Limberlost #5: "i am not running that far"

*part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4*

i had the opportunity to run the 9km run with my boy and Dan.

we ran at Limberlost.

it was a fun time, and a great time for me to see just how this kid runs.

i couldn't keep up for the first few kilometers.

i didn't know how this was going to work - he was faster than me.

then he began to stop, 

he'd be talking so much that he'd begin walking and not realize he was no longer running.

these were sudden stops.

on a single trail sudden stops were going to be dangerous to anyone behind him.

then he got tired, and a little cranky...

then he was back to running and having fun, but i was now in the lead.

pacing himself was not his strength.

then there was his 10km run at Arrowhead with his dad.

they ran it in a time of 1hr 7min.

crazy fast...

no stopping...at all.

why?

mosquitoes and blackflies!

he was crazy excited for how fast he ran it.

now, we were in June.

he had had a busy track and field week.

he ran the 1500m race for school, and ran it in 8min.

he was so proud of himself for the run.  

then there was track and field day at school a couple days later.

he ran the 400m and the 800m.

he came in second in the 800m.

on the friday i ran my 12km at Limberlost.

what a great run it was.

hard, but so much fun.

at one point i thought that i was feeling so good i could maybe i'd run the whole 14km loop...

but by 10km i was so happy that i would be done in 2km.

On Saturday we knew it would be a hard day for the boy.

we were volunteering at an aid station for Band on the Run, 

and in the afternoon he'd be running his 12km.

he had been quite tired 

(busy week at school, still training and an early morning for volunteering)

Great morning cheering on the 10km and half marathon runners.

and dressing up.

for the afternoon the girl and i were going to the beach at Arrowhead as the boys ran their 12km along the trails.

this is what i wrote in my journal that night:

"the boy wanted to run after lunch.  He was worn out. so worn out.

after lunch we were able to get him going and get ready for his run.

...

when we saw the boys they were earlier than i expected...  

they had gone about 7km... of a run/hike...

it was probably the boy's toughest run yet.

he was cranky and too tired."

it was a rough day for him.

he never did get his 12km run in as that was to be his longest run before the race 

and they were tapering off after that.

to make sure he would be ready for Limberlost he needed to taper off when he did.

so the expectation was since he never got up to 12km it will be tough to finish the 14km at the race.

it will be tough anyway, 

but if he had been able to run the 12 it would have been a step in the right direction.

i am so crazy excited to run this race with my boy.

i have made him a shirt for the run..

something special for him.

that will be revealed to you after the run.

i am writing this entry on Thursday, July 6.

The Limberlost Challenge is happening on Saturday, July 8.

when you are reading this we will have already raced.

if things go wonderful, 

and without much discouragement or pain,

we are expecting about a 2hr 15m finish.

stay tuned! 

Limberlost: the boy's dream

So, The Limberlost Challenge was run today.
what a beautiful day for it.

before i tell you how the day actually went let me take you back and share with you a little history.

**written back in April**


The boy.

he has attended The Limberlost Challenge for 3 years.

cheered on his daddy in the 56km 3x

and cheered on his mommy in the 14km 2x.

He has cheered on his parents at Band on the Run multiple times.

half marathons, 10km races.

He has run the kids' 1km and the 5km race 2x.

He has cheered on his daddy at the North Face Endurance 50mile race.

he has run the kids' 1km at it.

He has run cross country at 3 school races.

he has run the 1500m race for his school track and field day.

he has spontaneously decided to run a trail when we went for a hike.

he has told us many times that running on trails is his favourite thing...

and what he loves about it is..

running on a trail.

so..

when The Limberlost Challenge finished last year he told us he wanted to run it in 2017.

what a cool dream.

sure, 

if he wanted to do it, 

his dad would work out a training schedule for him but not until the spring.

i don't know if i thought he would forget, 

or if i just didn't realize how serious he was.

but, all winter he talked about how he was going to run Limberlost.

i would run with him.

his dad had some health issues since last summer,

so running wasn't happening.
i had also slacked in my running,
so the current runner in the family was the boy,
who ran X-Country in the fall.

a training schedule was never made for him, 

but his dream lived on.

so..

March happened.

his dad was feeling better and sat down and figured out a run schedule.

since his dad hadn't run for a long time, and wasn't sure how far he could even run, 

they would train together.

around March Break they began. 

3 runs a week.

when his dad gets home from work, they head out for 2 of the runs.

the third one is on Saturdays.

and you know what...

seeing my boy's excitement, 

seeing his dad running with him,

i knew i had to begin training so i can keep up with my little Limberlost Runner.

so i am doing the same schedule as my boy currently...

I signed up for the 14km last week.

but,

 we hit a snag in the boy's dream.

School Days *round 2*: Gr 2

age: 7 (8 in the new year)

year in school: 4

grade: 2

class: 2s only

ok, i'm finally writing this in March 2017...

um, 

in case you missed it, 

the school year actually began in September 2016.

i'm a little behind.

oh well.

my little one.

my girl.

so full of life and love.

She could not have been happier when she found out her teacher.

unless she had the chance to stay with her gr. 1 teacher of course 

She had the same teacher that her brother had when he was in grade 2.

she is still at the age that it is exciting to follow your brother through the teachers.

*i remember grade 4 being so exciting to have a teacher that didn't already know my brother*

She has enjoyed this school year.

a class full of friends.

a crazy, excited class, full of energy.

for a girl who is full of energy that is perfect for her.

she loves reading, writing, art, music, drama and math.

she likes gym.

she loves to learn new things.

she loves that her teacher is an avid birdwatcher.

she loves to see birds and be able to tell him what she saw.

side note:

a chicadee landed on her finger recently and all she could talk about was how she would get to tell her teacher all about it.   

then she laughed ,as she went on and on about the bird,  and said, "i'm just like Mr. G, talking about birds all the time!"

My little one enjoys going to school in the mornings.

but she also love the weekends.

She always comes home with stories about her friends, the teachers, different activities they did.

she loves to share what she's learned.

she has had a few struggles in the friendship department.

girls.

gah!

girls and their girl-ness.

friends one moment...

not anymore...

not unless you...

ok, we can be friends again...

why are you playing with her and not me...

i'll give you this if you,,,

we have walked this road with her this year.

she has come home upset, mad, thinking it's silly.

we pray about it.

we discuss what can be done.

we make choices with our girl to walk this road called life together.

she is strong.

she wants to be friends with who she wants to.

she doesn't want the drama that some people bring to life.

but, she also wants people to like her.

she doesn't like to be manipulated...

but she kinda wants that thing they're offering.

she has been growing a lot this year on the social side of life.

her school work is great.

she is still learning a lot from her teacher, and the other teachers who do classes with her.

she loves social studies.

i seriously think it's a favourite this year.

my girl.

you are on March Break.

you will be 8 tomorrow, 

and i'm excited to see how strong you finish off your grade 2 year.

keep being you, 

with your contagious personality, 

with your unique sense of style,

with your love for God and others.

XC Ski

i have a boy.

last winter we obtained xc skis, poles and boots for him.

his daddy took him out and taught him basics of xc skiing.

we had an excited boy.

fast forward to this winter.

he could not wait to do some xc skiing when the snow came.

his daddy and he went skiing a few times, and this year he began to improve on his classic skiing and also began to learn how to skate ski.

so excited.

he was loving it.

then the opportunity came for him to sign up for an elementary school XC ski race.

at the end of january he raced in a classic race with other grades 3/4 boys.

he finished 33rd out of 68 boys.

he did his 2km loop in 16:35.

he had so much fun.

he didn't care if he came in first, or even in the top ten.

he loved being out on the trail, doing something he has grown to love.

and the weather was spectacular as well.

beautiful sunshine.

last friday he had the opportunity to do his second race.

chilly day.

cloudy, and that wind...

brrrrr.

we forgot his ski boots.

the rental ones didn't fit comfortably...

we live 5 minutes away and we had time so i headed home and got his boots   

-sitting right where his skis had been-

when i made it back he still had plenty of time to play around before the 1/2 boys and girls raced.

then it was his time.

this race was classic and skate.

he said he would just classic, 

but then as he watched the 1/2s race he said he may do a little skate, 

since that's a lot of fun.

i waited for him at the finish line.

there were kids coming in that i thought he could have been in before, 

so i wondered how he was doing.

was he too tired?

did he fall?

was he  having a rough time?

finally i saw my little man skiing along.

he finished 57th out of 64 grade 3/4 boys.

finishing his 2km in 23:13

did he have a rough time?  

nope.

he was so happy when he finished.

he was tired, but i got to hear his adventure.

he told me that the basket on the end of his pole fell off.

when he noticed he was about half way.  

he turned around and went back to look for it.

he said it was back where the 1/2s turn off and head to the finish.

then he put the basket back on. 

and continued on his way.

what a kid.

he didn't want to lose the basket.

*he didn't know that his dad had an extra pole at the house, or that his teacher would have gone out to look for it after the races*

he skied a lot further than his race distance, 

and still had fun.

and then still went and played around with all the other kids.

i am so proud of this kid.

he enjoyed the races.

i loved watching him.

he loved finding out how fast he did it in.

he loves figuring out what position he came in.

he would like to one day win, but he wants to have fun.

he wants to enjoy the races.

he knows some kids will be fast.

he knows some kids will do the sport a lot and train a lot.

after one of his friends raced, he had to go find him to tell him good job.

way to go kid.

Jour de neige numéro six

Seriously.

it is the 6th bus cancellation day in January.

last week they were cancelled tues, wed, thurs.

this week... 

buses cancelled tues, wed, thurs.

so far 

*insert 2017's evil laugh here*

last week 

tuesday i kept the kids home.

wednesday i kept them home.

thursday i drove them to school.

this week

tuesday i kept them home.

wednesday i drove them to school.

today i kept them home.

first:

 i didn't feel like fighting them to get them ready for school.

which i knew would happen, as at bed time last night, they had already voiced that if it was a snow day they would like to pleeeease stay home.

secondly:

i was tired.

i stayed up too late and i knew i'd be a grumpy bear if they gave me the littlest argument.

thirdly:

i was going to do some snowday homeschooling with them.

it was going to work, 

it was going to be the most fun ever.

we were going to have a jolly ol' time.

so to begin our day

i let them sleep and began to plan how i wanted the day to go.

what did i want them to learn today?

when they got up 

*at the same time somehow*

i informed them that we were doing school at home.

my boy nodded,

"uh, ok"

my girl...

"no i'm not!" 

and stormed to her room.

i told her either get dressed and ready to go to school or we'll do school here at home, her choice.

not long after she came out and i laid out the day for them.

first, i would shower and get dressed and they could play.

then we'd have breakfast and do Bible time.

Bible Time

i have been working on teaching my kids about the armour of God.  

Therefore, put on the full armour of God, 

so that when the day of evil comes, 

you will be able to stand your ground,

and after you have done everything,

to stand.

Stand firm then,

with the belt of truth buckled round your waist,

with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, 

take up the shield of faith,

with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit,

which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:13-18

today we finished with the Sword of the Spirit

and then concluded by praying through the verses we had for each piece of armour.

i told the kids that it was actually nice to have the time to not feel rushed but to have all the time we needed to complete the study we did.

i sent them to play as i figured out what to do for their math time.

i wanted it to be interesting and fun.

for some, math and fun do not mix...

for my kids i knew it could.

i went on the headache that is pinterest to get ideas.

i printed off a couple Number of the Day sheets and gave them each their own number.

then i got out the dominoes, two dice and graph paper.

it was time for math!

they each did their number of the day page.

when that was done i had something special for each of them.

the boy:

he got the graph paper and the dice.

he would roll the dice.  

with the two numbers showing he would draw on the graph paper # x # 

then solve the problem by counting the squares.

the girl:

would pick a random domino and writing down the problem, add the two numbers.

they each, at some point, said to themselves

"this is fun."

that made me smile.

Time for Language Arts

it's Thursday, and Thursday means mail!

they had to write a rough copy of a note to someone.

my boy wrote to his great grandma and the girl wrote to her grandma.

i edited (with them) their rough copy.

they then filled out a final card to be mailed.

after they were done their card they were to journal or, in the boy's case, continue writing a story.

outside for Recess! 

and the melt down began.

it was not a fun recess.

it ended with one kid coming in in tears and sending himself to his room.

the other i sent to her room for a little break until everyone was calmer and i would get lunch ready.

the situation was resolved and lunch was enjoyed.

after lunch they sat at the computer for art.

*we did take a wee break as another meltdown happened.*

then they did get their drawings done.

reading.

i had one read out loud to me as the other one did their chores and then read independently.

then we switched.

i loved listening to these two read out loud.

they are getting so confident in their reading.

second last subject:

Français.

yep, i decided to tackle french.

i have one kid who doesn't take any french yet and one who is in his second year of it.  

*only because he was in a 3/4 split last year and enjoyed it with the grade 4s*

as of the beginning of the day i had told them if we were counting at all it had to be in french.

that was fun.

i had printed off 3 work-sheets each.

we did some conversation french on our first page.

second was a word find but that was just extra.

the third was colors.

simple, yet they enjoyed them.

last class of the day...

Home economics 

haha

tonight we are having meatloaf.

so, the kids helped me make it...

actually they prepared it completely.

it will be going in the oven soon.

after making the meatloaf we sat at the table and i thanked them for a great day.

they both had fun.

they asked if we can do it again on the next snow day.

i'm not a home school mom.

but i enjoyed my day today.

now they are watching Alice in Wonderland in the living room and i am sharing this day with you.

side note: 

the kids weren't the only ones with a meltdown today...

but we all survived, no meltdown lasted long.

no school today

today is yet another bus cancellation day here in Muskoka.

i think in the month of January, we have had 4 bus cancellation days.

i don't say snow days because not all of them were truly snow days.

i don't consider it a snow day if it's not due to snow.

i can't do it.

*ok, sometimes i do, 'snow day!' sounds more exciting than 'bus cancellation day!'*

we have had snow day, horrible gross road day.

we have had possibility of a butt load of snow day

and today we have a freezing rain day.

*i have a friend that had fog day before Christmas, we haven't had that one...yet*

last night i heard the weather report for today.

there was a freezing rain warning for our area that would begin in the morning then turn to snow and back to freezing rain in the afternoon.

we have had days predicted like that and had the buses still drive.

sometimes the buses had no issues for the freezing rain came after the after school bus time.  and people were so happy the buses didn't get cancelled.

sometimes the buses were good before school but after school the roads were treacherous, and people were furious the buses didn't get cancelled.

we have had days predicted like that and the buses were cancelled.

sometimes the buses had no issues for the freezing rain didn't come until later in the evening.  people were furious that the buses were cancelled.

sometimes the buses were good before school but after school the roads were treacherous and people were glad the buses were cancelled.

see what i'm getting at?

anyone?

bueller?

no matter the decision made, someone out there will probably have an issue with it.

i, for one, take it as it comes.

sure, some days i go "seriously?  why are the buses not driving?  oh well.  do i want to drive them in?"  

sometimes yes i do, sometimes no i don't.

some days i go "seriously? i can't believe they are not cancelled...Lord keep our bus drivers safe out there as they transport my kidlets to and from school, thank you for them"

i'm not perfect and we do not have perfect happy-go-lucky snow days, all the time.

i'm blessed to be able to be home for my kids, so snow days don't hinder us.  

i don't need to find babysitting, or call in sick to work when a snow day happens.  

i live close enough to the school that i could drive my kids in if i needed to that day.  

they have come to appointments with me when buses were cancelled.

i know that on a snow day the work load is not the normal at school.

there's a lot more review as well as a variety of extra activities since the population of the school is so small on those days.

so i know my kids aren't missing learning something new on a snow day, they won't be behind.

last week we had 3 bus cancellation days.

last week was the first week back after Christmas holidays HAHA!

oh Muskoka, you always amuse me.

am i always this optimistic?

nope.

but a lot of times i am verbally positive while my brain is cringing and wanting to complain.

i find when i make an effort to not complain and to find the positive, the blessing, the fun in the situation i am able to allow God to turn my complaining, grumbling, frustration into thankfulness.

it helps me refocus.

the people making the decision are making this decision to keep my children safe.

(i don't care if their reason is to avoid lawsuits or genuine concern for my kids, if the safety concern is number one, i'm all for it)

so, 

thank you people in charge of making the decision.

i've said it before i'll say it again...

i'm glad i am not you.

*Jan 2014 snow day post*

School Days: Gr 4

age: 9

year in school: 6

grade: 4

class: 4/5 split

to see how last year started click HERE

a new school year has dawned.

the summer was a lot of fun but now it's time to be back in the routine that school brings to life.

my boy was excited to get started back into school.

to find out who his teacher would be.

to see his friends again.

even to get on the bus again.

grade 4 was going to be amazing!

we had a great first morning.

they got up well and we were ready early.

we went outside for the first day photos.

beautiful sunshiny day.  

--> fast forward now to October. 

almost 2 months into the school year as i continue this post.

My son loves school.

but...

He has had some anxiety so far this year.

math is hard.

it has had him in tears.

it has had me in tears as i cuddle him, pray with him and just cry with him.

i encourage him as his favourite part of school is now a struggle.

he isn't finding it to be 'easy math' anymore.

it is getting better.

he is doing better, slowly.

he struggles with the sentence questions.

give him numbers and he is a wizard.

write them out and it gets difficult.

other than that struggle he has been enjoying school.

he was a part of the cross country running club this fall.

two races, five weeks of wednesday 7am runs.  

his class has been to Algonquin Park and to a morning called Racing Against Drugs.

i have the honour and privilege of volunteering in my boy's class this year.

one morning a week, and any extra activities.

i have been able to take reading groups, and individuals to read.

i love being in his class, and he seems to enjoy it too.

he has a good group of kids in his class.

he has a full class of kids, so that too is different than the last few years.

his current favourite subject in school is:

gym.

not surprised.

oh my boy, i pray for you daily.

you are in fourth grade.

that is crazy!

when did you get so big?

enjoy your year, 

do your best, 

have fun,

love others,

respect your teachers.

love you buddy.

see you when you get home.

*1st day of school photos taken by me with Gertie.

photo on the rock taken by me with Chester.

School Days *round 2*: Gr 1

age: 6 (7 in the new year)

year in school: 3

grade: 1

class: 1s only

here it is.

the year she is no longer in the Kindergarten rooms.

what an excited little girl we have.

i drove them to school this morning and as she and i walked into the school yard, hand in hand, i asked her where she wanted to go.

"mommy i can go there, or there, or even there" 

as she pointed around the school yard.

"last year i could only go there."

pointing to the kindergarten area.

so excited that she could use the whole yard, if she chose to.

when we prayed, the night before the first day, her school thinking was a little different than her brother.

she was nervous that she may not get the teacher she wanted.

but she was so excited to get to see friends she hadn't seen since June.

she's a people person.

completely.

it's all about the friends in the class.

the first day she came home and told me that the part that made her upset was that the bus went a different route after school.

but her fave part was that they had 3 recesses, and that she played with 3 friends all day.

she got the teacher she wanted.

so excited!

her grade one teacher is the same amazing woman that her brother had for SK and she had for JK.

we love her teacher so much.

(although i was excited with either grade 1 teacher - they're both stupendous teachers who adore their students)

gym and recess have been her favorite so far.

but yesterday she came home and told me she did some math, and it wasn't scary.

the switch from K to 1 is big.

but i believe she is ready for it.

she is excited to be a grade 1 girl now.

she has some good friends in her class.

her biggest issue is not with school but with after school.

the bus the kids ride has switched it's after school route.

instead of their school being the 3rd school on the route, it is now the first school on the route.

therefore, the bus is there earlier.

she gets so scared that she is going to miss it.

in fact there have been a couple days that her brother has not been there when the bus has been called so she runs from where she's waiting with her teacher and gets on the bus.

her brother arrives at the teacher and there's no sister there.

we've discussed it, 

but i haven't been sure how to get her to stay calm.

he's working his way from the top floor of the school sometimes as the bus is called.

he knows it will wait a little but his sister is too scared to realize that.

today i chatted with her teacher and we're going to try something intentional to help her.

i'll find out how it went when she gets home.

i love having open communication with their teachers.

other than bus stuff...

she loves grade 1!

i'm excited about this year, 

i'm hoping to volunteer as much as possible.

*when they first sat down for the together photo

there were a good few inches between them.

they were smiling for the camera.

right before i clicked the photo

her brother put his arm around her.

i paused as i watched them move right in together.

her smile grew so much more when he did that.

then i clicked the photo.

Look at her.

my big grade one girl!

School Days: Gr 3 *part 1*

age: 8

year in school: 5

grade: 3

class: 3/4 split

it's another school year.

here we are.

getting back to the routine.

the night before the first day of school i had an idea.

at supper i decided that we'd pray, as a family, for the school year.

i asked each kid something they were excited about and something they were nervous about.

my girl went first.

and then i said, 

"ok, who wants to pray for her?"

my boy.

he said 

"i'll pray for her mommy."

and he did.  

he prayed for her fears and her excitement.

straight and to the point, but he prayed for his sister.

then he shared his fear and excitement.

nervous about which teacher he'd be getting and if he'd like the teacher.

excited to go back to school to learn math.

my little girl offered to pray for her big brother.

they prayed for eachother, with such sincerity.

next morning.

school!

my boy got up so easily.

he was so excited to go to school for grade 3.

he knew the teacher i was hoping he'd get, 

but he also knew that if God wanted him with the other teacher than it'd be fine as well.

i drove him and his sister to school, after the 'first day' photos.

they chose their location for the together photo, and it melts my heart.

he loves his sister so much.

he put his arm around her as soon as i was about to take the photo.

off to school we drove.

when we got to the sidewalk on the outside of the yard fence we paused.

"do you want to stay with us or go see your friends?"

i asked, pretty sure i knew the answer.

he quietly said he wanted to see his friends.

we hugged.

just a quick hug.

when we are at school i know i'll get only quick hugs, on the outside of the fence.

and off he walked.

my big grade 3 boy.

i went in to the assembly with my girl to wait to see which teachers they'd get for the year.

and there was my boy, 

sitting on the floor talking with a couple friends.

friends he's known since JK.

he glanced my way once.

then the names began to get called for the different classes.

he sat listening, waiting.

his name was called for the teacher i wanted him with.

he has a male teacher again this year.

i love that he has a male teacher again this year.

he came home on the bus that first day and said he really liked his teacher.

and at supper we talked about good and not so good things at school.

he didn't have a not so good thing to say.

his good things were that he got to do math already.

and that he is getting to learn french this year.

he was so excited about that.

he still loves school.

he still loves learning.

he still loves his friends.

he still loves watching out for his sister at school.

the other day i asked him how his day was.

"mommy, i had a not so good part.

i was trying to do my work and C kept talking to me.

it made it hard to do my work."

seriously?

yep.

i'm excited to see how this school year goes for him.

he has grown in his confidence over this summer.

he is excited about this year.

i know that school is hard for a lot of kids.

it was a hard beginning to school for my boy, 

but i am thankful that he has truly grown into a love for being at school.

yay grade 3.

grade 3.
no, he said it's not 2+1.. just 3.

*photos taken by me, with Gertie.

not edited.