Surely she can't be talking about Boston again already. I am. And don't call me Shirley.

I can't stop thinking about Boston.

Should I run it? Should I skip it?

What will I do with the kids?  Do I really want to spend all of that money to go and run it again?

Will I be miserable if I don't run it?  Will I be lost to go through another training season without a goal?

On one hand I know that I will probably never be in a better position, as far as my qualifying time, to run it.  Even with the projected record number of people who will try to register my time from last year allows me to register first.  Its unlikely I will be in that position again.

Sure, I could be if I wanted to.  But while I love running it isn't my life.  I'm not willing to sacrifice every free minute of my life to eek out a slightly lower marathon PR.  If 3.19 is as fast as I ever get I have decided that will be good enough.

But is one Boston marathon good enough?  I don't know.

When I ran it last year it was ah-maze-ing.  Flippin' amazing.  Best race ever.  Its unlikely that 2014 will be as good.  Nothing ever is the 2nd time around.  But this time it could be an entirely different experience.  Running it without all of the first timers jitters.  Running it to appreciate the course and all of the history that happens each year on Patriot's Day.

Plus my dear running buddies have been lighting up my inbox this week with Boston chatter.   There are 6 of us who have qualified to run it.  It would be so, so, SO much fun to be there with them again.

But on the other hand it is doubtful that Ryan could go with me this time.  It would feel kind of weird without him.  And I've yet to experience a Kansas winter but the rumors do have me a little nervous about the kind of cold weather I would have to train through.

So that is where I am.  Undecided.

Essential oils in everyday life: an explanation

I am often asked to explain just what are Young Living essential oils and how do I use them.  I always feel like a deer stuck in the headlights because there are so many ways that I use them and for so many different purposes that I have trouble focusing my mind and giving a clear explanation.  Instead I get all excited and just start blabbering until I'm pretty sure the inquirer is sorry that they ever asked.   So it struck me that maybe I could write a post detailing the ways I use oils throughout the day - so that after I've thoroughly confused someone with my poor verbal explanation I can at least refer them to a post that will do a better job of explaining.

So, buckle up.

This morning I woke up and went for a run.  After my run I was pretty stinky but didn't have time to shower.  So I splashed some sage oil on in certain, ahem, areas to help me get by until later.  Sage does an amazing job of covering up and even removing odors.

Then it was time to get the kiddos going.  Jake was up and needed to start on his morning routine so I put some Clarity oil on his neck to help him focus.  Clarity is a blend of 12 different essential oils specifically created to help with memory retention and mental alertness.  I also put a dab on my neck and breathed in deeply to help my scatter-brained craziness when I'm trying to get 3 kids out the door.  Jake was ready to go with plenty of time to spare.

Next up was rousing Ainsley from bed.  That girl loves her sleep.  So I took my peppermint oil in and had her smell it and then put a small dab on her wrist.  That is enough to help her get up and going without my having to drag her kicking and screaming out of bed.

I turned around and Jane Dare was behind me complaining that her tummy hurt.  Luckily I had my go-to upset tummy remedy already in my hand and so I dabbed a couple drops on her tummy and rubbed in around counter-clockwise.  As always it worked like a charm.

In the next few days I'll be adding another step back into my morning routine - a drop of Thieves oil rubbed into the feet before shoes and socks go on.  Thieves is an amazing anti-viral and I use it like crazy during cold and flu season.  The kids had an occasional quick bout with a bug last year but thanks to Thieves it never spread through the house, it was short lived and I was healthy the entire season.

During the day I will pull out my homemade cleaner made from lemon oil and water for light cleaning around the house.  I'll run a load of laundry using lavender oil & vinegar in the rinse cycle instead of fabric softener.  Next up if its time for some more heavy duty cleaning or spot cleaning the carpets I grab my Thieves cleaner - mixed up from the Thieves concentrated household cleaner - and tackle any tough jobs.  If a scrape or bug bite happens I have Purification on hand to cleanse the wounds, ease the pain and/or control itching.

At nap time I love my Peace and Calming blend to help my little ones get a little rest.  In fact, when Jake is having trouble sleeping at night he comes and asks me to rub it on his feet*.  Nine times out of ten he is asleep in minutes.

Before the kids come home from school, or before any stressful time, I love to pull out my Valor because I struggle some with anxiety and its bend of spruce, rosewood, blue tansy and frankincense helps me to remain calm.  Valor is also a favorite oil that I use on my mom - its absolutely amazing on back pain.

This evening, after her bath, Ainsley had yucky residue all over her knee from a band-aid.  Instead of rubbing it raw to get it off I just put a couple of drops of Citrus Fresh (lemon also works) and it and gently massaged it in and then wiped away the gunk.

And finally, tonight before I hit the hay I will be using some Aroma Siez and Pan Away on a few sore muscles (still trying to get used to this whole running on my forefoot thing) and then drift off to dream land.

All of these products I can use with full confidence knowing that I'm using the best oils available from a  company that is committed to sustainable practices that ensure the purity of the oil and protection of the environment  (for more on that you can click here).

*Why the feet?  The feet have the 2nd largest pores of any place on your body which allows the oil to be quickly absorbed and reach your blood stream faster.

We're not in NC anymore Toto

I've mentally written this blog post so many times since we have moved.  But whenever I tried to sit down and put thoughts on the page something would come up.  Its been like that ever since we set out on this journey on June 10th when the packers showed up at our house.  Crazy, nuts, overwhelmingly busy.  I had in my mind that moving wasn't really a big deal.  Get the house rented out, let the movers transport our worldly good, pack the kids in the car and drive.
I'm an idiot.
Moving is a whole freakin' lot of work.  There's the planning.  And the cleaning.  And the sorting.  And the repairing.  And the trips to Goodwill.  And the ingenuity of doing without 95% of your worldly possessions.  And the insurance (can I insert a curse word here).  And therapy changes.  And outfitting of a new house.  New schools. New doctors.  New emergency contacts.  5 million forms.  Add a kid with an IEP to all that and you have a process that never seems to end.
But we are getting there in spite of it all.  This week I even undertook a couple of house projects - a sure sign that we are digging our way out and there is a light at the end of this tunnel (and if you even think about reminding me that we will do this all again in 10 months I might have to hurt you).
So, was it worth it?
ABSOLUTELY.  We are having a great time.
We are beyond blessed with the neighbors and friends that we have already made.  And the opportunity to reconnect with some old friends.
Living on post is a totally new experience and its been awesome.  Y'all - my kids ride their bikes to school!!!  How cool is that?
Right now outside my very window three dudes just cut, edged and blew away my grass.  Hello?  Nice!
At any given moment there is a gaggle of girls at any number of houses playing and laughing.  And a group of boys playing video games or jumping on the trampoline.
And if we are friends on facebook you already know that practically every night there is a block party here on Hollowell Drive (or as we have nicknamed our end of the street "Pikachu Village").
Sure we miss our friends in NC, the opportunity to see our families on a regular basis and the community we had at church and school.  But we know that we will be back there and our friends there are the kind who aren't going anywhere.  They will be ready to pick up our relationships where things left off.  And in the meantime we can stay connected through facebook, phone calls and text messages.
This time in Kansas will be short.  Many have said that being at CGSC is supposed to be the "best year of your life".  Is that true?  Who knows.  Personally I would be depressed to think that any given period of time would be as good as it is ever going to get.  But I do know that for us it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Never again will we live on post in this part of the country with so many friends in neighbors in such close proximity.
And so we are determined to make the most we can out of this year.  And so far we are doing a pretty great job.
PS - please remind me of this when we are under 2 feet of snow in winter ;)

Photos of the kids feeding baby pygmy goats at the Deanna Rose Farmstead.