That’s How We Roll: Day 30

We have our passes.

1 more month to go.

This is where we’ll be spending the majority of our summer.

You may or may not find us there on May 19th!

That’s how we roll!

That’s How We Roll: Day 29

Freshly planted flowers.

Fresh mulch.

Sunburned shoulders.

We may or may not have the most beautiful/ most manicured lawn on the block!

That’s just how we roll!

{More pictures to follow when EVERYTHING is planted!}

That’s How We Roll: Day 28

Give a kid a hammer and a pile of rocks.

He’ll be entertained for hours.

{Okay, maybe 5 minutes. But I’ll take what I can get!}

I remember doing this when I was little. And I loved it. Except I remember the rocks were harder to break. And didn’t make such a huge mess. Granted, our driveway was made out of rocks. But that’s beside the point. I loved seeing what was inside the rocks. And Parker had fun. And that’s all that matters. Who wouldn’t love beating rocks until they are just a powder. And let’s face it, sometimes  I can be a cool mom.

That’s how I roll!

That’s How We Roll: Day 27

Proof that I don’t always do over the top cupcakes.
And I gave these away to my neighbors.

Share the love.
That’s how I roll!

That’s How We Roll: Day 26

Strawberry season is here.

And you know how we roll!

That’s How We Roll: Day 25

 

How cool are we?

My family is crazy. But I love them anyway!

I think this pictures captures our personalities perfectly!

What do you think?

{This is how we Helm’s roll!}

That’s How We Roll: Day 24

Last week we went to my friends’ son’s baseball game. {2 friends. 2 sons.}
Paisley peed.
Disgusting. I know.
99% of the time I have a change of clothes in the car.
I had some.
Just not in her size.
But, being the stubborn girl that she is, Paisley didn’t want to go home. And, she didn’t want to wear a size 18 month dress either. But, that was better then going home.
So we put the dress on her.
And after a while, she began to like it.
And it became her new favorite dress.
True story. {That’s how she rolls!}

 {August 2010. When the dress {in a different color} actually fit Paisley}

That’s How We Roll: Day 23

 

I love making cupcakes.

My friend asked if I could make cupcakes for her husband for his birthday.

The only request was “funfetti.”

You know me, I can’t do a plain cupcake. {It’s torture!}

So, this is what I came up with.

With funfetti cake, of course!

Cause I’m cool like that.

This is how I roll!

13.1 Miles

I can’t believe it’s already over.

It’s weird sitting here, a day and a half later, and being able to look back and say, “I just ran a half marathon!!”

W-O-W!

I don’t know if I will give this post justice, but I will do my best to paint a small portion of what I just experienced.

Because if not for anything else, I want to remember what I just accomplished.

I don’t know if it was the smartest race for us to run for our first half marathon: it was a trail race.

Course Description: Enjoy a scenic flat and fast course at the peak of spring! Terrain is mostly dirt, with some gravel areas, water crossings, and grassy sections. The course is for beginners looking to enjoy the new spring season and challenge of trail running, and experienced runners looking for an early year PR.

Trail races are harder than road races {correct me if I’m wrong} and you normally can count on adding about 20 minutes to your time!

With that being said, I think we were as ready as we ever would be!

Anxious and a little nervous, we got to the race about an hour early to check in and “do our business.”

Before we knew it, it was time! Like, time-time! No more training. No turning back. This was it! We were going to do it! :)

Most of the trail was on dirt roads. But some of it was through fields. {Like the kind you have to watch every step you take so you don’t trip} There were “ditch” crossings that you had to jump over. Some of the ditches were “soggier” than others. We did end up getting a little muddy!

I ended up almost rolling my ankles a couple of times. Thank goodness I didn’t! My feet went “numb.” {I have Morton’s neuroma’s}  My toes felt like they had nails driving into them. And I had.to.pee! I was fine as long as I was “running.” But when I would slow down to cross over a “ditch” I almost peed a couple of times! {TMI!}

It was just one foot in front of the other! The weather was perfect. {Overcast}. Gorgeous scenery. {Flowers blooming.} And I was pushing myself harder than I have ever before. {This was harder than giving birth. Oh wait….how would I know?}

I learned you can’t give up. There was no turning back. I made a commitment to do this. I trained for it. I dedicated myself. I was going to finish it. No matter how hard it was. No matter how long it was. No matter how much I hurt. I.was.going.to.finish!

And I did.

I finished.

And I lived.

And I’m still alive.

And I hurt.

But I did it!!!

 

 

And the best part? I didn’t do alone!

At one point in the last half, I was coming around a bend, and Robin was coming towards me. It was so exciting to see her, to know that we are doing this together. And right after I passed her, I saw Sherrie turning up to go up another road {there was a creek separating us}. I really don’t think I could have done this alone. These two women inspire me. And if it wasn’t for both of them, I wouldn’t have dedicated myself and pushed myself these last couple of months. They are truly motivating!!!

For the last quarter of a mile{???}, I ran back to finish with Robin.

And then we were both there for Sherrie when she came into the home stretch.

 

Exhausted. Sore. Sweaty. Muddy. Accomplished.

We did it!

These are my Sole Sisters! :)

I am so grateful for the support that Ben has given me. He knew I could do it. And he has made it possible for me to train and encouraged me to get out and get my runs in. And he was there at the finish line cheering me on! It was that last little bit of strength that I need to finish the race. And not just finish it, but race to the finish!

{And now, Ben wants to do this race next year with me! We’ll see!}

After scarfing down a pulled pork sandwich, a million orange wedges, and a couple bottles of water, it was time take off my shoes, prop these feet up, and let it all soak in what I just accomplished!

13.1 miles, baby! I did it!!

That’s How We Roll: Day 21

 

Good friends.
Good food.

Taking a decent picture,

Priceless!

That’s how we roll!

Robin, Caroline, Me, Amanda, Carrie, Debi, Sherrie

That’s How We Roll: Day 20

 

I’m getting ready to head to bed.

Nervous as all get out.

But so stinkin excited.

It reminds me of getting ready to have a baby.

Except, in that case I would be staying at the hospital for 3 days, and have a newborn baby to cuddle. And a really sore body.

Naaa. This time? I’m getting ready to rest up for my first ever 1/2 marathon. But I think I will have a really sore body.

My alarm will go off about 5:45 am. And my feet will be hitting the pavement {or rather trail. It’s a trail race!} at 7:30am.

13.1 miles, baby! I can’t believe I’m doing it. Remember how much I {stunk/stink} at running?

Well, I’m doing it!

Wish me luck!

This year I’m all about overcoming my fears.

Running a half marathon is one of them.

This is how I roll!

That’s How We Roll: Day 19

I understand why people hire maids. It’s not because they are lazy. That is far from it. {I’m sure in most cases, at least!} It’s because it is so stinkin hard to stay on top of things. I straighten the house up every single morning.

I wake up.

Eat breakfast.

Make beds. {4 of them}

Pick up bedrooms. {3 of them}

Wash breakfast dishes.

Put breakfast dishes away.

Get the kids dressed. {4 of them!}

Pick up dirty clothes and put them in the hamper.

Straighten up the bathroom.

Wash off the table.

Pick up toys.

Clean dry cereal up off the floor. {Don’t your kids eat cereal while watching tv in the morning? No?}

Vacuum the bedrooms. And rugs.

Sweep the floor.

And, if I’m lucky, I can get this all done before 9:30am. That gives me an hour to get my shower and get ready before I have to make lunch for Parker and do the routine to get him on the school bus.

Fun, right?

I enjoy it. Really, I do.

But that is just the normal things that need to be done. That’s the “straightening up” that happens almost constantly in our 1100 sq foot house with 4 kids running around. If and when I do get to the deep cleaning, the house doesn’t get straightened, and it looks like a bomb exploded in here before the day is through.

But today? I got a few things checked off my spring cleaning list. Just a few.

I finger swiped the blinds {big mistake} and couldn’t take the pollen/dirt on it any more.

I love springtime. Really, I do. I love being able to open my windows after a long winter. I love airing out the house. I love fresh air and birds singing and sunshine. What I don’t like is the pollen. It’s gross. It’s green. And it covers everything. For months. {Okay, maybe just a month! But I’m over it already!} My blinds were suffering.

I’ve tried a few different ways of cleaning the blinds, but this is by far the easiest.

Clorox whips. They rock. Check out that pile. Guess who showed that pollen who was boss! {And that was from only ONE set of blinds! Holy moly they were filthy!

 

After I got the back room clean, I decided to tackle my bedroom. Since we have a lack of storage space, and bookshelves, under our bed is our makeshift storage area for books. Not quite ideal. But it works for the most part. At one time they were all stacked nice and neat under there. And then I cleaned out our linen closet decided to store linens that we don’t use under our bed. And then Ben put his hunting clothes under our bed. And then some of my crafting things ended up under our bed. And don’t forget my clarinet, and a fan, and the Gospel Art Picture Kit {I’ve been looking for that}. Among a million and one other things.

So what did I do? I organized. And purged. And got rid of an entire bag of stuff to be donated. And a bag of stuff to trash/recycle. And a pile of books to return to their owners.

 

I can honestly say I am exhausted. But I feel a teeny tiny bit better. It feels nice when everything is “surface clean.” Which is what my house is on a daily basis.

But it feels even better when the “hidden” places are cleaned and organized!

Oh, how I wish I had a maid. I would have her clean my blinds. And scrub my toilet. And baseboards. And windows. {I did the ones in our bedroom today! SO.MUCH.BETTER!}

But, alas. I’ll do it myself. Slowly. Because with 4 kids that’s how I roll!

That’s How We Roll: Day 18

Because you can never have enough sprinkles!

I let the boys decorate their own cupcakes tonight. In their own words, “These are the best cupcakes ever!”

Extra sprinkles.

That’s how we roll!