This past weekend I got to participate in the perfect charity fundraiser.

Well organized? CHECK

Benefited children? CHECK

Tons of fun? CHECK CHECK

Involved water? ABSOLUTELY!

Great Wolf Lodge hosted their Second Annual “World’s Largest Waterslideathon” across the country raising thousands of dollars at each of their locations to benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

My family and I participated at the Williamsburg location where a total of 2,071 people took a trip down the waterslide to help kids in need. It was a truly phenomenal time. 100% of every dollar they raise each year at this event goes to Big Brothers Big Sisters. (If you would like to see photos from the event across the country, there are tons on Great Wolf Lodge’s Facebook page.)

Like I said – The best children’s fundraiser EVER.

ASIDE from their philanthropic work, Great Wolf Lodge is an amazing destination for families. We’ve been there twice and each time my boys can’t get enough.

What they really want is to LIVE THERE.

No really.

They keep asking how much it would cost to move in.  (I’m looking into it.) (more…)

Tags: charity event, family, great wolf lodge, Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, water park, Waterslideathon, williamsburg

My lovely and fabulous buddy Lori Rypka is one of the guest posters granting me a week of non-bloggy-ness while I vacation.  Yeah, I owe her!

What’s that sound?

Wait for it …. Wait for it … (nothingness). There it is, the elusive
silence I’ve been hearing so much about. I’m about to have the mythical
experience of silence in my house soon.

I began staying home with my daughter when she was 18 months old, and
have since had a son. I have been home taking care of kids for six
years, and have logged a collective 2,753 trips to Target, changed 8,412
diapers, given 3,529 baths, used 27,087 wipes to clean up butts and
messes, and logged 73.2 hours of sleep in that time. This fall, my
little man starts a pre-school program.

I am the first to wish that my kids don’t grow up. I had a contract with
my daughter to not grow up, but she has since changed the rules, but has
conceded to build her inventor’s lab in our backyard so that we can see
each other every day. She said we can have coffee together, and that I
can come over for sleepovers every night. My son has agreed that he
won’t grow up after he turns 4. (Ironic statement about the gender, eh?)

However, the thought of three hours a day, three days a week when both
children are in a safe, caring environment makes me think the
possibilities are endless. I can get my work done uninterrupted! I can
clean the floor and have it stay clean for TWO WHOLE HOURS. I can go to
the grocery store without a little friend asking for some sugary cereal,
then melting down when I don’t buy it! Bliss!

More importantly, of course, I’m just tickled pink that they will learn
new and exciting lessons, meet new people, see old friends that have
missed over the summer, and have new experiences. It’s worth the morning
chaos to get out the door. And of course the few moments of quiet are
just an added bennie.

Tags: Child, family, Lori Rypka, Preschool education

Moms and guilt.  They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like peas and carrots.  Like gray hair and sleepless nights.

I can’t tell you how much I wrestle with this issue.  As you well know by now, I am not a stay at home mother.  I am a working mother which, to be frank, adds another layer to the guilt cake that I serve up each day.

It is extremely hard not to compare myself to other mothers.  When I see a mother playing with her kids on the playground while I am on my way to a meeting, it is hard not to feel slightly unfit to hold the “mommy” title.  And you can  forget taking time away for myself on top of all of that.  I mean, how dare I? I am already away from them so much as it is, right?  <heavy sigh> Like I said, I wrestle with this issue constantly.  It seems like there is just no way to avoid the trappings of mommy guilt.

I recently read a post by Cara at Land of Bean.  She did a great post (I encourage you to read it!) about being a mom, her need to recharge and guilt.  An excerpt: (more…)

Tags: family, Guilt, living without guilt, Mother, taking time away from your children, working mother guilt

During the countless hours Jen and I spent training for this marathon, we grabbled with question “why?” Why are we doing this? We kicked around the standard clichés and theories, but never really got to the answer.

I think we just forgot.

After finishing the marathon on Sunday, I remembered. Actually, it was around mile 25.75, it hit me so hard I almost forgot to breathe. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Everyone knows to complete 26.2 miles you need to train. Long runs, tempo runs, speed work. Blah, blah, blah.

To enjoy running 26.2 miles, you need friends. And, boy, did we have friends. They were everywhere – around every corner, following us in cars, screaming encouragement on those Spring Ridge hills – all while braving the rain. For us. Talk about humbling. The runners around us thought we were celebrities. To tell you the truth, I actually felt like one.

And then, at mile 25.75, just as we were entering the gate at the fairgrounds, we saw Kim and Doug Hart. It was almost as if some greater force picked them up and put them right where we needed them. That last bit of encouragement to push us in the final minutes.

And then I remembered.

There is a feeling so unbelievable powerful and indescribable it can not be put into words. It is the enormous satisfaction a person gets from setting what seems to be an unattainable goal and then not just meeting it, but smashing it into little pieces.

There are no adjectives that can articulate this emotion properly. If you’ve felt it, you understand. If you haven’t, I suggest you look deep into your soul and figure out what in your life will get you there. It is so worth it.

And that’s why.

So, thank you friends; thank you family; and thank you volunteers for making Sunday a truly memorable day for me.

And thank you Jen for mapping routes, being the cheerleader, listening to me whine, laughing at my immaturity, for not leaving me on 144 that miserable day (even after I begged you to) and for taking down that wall. We did it. We are awesome.

Tags: family, Frederick marathon, friends, Katie, Katie Barkdoll, marathon, race, Running

I am gonna make a declaration to the world of mommies out there.  There is one thing that I hate the MOST about being married with children.  Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate!!!!

DINNER.

The question “What are we having for dinner?” is the most despised question of my life. If I had my choice I would abolish dinner completely.  I hate being responsible for it.  I hate trying to figure it out.  I despise preparing it.  I just can’t seem to do it well.

Have I mentioned the fact that I really don’t like dinner time?

There is a reason I never became a teacher… I lack creativity. The same thing applies to dinner at my house… I am so not creative.

Part of the problem is that I have the most ridiculous pantry. I’ve got stuff in there that doesn’t go with anything. I don’t even know why I bought it or where it came from. For example: Ramen noodles, cream corn, cranberry sauce, rice vinegar, marshmallow cream, refried beans, pears, capers, roasted red peppers and water chestnuts. I suppose that could be combined to make a dish… I know my kids wouldn’t eat it. (Not that those children eat ANYTHING I fix.) I’m pretty certain that my husband wouldn’t either.

I wish dinner was more like… breakfast. That I can do. Woo hoo! Cereal for everyone! Omeletes for all! Chocolate chip pancakes, baby…

I am definitely good at breakfast.

Dinner, being at the end of a long workday, just seems like more of a hassle. Besides that fact – It is important to note that I don’t actually make ONE dinner. Oh no, that would be too easy. I make two. (Because I am not actually a mom. I am more like a walking restaurant with entrée options.) I make two because the kids won’t eat what we eat. They only eat kid food. And we only eat healthy food. So – that is a big problem.

My husband does get on me about the two dinner thing. I know it is wrong.   It is just that I want them to EAT and GAIN WEIGHT for goodness sake!  They look like they are from a third world country already. (So not kidding here.)

So that is my confession. Dinner + Jennifer = disaster.

So be sure to think of me every night around 5pm. There is a pretty good chance that I will be in my kitchen having a panic attack.

Tags: dinner, family, Kid Mania