For years, I have coveted over a platter that hangs in my friend’s kitchen.  Her young child’s precious handprint forms a turkey in the center with the words “Give Thanks” cascading over the top of the dish. 

I have always loved that memento and vowed someday I would take my children to a “paint your own pottery” place to create the same platter with them. 

Truth be told, I don’t have patience for paint your own pottery places.  Those places drain the life out of me.  There’s way too many color choices and way too many breakables lying about for my four year old to literally act like a bull in a china shop.  Therefore, my inability to make stupid decisions paired with my “You break it; you buy it” fear has kept me away.  I simply avoid the scene entirely and we find other ways to let our creative juices flow without shattering dishes along with our self-esteem. 

Then, last week Allana, Emmalynn and I attended a birthday party at You Do the Dishes in New Tampa.  My girls were thrilled to paint a small figurine and begged me to paint more.  Finally, I felt the inspiration to paint a handprint turkey platter.  The timing was perfect.  The staff was so helpful and hands-on that my anxiety over perfectionism and colors was greatly reduced. 

Ready to gobble up more fun, the girls were so excited to paint a dish for Mommy.  I couldn’t believe what angels sat before me.  Allana picked the colors without hesitation and Emmalynn avoided knocking over shelves of pottery.  Plus, the supportive staff helped make our handprint project a success. 

A few days later, our turkey handprint platter was ready.  I couldn’t wait to see how it came out!  I finally possessed my own precious timeless piece to hang in my kitchen! 

And then, my heart sank.  A large crack appeared down the center of the platter.  My precious turkey dish was now trash. 

I began to feel sorry myself and whined about not having a turkey platter for Thanksgiving.  I had waited years for this dish and now it seemed I was the real turkey. 

The owner explained that occasionally the heat in the kiln will causes pieces to crack and she reassured me I could make another at no additional cost. 

Even though I could easily make another, could I replicate the whole experience?  Would my children be as willing and well-behaved as before? 

Then, I realized how ridiculously shallow I sounded.  It’s just a dish. 

I should be thankful that my children have hands to make turkey handprints. 

I should be thankful that I can even afford to make this dish when other families lack food for their dishes. 

I should be thankful that I have a car to drive to pottery place and a home for us and all our belongings. 

I should be thankful that I have two healthy children and be grateful for every moment we spend together even when they drive my crazy. 

I should be thankful for my health and my husband’s health. 

From this experience, I was grateful for my cracked dish and the lesson in humility it gave me.  Like the dish, my life is not perfect but it’s full of many blessings.  So, for my husband, my two beautiful girls, the occasional cracked dish, the handprints and marker murals on walls and the many other messy blessings in my life… 

I give thanks.

Due to my sore ribs, sawing logs has been my only recreational activity as of late.  But even with sore ribs, sleeping has been a difficult task.  Then, this past weekend, my DH and I bought a new mattress. 

The rule of thumb for mattresses suggests buying a new mattress every 10 years and at the 12 year mark, our old mattress desperately needed to be replaced.

After breastfeeding and co-sleeping for several years, I had forgotten what a good night’s sleep felt like.  After the kids moved into their own bed a couple of years ago, I found myself sleeping on a slant, leaning into the center of the bed caused by the weight of my DH’s body.  In the morning, my back ached from the slanted sleeping.  So, the kids were out of our bed and I was as well spending many nights sleeping on the couch.  For the next couple of years, I complained about my sofa slumbers (or lack of) to my DH, but my complaints went unheard. 

Then recently, my DH started suffering from stiff necks and like so many husbands, once they begin to feel the slightest discomfort, it becomes a problem.  Fortunately, the problem was solved this past weekend with a wonderful new mattress, which was delivered this week.

My comfy, cushy new cloud mattress is like a dream.  I’ve been sleeping like a log for the first time in years!  Unfortunately, reclining and sitting up are still very painful due to my bruised ribs, but the pain is so worth it, because once I lie down, I saw logs soundly all night long.  Now hopefully all this wonderful rest will help heal my ribs more quickly.

This same friend mentioned that she wasn’t the biggest fan of sports drinks, so her trainer recommended coconut water to replenish her electrolytes after working out.  Of course, I hadn’t heard of this.  I chuckled at the thought of me smashing a coconut to get to the coconut water with me wearing most of it and half a coconut shell as a hat.  After all, straws don’t simply pop into the side of a coconut. 

With a quick search on-line, I found these nifty little cartons of O.N.E coconut water on-line, which comes with a straw and pops into the top quite easily.

I have to admit.  The idea of trying coconut water intrigues me even if it is minus the rum and a paper umbrella.  The whole natural sports drink appeals to me, as it lacks food coloring and high fructose corn syrup which are the main ingredients found in many of the popular sports drink. 

Upon researching the benefits of coconut water, I learned that “the electrolytes in coconut water helps you get rid of fatigue and refreshes your body to the core”, which puts a whole new twist to Harry Nilsson’s lyrics. There’s electrolytes in the coconut, so drink it all up…. There’s electrolytes in the coconut, so drink it all up.  Besides replenishing my electrolytes, I learned that coconut could really “relieve a belly ache” by cleansing the digestive tract.  Plus, coconut water has twice the potassium of a banana.

But most importantly, if I contract intestinal worms a little coconut water can help rid me of the nasty little buggers.  Hey, I watch House.  It could totally happen. 

So, have you tried coconut water?  What did you think?

Recently, cnn.com/living reported that a growing number of women are choosing to leave the workforce to become stay-at-home wives.  Good choice, ladies!  I applaud your decision and raise my margarita glass to you! 

In the 1960s, our mothers and grandmothers fought for our right to choose a career path fitting to our needs and free from the constraints of society’s expectations or demands.  Almost fifty years later, we can choose to stay home to maintain a happy home and raise a family without shame, criticism or question.  Even though the pay stinks and vacation time and sick days are an absurd notion, many of us refuse to hang up our aprons any time soon.  

As the article reports, some women have the option to stay at home with their decision having little or no financial impact.  As in my case, my husband’s salary covers all of our household expenses and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity and choice to be a stay-at-home mom  Domestic Diva.

Even once my children are in school full-time, I have no desire to return to teaching, but my professional skills are by no means “wasted” as I apply those skills in all aspects of my life as a stay-at-home mom.  The skills acquired during my teaching career are utilized when managing my moms group and raising my children.   Essentially, I teach children all day long.  I also dust off my teaching tools on days that I volunteer at my daughter’s school.

Even the women in my moms group tap into their professional skills as SAHM.  In her former life as an administrative assistant, Erika adopted the most amazing organizational skills.  Those skills play into her stay-at-home career as she generates and maintains filing systems for every project in her life.  Perhaps, if Erika does not return to work, she should offer how-to organizational work-shops in between pedicures and household chores.

However, stay-at-home wives have an advantage over stay-at-home moms.  A stay-at-home wife has the luxury to focus on her own needs and personal goals, whereas stay-at-home moms often find it difficult to put their needs first.  The needs of a stay-at-home mom often fall behind the needs of her children and her husband, and therefore her personal goals are put on hold.   

When choosing to trade your paycheck for an apron, there are two important points to consider: lack of income and lack of adult interaction.  While in the workplace, you are accustomed to having frivolous spending money and a disposable income. Upon entering the world of domestic bliss, the absence of an income becomes a difficult adjustment.  One less paycheck means a lot less spending.  To help with your transition, plan a budget for fun money in your weekly or monthly budget, which excludes household bills, groceries and other expenses.

Unless you prefer solitude, staying at home can be a lonely choice for some.  Although work may have caused you some stress, there were co-workers to chat with and many opportunities for stimulating adult conversation. Therefore, to keep you sane and connect with other people, join an on-line social network to find others with similar interests, such as scrapbooking or an outdoor adventure group.  Also, search for local special interest happenings related to your hobbies.  An all night scrapbooking event or a book discussion at a local coffee shop can provide a means to satisfy your craving for adult interaction. 

As for me, working was over-rated.  Sure the money was a perk, but the stress out weighed the benefit for me.  I actually prefer a pile of poopy diapers over a pile of paperwork.  These days, I have achieved a work-life balance like none other.

Lots of exciting things have been happening around in the great big blogosphere for Run DMT.  First, my Noggin Workout was featured on Riding with No Hands-Weekend Roundup.

Then, Run DMT was featured in the Week in Review-Round Up at

Five Minutes for Special Needs.

All this love is a great ego boost, but I am surely going to get a big head and everyone knows a big head will slow down my pace!  Plus, I don’t think my running hat will fit anymore.  Note to self: Invest in a clip on visor for swelled head.

But wait!  There’s more!  While twittering the other day, I stumbled upon an interesting little twit bit.  Run DMT is listed as #66 on the Top 100 Healthy Mom Blogs!  Check it out!  This just validates what I’ve thought all along: Reading Run DMT is good for your health. So, keep reading, my friends.

And finally, Vicki from Secret Mom Thoughts gave me an Extraordinary and Awesome Award, which is another validation affirming my already highly overrated opinion of myself. 

Now with this award, I am instructed to pass it along to five other extraordinary and awesome bloggers.  So, here they are in no particular order:

Momisodes

A Daily Dose of Toni

Living the Dream

Running with a Bottle of Wine

More than an Electrician

Thanks for all the blogger love and giving me a big head!

xoxoxox

Hoping to attend Blogher, the passes sold out before I could even save enough pennies for a trip to Chicago.  So, when I heard about a Tampa Blogher Meetup, I jumped on the chance to attend the event Saturday evening at Channelside.

Despite the numerous times I’ve arranged to meet cyber strangers through my moms group, this particular meeting made me a nervous wreck.  Perhaps I thought I would appear too new to this whole blogging thing or maybe I would come across too desperate or chatty.  Would they like the real life Run DMT or would they prefer the blogger better?  I decided to swallow my insecurities and set out to search for them in a sea of people at Channelside.

When I first arrived, I had difficulty finding the group.  Hooters was the selected meeting place and I anxiously scoured the restaurant looking for a group of bloggers.  But, without their laptops, how do you find a group of bloggers?  In my attempt to find the meetup, I randomly walked up to strangers asking them if they were with Blogher.  Of course, they had no idea what I was taking about.  I even confused the Hooter’s hostess.

Starting to feel sorry for myself and like a butt of a cruel joke, I stumbled upon a group sitting on a bench just outside Hooters.  Texting like fiends on their cell phones, I knew I had found the right group of people. 

Thankfully, the evening offered exactly what I had hoped for: an opportunity to connect and network with other bloggers.  Over dinner and drinks at Stumps, we talked about Twitter and other happenings in the blogosphere.  Noreen of Don’t Put Lizards in Your Ear (@DontPutLizards) shared some great tips to help me on my road to become published.  

Christina of The Green Mom Review (@TheCaffeinatrix) mentioned how she has been searching for genuine and witty product reviews for her site.  Upon hearing this news, my ears perked up for I knew I could deliver such a piece!  I was all over it like green on Kermit!   

I enjoyed putting a face to the tweeps I have been following on Twitter, such as @missbritt and @MommyMelee.  I also met some great new tweets: @AnissaMayhew, @CheekySweetie and @karlerikson. 

Mostly importantly, I learned that I was the only person at the table not attending Blogher in Chicago next month.  After meeting such knowledgeable and interesting people, it only made me long to be at Blogher even more. 

Recently, cnn.com/living reported that a growing number of women are choosing to leave the workforce to become stay-at-home wives.  Good choice, ladies!  I applaud your decision and raise my margarita glass to you! 

In the 1960s, our mothers and grandmothers fought for our right to choose a career path fitting to our needs and free from the constraints of society’s expectations or demands.  Almost fifty years later, we can choose to stay home to maintain a happy home and raise a family without shame, criticism or question.  Even though the pay stinks and vacation time and sick days are an absurd notion, many of us refuse to hang up our aprons any time soon.  

As the article reports, some women have the option to stay at home with their decision having little or no financial impact.  As in my case, my husband’s salary covers all of our household expenses and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity and choice to be a stay-at-home mom  Domestic Diva.

Even once my children are in school full-time, I have no desire to return to teaching, but my professional skills are by no means “wasted” as I apply those skills in all aspects of my life as a stay-at-home mom.  The skills acquired during my teaching career are utilized when managing my moms group and raising my children.   Essentially, I teach children all day long.  I also dust off my teaching tools on days that I volunteer at my daughter’s school.

Even the women in my moms group tap into their professional skills as SAHM.  In her former life as an administrative assistant, Erika adopted the most amazing organizational skills.  Those skills play into her stay-at-home career as she generates and maintains filing systems for every project in her life.  Perhaps, if Erika does not return to work, she should offer how-to organizational work-shops in between pedicures and household chores.

However, stay-at-home wives have an advantage over stay-at-home moms.  A stay-at-home wife has the luxury to focus on her own needs and personal goals, whereas stay-at-home moms often find it difficult to put their needs first.  The needs of a stay-at-home mom often fall behind the needs of her children and her husband, and therefore her personal goals are put on hold.   

When choosing to trade your paycheck for an apron, there are two important points to consider: lack of income and lack of adult interaction.  While in the workplace, you are accustomed to having frivolous spending money and a disposable income. Upon entering the world of domestic bliss, the absence of an income becomes a difficult adjustment.  One less paycheck means a lot less spending.  To help with your transition, plan a budget for fun money in your weekly or monthly budget, which excludes household bills, groceries and other expenses.

Unless you prefer solitude, staying at home can be a lonely choice for some.  Although work may have caused you some stress, there were co-workers to chat with and many opportunities for stimulating adult conversation. Therefore, to keep you sane and connect with other people, join an on-line social network to find others with similar interests, such as scrapbooking or an outdoor adventure group.  Also, search for local special interest happenings related to your hobbies.  An all night scrapbooking event or a book discussion at a local coffee shop can provide a means to satisfy your craving for adult interaction. 

As for me, working was over-rated.  Sure the money was a perk, but the stress out weighed the benefit for me.  I actually prefer a pile of poopy diapers over a pile of paperwork.  These days, I have achieved a work-life balance like none other.