Creating Keepsakes and a GIVEAWAY.

So. I've kind of fallen off the scrapbooking bandwagon for a bit. :( I'll not apologize because I feel in my gut that my rearranged priorities of late (that have me spending more time on homeschooling and trying to lead a healthy lifestyle) are spot on for me and my family right now. 

And, don't despair. I've not stopped altogether. I continue to gather stories and photos and ideas (and, ahem, supplies). One day soon, I really am going to scrapbook some more. Honest. ;) 

In the meantime, I received this little gem in the mail recently:

It's a special issue that Creating Keepsakes has just come out with...featuring the scrappy spaces of scads of designers (including me!). You can find it here. (It officially goes on sale today!) I don't know about you, but I love looking at other people's rooms. Not only do they inspire for scrap-specific solutions, but I've also found ideas that I want to incorporate in other rooms in my home and ideas that will some day end up having inspired specific layouts!

If you'd like a sneak peek of the issue, click here. 

If you'd like the opportunity to WIN A FREE COPY of the issue, post a comment here by this Thursday. Tell me your favorite thing about your own scrap space and I'll select a winner on Friday the 13th (May 13, 2011). (This is open even to international scrappers!)

If you're anxious to get your hands on a copy and love a deal, use coupon code SPACESBB for free shipping in the US. It expires May 27, 2011.

Enjoy!

Quote #19.

For this week:

Nothing we learn in this world is ever wasted. –Eleanor Roosevelt

So true. So true.

That was all. ;)

The family that runs together...

Last weekend, the boys participated in the first fun run in the 2011 Healthy Kids Run Series. It's a fabulous, and free, program through our local hospital system. Kids can run in up to nine one-mile fun runs between May and November. Prizes are available depending on the number of runs completed. Mostly, just way cool. :)

In any case, we headed up to Old Town and got the boys all situated. Nathan stayed with the boys while I headed to the finish line. The start was staggered (10-12 year olds then 7-9 year olds then 5-6 year olds and then 4 and unders) to avoid smaller kids being trampled (yay), and no times were kept. (Noah, however, ran with a stop watch so he could track his own time, lol. For the record, he did manage to beat his previous best time for a mile...they run the mile for fitness testing during PE at Options each year.)

We thought, too, that it was very cool that the kids got to cross the same finish line as the marathoners. (Did I mention that the Colorado Marathon (and half marathon and 10K and 5K) were also run that morning? Most had finished before the fun run's noon start.) It was hard to position myself to get a decent shot, but I did manage to catch Noah crossing the finish line:

I missed Asher altogether, unfortunately, but did see Micah come down the stretch. Afterward, I managed this picture of all three boys. (Micah had *just* finished so was a bit winded still.)

So. That was that. All three had a great time and are looking forward to the coming runs this summer! They're trying to convince Nathan that he should run at least one of the events. In particular, they seem to think that the Father's Day 5K would be perfect, though Nathan has other ideas about what makes a good Father's Day, LOL! (Nathan actually ended up running a portion of the fun run alongside Micah and was more tired than the boys afterward. ;) Let's just say that he doesn't really run...old ankle injury that makes it difficult.) In any case, more likely than not, I'll run at least one event with them at some point later this summer (just wasn't quite feeling up to it quite yet, lol).

I find it very cool that there are four pairs of running shoes in the house now:

Yay!

(And, the boys would like me to wish y'all a very happy Star Wars Day! ;) May the 4th be with you!)

Quote #18.

Okay, I think I'm finally somewhat coherent: 

There is more to life than increasing its speed. –Mahatma Ghandi

Ghandi was on to something here. I went running this morning. I’m still very definitely a beginner. ;) Using the Couch to 5K program, I’m still in the walking and then running sort of stage. And, I have to be honest. I’ve had my moments. Moments where I ask myself why in the world I’m doing this and moments where I get frustrated that I can’t do more, can’t go faster. It would be easy to get caught up and get down on myself for not having better times…to allow that to keep me from moving forward. But. As Ghandi said, there’s more to life, right? It’s taken a wee bit of talking to myself and reading inspiring stories and such; but, for me, right now, running isn’t about how fast I can go. For me, the most important thing is that I’m doing it and have reached a point where I know that this is just a stage along the way. Running is becoming a habit and I’m on the way to a healthier lifestyle. That’s what matters.

Obviously, too, you could take this same quote and apply it to a broader view of life. For instance, whilst my boys are determined to hurry and grow up, I keep reminding them (and myself) that they should enjoy the moment. Faster/older will come in time. We’ll appreciate it more if we experience the journey to get there.

Backlog.

I'm a little behind here. Sorry. Let me try to catch up...

So. We had a lovely, uneventful Easter. Spent it mostly at home enjoying each other's company (and watching the crazy Colorado weather that had me doing my morning run amid light snow, though I did see an actual little Easter bunny on my route, and then squinting into the sunshine by afternoon). The boys decided they didn't need/want to dye eggs this year, which was a welcome break. Instead, we still hard boiled eggs and used them for some egg and spoon races in the front yard. Course, being who they are, they couldn't leave it at just eggs and spoons. No. By the end of the races, we had boys balancing eggs on spoons while dribbling a soccer ball and shooting it through a hula hoop...

 
Such talented boys I have. ;)

The next day, during Options, Asher's science class had a mini science fair. He dressed up as a black hawk and stood in front of his biome and told people about the black hawk and where it lives.

 
He wasn't thrilled about the whole thing (mainly because it meant that he missed his recess time during lunch) but did a fantastic job.  

Later that same day, all three boys started a session of swim lessons. Normally, I only do swim lessons in the summer, but...for various reasons...opted to start a session sooner this year. So far, so good. The boys go twice a week, which will make for a busier next few weeks, but I just keep reminding myself that swim lessons have all three boys at the same time in the same place and, thus, is preferable to three separate soccer practices and three separate soccer games. Plus, this session is four weeks. Soccer seasons are more than 8. Whew. :)

Let's see. What else? Ah. Last week, in archery, the boys started learning how to score target shooting. They were so delighted and it provided an impromptu opportunity for a mini lesson on modes and means. Yes, I'm sneaky like that and had all three of them figuring out both, along with their averages, right after the session while they were still all hyped up. (For the record, the scoring involved ten rounds ("ends") of three arrows each, so it was a decent set to work with for the math involved.)

In other boy-related stuff...I'm very open to any suggestions on things to do during "stuff." As in...things to do that might potentially/preferably be productive...things to do while boys are in karate (45 minutes twice a week) and archery (1 hour each week) and swim lessons (30-45 minutes twice a week). Right now, Noah and I have been walking during karate, so that's good. I generally chat during archery...which is actually nice. But during swim lessons, I feel like I'm just sitting there wasting time. :) When it was soccer practices, there was generally so much overlap that I was usually dropping one off and then driving one somewhere else and then back to get one and then off to drop off another...you get the picture. So there wasn't as much "down" time.

For the record, yes, I often end up reading. I read pretty fast and a lot, though, and sometimes I'm just out of stuff to read right then. And, no, I don't know how to knit. I've seriously contemplated learning but can't figure out what I'd need to knit if I did. The pool isn't the best place to take a laptop, so doing some digital scrapbooking isn't really an option. I'm thinking I may just start walking during swim lessons, too. As I said, though...very open to ideas. Can never have too many, right? (Particularly if you consider that I probably won't want to walk in the middle of a thunderstorm and will likely need alternatives for winter, lol.)

That's all for now. I have blog entries in my head for my weekly quote and a couple other things, but they're just not coming together at the moment. Will work on that. :)