Read and enjoy!!!

Hope you have a great week.My kids are already starting it off in great anticipation of Halloween night!!! They already have more energy than this old house can handle, I can forsee a week of getting them out to use up a bit before all the plaster on my ceiling is gone!!!

6 going on 30

Yep this is my Courtney is all her morning glory. Daddy got her hooked on morning hot tea when she was about 2. Now so that you don't shout at me for the caffeine trouble we are creating, it really is more milk than tea, but she loves it. Actually what I think she loves most is that Daddy makes it for her.

So these are words for my future son in law out there, you better make good tea, if you want to win my daughter's heart, cause she is a true acts of service gal, you could buy her all the gifts in the world and she would be less than impressed, however take the time to make her a good cup of tea and she will love ya forever.

If you are wondering what my service is for her, its her morning oatmeal, and it has to have just the right amount of brown sugar and raisins and cinnamon.

Our little Gal is Famous!!!

Yesterday evening we experience Halloween Fun round two. If you read this blog often you will know Halloween fun round one, was a few weekends ago when we visited our friends at their "Autumn Camping Weekend" where they decorate up campsites and pass out candy.

Halloween round two, took place in a tiny community by us called Sweester. We started in the late afternoon with a "trunk or treat" at our church, each persons trunk was all decorated and there was a game the child played at each parking place and then received candy for playing the game. The kids loved it and we also got free dinner there too!!!

We then went to the community costume judging contest, which included more candy and then all walked in the parade down to the "pumpkin walk". The pumpkin walk is a walking trail that once a year close to Halloween people bring carved pumpkins to be judged and they they line them up for everyone to walk by and see.

We followed that up a visit to the clowns for balloons and then a hay ride and a cup of hot chocolate with a free cupcake. On the walk back to the car we hit one more Trunk or Treat at another community church.

The kids were exhausted and so was I so we went straight home to bed!!!

On the walk, Courtney and her friend got their pictured snapped by a photographer, I knew it was the paper once she asked for their names. So I went to the corner store to get a copy before Courtney woke up this morning, she was pleased as punch to see her picture!!!

The final round of Halloween for our family will be on the actual day, then the costumes will retire to the costume box for another year.

My Well Known Secret!!!

I was not going to post this but since most of you already know since the forced confession at Bunko of Friday night (up to then only two close friends knew but they were apparently dying to share the news) , I thought why not, cause some of you might find this information helpful!!

I woke up the morning of the mini to discover that I had forgot to pack an essential item for the run, I had forgotten those things your mother always tell you to make sure are clean every day, yep I forgot underwear for the run!!!!

What underwear I had was less than appropriate for running (and that is all I will tell you about that). I panicked at first and then remembered my husband's habit of always packing extra underwear on trips, (yes some of you already know where this is going). Yep, he had a spare pair of his famous Hanes boxer briefs with the comfort waist bands, He denied me it at first, but I begged, we had no time to stop to get me more of mine. So he gave in.

Here is what I want you to know though, if you are a runner or you ever become a runner, boxer briefs are great for races, there is no bunging, no sagging and you will not get chaffing!!! (chaffing is a not so wonderful experience of longer runs) I am sold, I told Jack a piece of him is coming on each race from now on.

Love Hurts!!!

This week Jack finished the front porch of our reno. house. Months ago I had purchased this swing for a cool price, off my friend Shannon. I love this swing, I have been anxiously awaiting for it to be hung up, so when I saw the porch done, I asked Jack "please can you hang it?". He of course reminded me swing weather is almost over, and winter will soon be here, but when he saw my disappointed look well he set out to surprise me by hanging the swing while I was busy with the children one afternoon last week. I discovered what he had done, not when I saw the swing but when I found him at our current home wrapping up his poor thumb!!! He injured it while trying to fix complications he was having while hanging my swing.

I couldn't love him more, but wait I can, look at the lower corner of the photo down by his feet and you will see an outdoor plug also lovingly put in by Jack for me and my laptop!!!

I am now totally looking forward to next summer and a leisurely evening spent on my swing with my laptop and a movie, oh and my honey cuddling by my side would make it even better!!!

My Goal

Last week, I said that I total blew my goal for the mini marthon out of the water. Well one reader wanted to know what that goal was. I had set my timer on my watch for 2 hours and 45 minutes, thinking that my bad head cold that I had, had all week would slow me down from my original goal of 2 hours and 30 minutes, as you can see I beat both those goals, inspite of my congestion.

Now I have been wondering what to do next. I am signed up for a mini in May, but that seems a long way off. I am pondering on the thought of perhaps a "sprint" triatholon that takes place in Carmel early April, and the swimming part is in a pool. But I am still pondering it, cause my swimming is weak and I don't know just how many laps 400 meters is, it would certainly be a challenge, and those who know me know I love a challenge!!! We will just have to see.

Enjoy!!!

Enjoy the posts for the week, see you next week.

WE Did IT!!!

God is great!!! To those of you who know me and do not believe, I know you may not understand, but my God did not leave me to run these 13.1 miles alone, he whispered to me the entire way.
You see, I started running a few years back cause God told me too. I had been speed walking since shortly after Courtney was born, when one day I was walking, praying and asking God what's next, I heard him say "Run", I said "are you crazy it's been decades, and I never really was any good" then I remember being a child and sulking at my third or fourth place ribbon and hearing my mom say "Don't sulk be happy, you were 4Th out of hundreds' you are ahead of way more than you were behind girl!!! What are you sulking for? Rejoice!!!".

I got the message, it's okay if I am not number one, just cause we are not number one in a certain area does not mean we do not have talent in it. Talent is simply excelling more in an area than most, not all.

So I started running, and it was hard at first. I never seemed to get past the 2 mile mark, and I could never get disciplined to stay at it during the winter months. In fact it was not until this spring that I finally seemed to start advancing. But when I ran it felt so good, I felt (and still do) like I was pounding out my problems, and sweating out my worries, with God by my side. Many times, since mom's first news of terminal cancer, I would have to stop as I was in tears, crying first for her, and then over the loss of her.

You see running has been a great emotional outlet for me, has been since childhood. I have been a runner since 1st grade, I just never knew how much I missed it.

So this race was for mom, and it was for God. Thanks mom, for never missing a race, for never letting me get so hung up on being number one. Thanks God for always being by my side, for taking me through this difficult season of life, and for restoring my strength once again. I will always have a deep hole in my heart for my mom, she was my number one fan!!! But I know she will be glad to know, I have got my energy back and I am her "little daddy long legs" once again.

For those of you wondering how I did. I did it in 2 hrs 21 minutes and 47 seconds. It shocked me to see my time, I surpassed my goal no more than that I blew it out of the water!!!

I am sore today but recovering, and already making plans to do more!!!!

What I did Last Weekend

It was one of those strange but great 80 degree weekends last week, so what did I do? I pretended it was summer and did some gardening. Well, actually I always do about 90% of my planting in the fall. Why? you ask, no it is not because I procrastinate ( although I am good at doing that too) But, really it is because the plants can be found at your local nursery for 50% to 75% off, so you can get plants for as low as $1 a piece, that's dirt cheap for perennials, and with my less than green thumb, I will take a stab at gardening at those prices.

Seriously my gardening skills are not worth full price, I did not inherit my dads gardening skills, those that know him, know he can grow anything, anywhere, his daughter however (at least this one my sister, she has got the green thumb) , has yet to keep a house plant alive longer than 2 years and that was one of those really extra hardy very hard to kill types.

I am liking my arrangement though and these plant should have long enough to put down roots for the winter, I have done it the last three falls and have gotten great results, I loose about 10% of what I buy each year, but remember I am no "green thumb".

Read it and Weep!!!
I know I have said it before but I have got to say it again. I love CVS!!! It has to be the greatest 24 hour pharmacy around. Everything in this picture cost me $6.69, this week they paid me .53 cents to take away 10 toothbrushes, I got candy corn for just the tax, Powerade that they paid me .62 cents to take off their hands, I love it!!!
I am going to try to venture into the land of Kroger next, there is one in the town we go to home school co-op in and I read blogs where people really sweep up great deals each week.
Take the plunge pick a 24 hour pharmacy near you or a double coupon store, start small and build up the savings!!!! I know it's overwhelming at first, but once you have done it a few weeks you will soon be a pro!!!

Editor's Note

Alright someone brought to my attention that Indiana is on central time and not eastern so some of you may of thought of me and my run during the wrong time yesterday morning. Sorry, you see Indiana did not follow the time change thing when we moved here, so I never really check out its time zone, and when we started changing, well this homeschooling momma lives in a universe where time zones (besides pacific where the majority of the relatives live) don't really mean to much to me. I just change my clocks when the radio tells me too!!! I promise I will sort it out when it comes up in the kids textbooks (that's the same why I finally figured out my 9X's table!!!!! Ha, Ha, all you former elementary math teachers of mine, I finally got it!!!!!!)

Sorry I missed you last week!!!

If you checked in last week you might of noticed my absence. It was a event packed weekend, Saturday consisted of Jack and Thomas helping a friend move then we all spent the afternoon trick or treating, and the evening at Jack's staff party. Sunday morning was church and then I spent the afternoon with three other gals grabbing up Vera Bradley purses at discounts of up to 80% off. I was in purse heaven!!!! We finished our afternoon with a feast on carbs. at Olive Garden (got to love those breadsticks and endless salad bowl) and a trip to the mall before heading home, so you could say I did not have a minute to spare last weekend let alone an hour!!!

My Little Helpers!!!
The last two months I have been working on a project that was a long time coming. I have been training the kids to pitch in more around the house and do their share of the load. The kids are really enjoying it cause it means they are getting their chore charts finished quicker and each time they complete one of the above pictured charts they get $5 richer. I also will match their short term savings if they set a goal on a large item. Right now Thomas has his eye on a zoo computer game, Aiden Batman Lego for PlayStation and Courtney wants a twin doll from American girl (yeah she shoots big!!! mom and dad are going to shell out considerable for their half if she really does it).

Courtney is my finger print remover and dog feeder. I figured it was only fair for her to remove the finger prints since she creates more than half of them.

Aiden drys dishes, sweeps and spray mops the floors and changes the sheets on all the beds.

Thomas washes dishes, vacuums, walks the dogs and picks up the dogs parcels that she kindly leaves on our backyard (not his favorite chore believe me)

They also put away their own laundry, clean up their rooms at night and once and a while I have them do a large scale organization of their toys.

Now there is a daily limit on their chores to a maximum of 1/2 their age meaning, 3 for Courtney, 4 for Aiden and 6 for Thomas and most chores take 15 minutes or less. Only about 3 days a week do we reach maximum limits.

This is leaving mom, with more time to bake, do the bills, and plan for groceries for the week.

We are also enjoying more family times, for bike rides and swims at the new YMCA.

I am also noticing a greater respect to keep things clean, just the other day I heard Thomas yell at Aiden "HEY YOUR GETTING CRUMBS ALL OVER MY CLEAN FLOOR , CLEAN IT UP!!!"

Doesn't this add a bit of old country charm!!!

I think I have told you before the we as a family unit have been very hard on our 100+ current home, this is the latest disaster that happened in August. It is the ceiling over our dinning room table, it first started out as a small crack, but with three kids who seem to think that jumping off the top bunk is an Olympic event to be practiced over and over again till they get the landing just right, well lets just say it grew. It became a hanging flap and that is when my hubby decided he would try to fix it. His quick fix solution was to put a couple of screws in it. Well I was not home when this happened (otherwise I might of pointed out my doubts as to this method working) so he tried it and lets just say I came home to find this!!!! Turns out the whole mess crumbled all over his adorable Bald head, no injuries and luckily the table was covered with a cloth so it was not hurt either. But, now I am stuck with looking at this till we finish the reno. home, and more dust is falling each day and dinner is now an adventure as to can we eat one more meal here, before more plaster crumbles away on top of us!!!!

Halloween Comes Early to the Huizinga Household this year

Well not really, we still have more Halloween fun planed this year, including a "trunk or Treat" at our Church, Saturday the 25Th followed by a pumpkin walk that night, and then Halloween night we will be tricker treating with our old neighbor's whom we crash every Halloween night, its a tradition for us.

But this year we finally made it to the annual Autumn weekend that our friends attend at a local state park, they get out their campers for one last camping weekend before winter sets in (although as I write the weather forecast is for temperatures in the low 80's today so winter I think is still a while off). They decorate those campsites up for a bit of Halloween fun and then go tric er treating through the campsites and there are a lot of them, we did not hit probably half of them and my kids managed to fill up a plastic walmart bag to bursting, I had to double bag it.

With two more candy based events ahead of us this month its a good thing I have taken up half-marathons, cause I of course have to eat the candies they don't like, I can't waste those. Oh!! and don't forget the mandatory candy testing us parents got to do to make sure its suitable for child consumption!!!!

The kids loved it and apparently so did their dad, he wants us to get our own spot for the event next year!!! (got to fix that pop up tent trailer first!!!)

My Big Race Is Now Less than a Week Away!!!!
Yep you heard me it is less than a week away till I pound the pavement in Indianapolis along with oh almost 6000 other runners to take part in just over 13 miles (that's 21 km) of sweat producing knee stressing running. Crazy thing is I actually paid them to let me do this!!! And even crazier I have been training for it and looking forward to it for months and have already paid to do another one in spring!!!!
None of my friends signed up for this one though, something about not being ready in time!!! HUM!!! the gal beside me in the white tank top pictured above can't use that excuse on me any more, she just ran for a straight 2 hrs with me yesterday to help me prepare.
I have my own perfect race goal, but I am keeping it quiet cause who knows what Saturday might bring, a "perfect race" may not be what presents itself, I may get rain, cramps, freezing temps or other such things that will change my time significantly.
So if you happen to be up between the hours of 8:30 till around 12:30 Eastern standard time think of me, and my crazy adventures in Indy as I pound the pavement (and remember I paid someone to allow me to do it!!!)