Updates: Challenges for Me and KBug's Birthday [pictures]

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this pretty much sums it up... :)
 

So I'm sitting here avoiding folding the three baskets of laundry I've let pile up over the weekend.... And I thought to myself

"Christine, you haven't written anything in a couple of days..."

 

Cue further procrastination on my part. This is also keeping me from writing my Marketing paper, but I have plenty of time for that still, too. The day is young and I plan to be very productive. After I write this.

 

So here I am, procrastinating, but looking forward to writing and getting rid of a little bit of stress.

 

Let me begin by saying that this is likely to be a post which is all over the place. Reason? I didn't do my weekly update this past Saturday, KBug's birthday was on Sunday and I spent all last week participating in choir concerts. So there is much to talk about.

 

So, for my weekly update. It is now Tuesday, April 30th, and I am on my 13th day of The Orange Rhino Challenge!! (If you haven't read about my adventures with this challenge so far, you can read about it here.) I have made it 12 full days without yelling at KBug, and I am very excited! I'm almost half way to meeting my 1 month goal! And after that I plan to just keep going. I think it's vey important to my relationship with KBug that I'm not yelling at her. I never liked it, and I'm glad I have found that little bit of extra inspiration to keep me from yelling at her anymore. Unfortunately the whole "if I don't yell, you don't yell" concept hasn't quite settled in, so she's had a couple of melt downs and yelled a bit. But I've found that ignoring her works pretty well and it is much easier than yelling back at her. And she's starting to catch on to the fact that Mommy isn't yelling. I think she finds it funny, mostly because instead of yelling at her I start talking in strange voices or whispering at her so that she has to stop yelling so she can hear me. But, hey! It works!

 

If you haven't checked out The Orange Rhino challenge, you really should. Don't knock it 'til you try it!

My next two updates are terrible. And I really don't like them at all. I had all these plans to run last week and I was feeling really good after Week 1 of Insanity. But Tuesday night, after completing my workout for the day, I stood up and had a huge shooting pain in my back. It's a pain I've experienced before and it's typically from standing up too fast or bending over wrong. I'm not sure if it's pinching a nerve or pulling a muscle exactly, but whatever it is, it freaking hurts! And it isn't a pain that goes away over night. It lasts for days. Actually, I'm sitting here almost a full week later and I still have a dull pain in my lower back. So instead of finishing Week 2 and running, I've spent my week with a heating pad on my back as often as possible. I decided on Sunday that since I still wasn't feeling 100%, I wouldn't push it and go back into Insanity. So, this upcoming Sunday, PJP and I are starting over with Week 2 of Insanity.

 

However, my back is well enough that I think I can run again. So today I plan to get aa good 2 miles in, and because I am SO behind on my 30 miles in 30 days challenge I intend to run at least 2 miles every day from now until May 14th, so I can make my deadline. To date I only have 3 miles completed.... Eek!

 

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Oh, and I found my next 5K.

Run for the Warriors

It's on May 18th, which gives me a couple of weeks to train and work towards getting that 3 mile time under 30 minutes! I'm excited, even if I do have to drive to Jacksonville really early that morning.

 

And, actually, I may do a 5K the week before in Jacksonville. The Marine Chevy Shuffle 5K is sponsored by a local YMCA which powers the Girls on the Run and STRIDE programs in Coastal North Carolina. I've mentioned it before because KBug wants to run a 5K with me this year and I think she would be better to run in one that's geared towards children. And, let's be honest, I would rather run it now with her, when it's warming up, than in December when it's really cold like I did last year!

 

There's a 5K the week before that, too, that's just down the road from where I live.... But I'll have a house full of 7 year old girls that morning and can't participate.

 

Speaking of 7 year old girls.... KBug is 7. It's very scary. And I'm still not entirely sure that I believe it.

 

I figure I'll accept it next year, right around the time she's getting ready to turn 8 and do this to me all over again...

 

KBug had a wonderful birthday! We had a full day planned and everything went over very smoothly. We woke up that morning and she opened her presents, which is always fun! Especially since she's an only child and had a bunch of them to open because Mommy and Gramma don't know when to stop and say enough is enough...

 

So she ended up with a TON of presents and she absolutely LOVED opening every single one of them! KBug now has a new scooter, bubble machine and ball for the backyard, which she is thrilled about! She also has new Disney Princess, My Little Pony and Barbie bath toys. And, as you can see, a new owl purse. And there were some books in there, too, and a bunch of play-doh and play-doh tools for the little artist in her to play with! All in all, the child made out very well and is quite happy with what she received.

 

As for the rest of the day? Well, you can see it all in the following photos.

 

Good morning Birthday Girl!

 

KBug and Mommy before she opened her presents!

 

Showing off her new Owl Purse!

Of course my child would put the bows on her head.
I did it when I was a kid.
Why else would you put a bow on a present!?

She's a goofball

She is such a gorgeous girl!

 

KBug and her baby doll in their matching dresses!
Thank you, Gramma Doc :)
 

KBug and I at her birthday dinner
She chose Big Apple pizza for us and it was so good!

 

All settled in to enjoy cookie dough ice cream and watch her new movie!
The Last Unicorn
It's a family favorite!

I took this one at 10:22pm.
She was born at 7:22pm in California.
7 lbs, 9 oz, 20 inches long.
April 28, 2006.

And that's what I've got from her birthday!

 

Oh, I don't want to forget to mention the voicemail she received. KBug's father called her while we were at church (remember, I told him we would be unavailable during the day- you can read about it here). After church I listened to the voicemail (yes, I pre-screened it- you never know what sort of craziness will come out of his mouth) and then played it on speaker for KBug. He said he was calling to wish her a happy birthday but she must be unavailable (duh, like I said she would be) and told her that he loved her and missed her. KBug's response to the message?

 

"Well that was short."

 

And she didn't say anything about it after that. I think it speaks volumes that she didn't have anything to say about the message. I think it speaks volumes that she had no desire to call him back. I think it speaks volumes that she hasn't mentioned her daddy since that one brief statement.

 

And it doesn't speak volumes about me. It speaks volumes about him. KBug is beginning to understand that we all make choices in our lives. And as she understands this concept more and more, she's discovering that her daddy made his decisions. No one makes him do anything. He makes his choices every day. And he's made the decision to not see her a number of times, and he has made the decision to not talk to her many more times. It's becoming clearer to her as she grows up.

 

She does recognize that he is putting in more effort now than he was. And I think that is good for her. But she still doubts that he loves her. She still doesn't see much point in talking to him yet. Maybe in time, if he continues to make efforts and maybe steps up a bit more, she will change her perspective. But, until then, I think she is doing a wonderful job of navigating this tricky situation.

 



Anyways! KBug's party is this Friday night and I am already charging the camera battery. I have to dig out my back-up battery so that I am definitely ready to go when the time comes! We invited 8 girls to her sleepover and I know at least 4 of them will be here. I'm going to send messages out to the rest of the parents today to see if I can get a final head count! W are so excited!

 

I think that's all I've got in terms of updates... And I have a lot to get going on today. Laundry needs folding, the house needs cleaning, I have to move a TV and DVD player into the living room for the party Friday night and work on my marketing paper. Oh, and I have to go in to work for staff meeting this afternoon.

 

My biggest frustration today?

 

I really want to cook dinner, but I promised KBug that we would go to Golden Corral tonight.

Oh well, I'll just cook tomorrow night.