topic being discussed throughout area school districts’ in-services today.

I find it ironic that that man that dreamed of his African-American children learning and playing alongside Caucasian children is having his birthday celebrated years after his death by giving them the day off of school. I’m not one of those moms that dreads when my kids are off of school, please realize this is not where my thoughts are stemming from.

Last year I wrote a blog entry about my surprise at the lack of community events commemorating MLK. First thing this morning I read a newspaper announcement of my local celebration that again begins at 7:00pm. Maybe next year if I don’t find myself employed, and attending an in-service I will plan a birthday party of sorts for MLK at my house. The only criteria for being invited will be that you have to be different than my children --- which of course we all are, each and every one of us.

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” -Martin Luther King Jr., 1963