Its Not About the Politics

When I heard that Jack Layton had passed away, I was sitting in a room at my chiropractor's office, waiting for my appointment. I sat there in stunned silence. I truly wanted to believe that it was one of those jokes. That someone had hacked a twitter account somewhere and posted a cruel joke. Sadly, it is heartbreakingly true.

When the last election campaign was running, Zachary was very curious about the whole process. He is eight, and they had been talking about it a bit in class. I have always, always exercised my right to vote, and was thrilled to be able to talk with my son about it.

I remember in one discussion, he asked me who I was going to vote for. We spoke a bit about how voting is a private matter and typically it wasn't polite to ask someone who they planned to vote for because it is a personal choice. I then told him that I wasn't yet sure.

Like many Canadians, I was very disenchanted with the system. It seemed that we were forced into another election, but being presented with the exact same choices.

But as I watched the campaign unfold, Jack Layton began to truly stand out.

And it wasn't about the politics.

It was about his positive message, his passion, and his integrity. I didn't necessarily agree with all of his policies. It would be rare that I ever fully agreed with any one party's politics. Jack's character, however, completely impressed me. And that's what truly matters, I think.

If only all our politicians loved Canada and its people as much as Mr. Layton did, and loved the politics just a little less, Canada wouldn't just be great, it would be incredible.

In our election discussions, I tried to explain that eachof the parties' policies are important, but the most important is the integrity of the person. Jack Layton showed that in spades.

I have always voted for the person I felt was best for my riding. In the most recent election, I voted for the person I thought could change Canada.

I truly believe that he already has.

One of the strongest examples of this, for me, is in his farewell letter to Canadians.

He reaches out to others fighting cancer; people he knew identified with his fight and felt they were fighting along with him.

He tells them to keep fighting, and reminds them that there is hope. There is always hope.

I hope that my children have the opportunity to learn more about Jack Layton. He is an incredible role model. Canada - the whole world- needs more people with that kind of heart.

RIP Jack Layton. Thank you.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. ~ Jack Layton

How are YOU going to change the world?

Jessica

Holiday....Celebrate!

Three long years.

That's how long its been since we have been able to have any semblance of a family holiday. In August of 2008 we took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge for two days and it was a blast. We enjoyed the mini-holiday. It was enough time to get away, have fun and refresh, but not so long that you needed a recovery from the holiday.

We swore that we would do more of these mini-vacations. But then, Jordan got laid off. For 22 months.

So, as one does when this happens, you re-structure the priorities. Vacations fell to the wayside in favor of basic needs and karate memberships. At the time Jordan was laid off, I worked about 30 hours a week. Enough to do the job I loved, but also that I could be home to meet the boys off the bus. When the layoff occured, I was fortunate to take on two extra jobs, but this meant I was working--a lot. Upwards of 80 hours a week.

In fact, when I left for Girlz Weekend 2011 at the end of June, that was the first time I had taken more than two days off in a row in that three year period! Again, although it has been tough, we were fortunate that the opportunity came our way.

But, it means we all really need a break. We need to go away and have f-u-n. So, on Thursday afternoon we leave for Niagara Falls for a 4 day mini-vacation.

Or as I like to call it "Running trip disguised as Family Vacation".

Once my friend Denise and I booked ourselves to run www.thechocolaterace.com, I spoke to hubby about making it into a family vacation.

You know, the kind of vacation where your family waits in the heat for you to finish a long race.

Seriously, though. the kids haven't seen Niagara Falls, nor have they been to Marineland. We have people we can stay with, to lessen some of our costs, so heck.....WHY NOT!? We've decided to spend two nights in a hotel, because we got a great deal on Hotwire and two nights with our friends.

The kids are excited. The hubby is as excited (as excited as he gets), and heck, I'm running a race that has chocolate, so I am CLEARLY excited.

But as much as I love to run, I am so excited to get to spend time with my wonderful kids and husband.

Wish us luck and great weather on Valiquette Vacay 2011!

Jessica

Sunshine

You are my Sunshine

My only Sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You'll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don't take

My Sunshine away

This is Corbett. My how he's grown!



It appears, in spite of all the "You have to eat, if you want to grow up big and tall like Daddy" threats, that even children who don't eat much food will still grow.

This is good, because he really doesn't eat that much. The part that eludes me is how he has the energy to be a ball of non-stop energy. From the time he wakes up until the time he FINALLY goes to sleep, he is constantly on the move.



Corbett is often still awake at 10:30 or 11:00 at night. He goes to bed at 8:30 and talks or sings to himself, then talks to his stuffed animals, and eventually falls asleep. Then, he's up at 6:30, fired up and ready to go.



He is very much like me, that way and frankly, he exhausts me. Hell, Corbett exhausts our dog, and she's a beagle. This is telling. There are very few things that exhaust that dog.

Often, when describing my kids personalities, it is hard to say more about Corbett than "Corbett...well, he's Corbett!" Once you've met him, you just know what I mean.



But here's the thing. When I took the picture above, Corbett kept saying "Sunshine! I'm sunshine!", and you know what? He's right.




He IS sunshine.





Like the sun, when you see Corbett, you can't help but smile. He brightens people's day. Sure, the curly hair and adorable mischeivous smile are a part of it, but its his personality too. He is fun, snuggly and charming. He gives hugs that warm you up all over. He wants to be a part of, and see everything that is going on around him.




But, like the sun, he can be fickle. He is either very very sunny, or he is cloudy and stormy! He switches from one to the other in lightspeed, and it throws me off guard at times.

If you don't pay attention to the sun, you can get burned. With Corbett, if you aren't watching, well, you may soon wish you had been watching. He's GOING to get into something. He's impulsive and he hasn't yet developed the skill of knowing that just because a thought enters your mind, doesn't mean you absolutely MUST act on it.



An exercise in extremes, Corbett can go from laughing and smiling one second to howling in frustration or sadness faster than you can snap your fingers. Kind of like the sun, hiding behind a cloud, only to peek out a few moments later.



Thankfully, more often than not, he is as you see above. Smiling, happy Corbett.

He warms my heart, he gives great hugs. He drives me crazy, and sometimes his mood swings make me worry about his future. He's quirky and he makes me howl with laughter. He does what makes him happy, and doesn't care if people think its weird. Whether he is wearing his shirt backwards, or wearing blue polish on his nails. He does what makes him happy, and that makes ME happy.

He's a great kid. He's my Sunshine.

The Runner's Cheerleader and Lessons Learned

Last night, the kids and I participated in the 20 minute challenge at the Running Room.

Basically the purpose of the event is to encourage people to be active for 20 minutes. Anyone can do that!

The plan was for Zachary and I to run about 5km and for Corbett to ride in the stroller. Being the planner that I am, everything was set the night before--the Chariot stroller was loaded into the trunk, the run clothes were packed.

We were good to go.

Come Wednesday night....it was HOT. HOT and HUMID.

We decided to stick with the plan, but take it nice and slow. Corbett asked if he could run with us and promised he'd keep up. We let him out and off he went. About 100 meters later, he gave up. No surprise there, being "fast" is not his thing. While he was "running" we averaged a 9 minute per KM pace! But, he was having fun, and that's what matters.

Once we got him all settled back in the Chariot, he assumed a new role.

Corbett is probably the best cheerleader for runners ever.

There he was, chilling out in his stroller with his legs crossed, clapping his hands and yelling words of encouragement to everyone we passed, or who passed us!!

"Great job!!"

"Lookin' good!"

"You got this!!"

"GO! GO! GO!"

and one of my personal favorites, "There's a potluck at the store! Go, Go!!!"

Let me tell you, he sure got a lot of smiles and laughs out of all those poor runners, sweating like crazy in the hot, sticky weather!

Which brings me to lessons learned.

When it comes to running with Zachary, I typically let him learn lessons the "hard" way.

He's learning about not starting out too fast on a run by doing just that. He's started out too fast a few times and then struggled to finish.

He's learned that 3 slices of pizza does not make a pre-race meal.

He's learned the value of planning a run around bathroom stops.

The problem is, when you are 8 years old-or any age, for that matter-it is difficult to see the distinction between coach and mom. Or student and child.

Kids love to challenge their parents. They disagree with us just to see what happens. It can be good for them, both to learn to use their voice and to learn their boundaries.

Other times its not so good at all.

A few times before the run, I suggested to Zachary that he have some water and a little bit of food before we leave.

"It's really hot, Zack, you have to make sure you are hydrated. You need lots of water", I suggested.

"I don't want any. I'm fine"

About 10 minutes later, I suggested it again. Five minutes before we were scheduled to take off, I mentioned water again. No go.

Thankfully the lessons he and I learned did not go anywhere near as badly as they could have. What happened was dangerous. It could have been so much worse.

About 2.5km into the run, Zachary said "My heart hurts and I feel dizzy". We immediately slowed to a slow walk. I encouraged Zachary to take some deep breaths and to keep walking slowly, but told him that if he didnt start feeling better soon to let me know right away.

After about 3 minutes, he said he felt fine and wanted to run. I asked him to walk for another few minutes then told him we would run if he still felt okay.

We started to run again at a very leisurely pace. After about 5 minutes, Zachary mentioned that he was dizzy again.

We stopped and slowed to a walk. I told him he had a few minutes, but if he wasn't feeling better he had to get in the stroller. This is not an exciting prospect for either of us--he wants to run, and I don't want to push both kids in that heat, their combined weight is about 115 pounds. But, safety first.

In hindsight, I should have had him get in the stroller right then.

We came to a small, but steep decline. We went single file, with me ahead, as we usually do. The momentum of the stroller meant that I was down the hill pretty quickly, so I turned back to see how Zachary was.

What I saw was my sweet, 8 year old boy, staggering side to side like he was coming back from way too many drinks at a keg party. On a sidewalk alongside a high traffic road.

I ran up the hill, pulling the stroller behind me, until I could grab a hold of him. I basically lifted him with one arm and tossed him in the stroller, then ran the 2km back to the store.

Thankfully, the evening was also a potluck, so there was plenty of water, juice, vegetables, fruit and other drinks and sweets. I just kept telling myself that I had to get him there and he would be fine,

I won't lie. That incident scared the shit out of me. There's nothing quite like the feeling of knowing, that your own actions put your child in danger.

It won't happen again.

So what lessons did we learn?

I hope that Zachary has learned that when we run, I am his Coach. He needs to listen to me just as he does to his Senseis in karate.

I'm there to share knowledge with him, from my own experiences. I'm there to ensure his safety. I'm there to help him be his best. I hope that next time I offer a suggestion, that he trusts my knowledge and does what I ask.

I have learned that even though I am his coach, I am first and foremost his mother. Next time, I'm just going to tell him he has no choice. He's going to drink the damn water.

And, if for any reason, he becomes dizzy again, he goes in the stroller right away. There will always be another chance to run. There will never be another Zachary.

Heel N Wheel A Thon

We are lucky enough to have become friends with a fabulous family, the Clements. I met Denise through the Run Club I attend and we have a lot in common, aside from the running. She and her husband Jason have two great daughters, Sara and Dylan.


Recently, Jason was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is part of a family of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. People with Crohn's disease experience a range of unpleasant, painful symptoms.


On June 12th, Zachary and I will be joining Jason, Denise and a few others at the Heel N Wheel A Thon here in Sudbury, to raise funds for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada.



As Zachary proved last year when he raised $1318 for CHEO, he is a far better fundraiser than I am. So I will be coaching him and running at his side on June 12th, but he is doing all the fundraising. He has once again set a goal of $500, and his well on his way having already raised $375!


You can help him out by following this link and donating any amount you can....every donation helps!


What a kid....he sure makes us proud!


Jessica

Generosity

I have always tried to teach my sons generosity and compassion by example. There are no tests, no report cards, no way to measure whether these lessons are learned. I believe that my children’s generosity will surface when they are ready—true generosity cannot be compulsory. Nothing prepared me for the level of generosity that my oldest son would display--at just seven years of age.

I am a recreational runner. There are many reasons I run, however one of them is the opportunity it gives me to raise money for causes that are important to me. It’s not something I realized my son was aware of until I asked if he wanted to run in the 2010 Ottawa Kids’ Marathon.

The Ottawa Kids Marathon is a fantastic way to promote fitness in kids. Kids are expected to log 41kms (usually 30minutes activity= 1km) and then run the last 1.2km on the same day as the Marathon on Ottawa Race Weekend. Zachary has often expressed interest in running with me, and he was up for the challenge. Zachary chose to run every kilometre.

What came next surprised me. “Who do I raise money for?”

Although he didn’t have to raise money for this race, yet he insisted that he wanted to. We went online and investigated the official charities associated with Ottawa Race Weekend 2010. Although all were fabulous charities who do excellent work, none resonated with him. So, after some discussion, Zachary chose to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
Suddenly he was a man on a mission! We created a Facebook group. We filmed a video of him and posted it. We sent emails. Zachary set what I thought was a lofty goal of $500.

So he raised money, and he ran. And he stuck to it. Soon he was able to run up to about 3.5km!!

And my shy, reserved boy was asking anyone he knew if they would donate.
I was amazed when he reached his goal. I was stunned when he raised $700. I was overjoyed when he reached $1000. And I was moved to tears when on a sunny Friday in May, Zachary walked into the offices of the CHEO Foundation and handed them donations totalling $1318.

Inevitably, countless people said to us “You must be so proud”, and we were. How could we not be? But most importantly is that he was proud of himself. Countless lessons were learned in those short few months. I am still amazed at what he taught me.

Jessica

I DID IT!!!

Goal for my first half-marathon: 2 hours 30 minutes

Time for my first half-marathon: 2 hours 22 minutes 33 seconds (not official).
UPDATE: official time 2 hours 20 minutes 03 seconds

I will write a post about the race later, but for now, I leave you these...







Jessica