Mother Runners

I don't want this to turn into a weight loss blog because it's too much pressure.  In any case, it is part of my life now and over this past weekend these "steps" to losing weight have evolved into - gasp - running.

Let me just say, I HATE RUNNING.  If you see me running, it's a good bet that something scary is chasing me or I am going to miss my plane.  When I was in school and we had to run the mile, I somehow managed to get a note from my doctor excusing me from doing it.  I sat on the bench and watched those other suckers huff and puff around the track.  I felt it was less humiliating than coming in last.  Back in school I was a small girl, but far from physically fit.  I ate junk food and didn't exercise, and it was only when I got to my late 20's that this started to catch up to me.  Being in radio gave me a crazy schedule, a weird diet, and a larger intake of alcohol than ever before.  The drinky-poos may have finally been the thing that brought on the bloat.  Or, it could have been the fact that my drinks of choice were Sex On The Beach, Colorado Bulldogs, and Mudslides.  Not exactly "Skinny Girl" cocktails.

I hear there is a runner's high once you get past a certain point.  I have yet to glimpse that.  I can understand the sense of accomplishment when you start running further distances.  Kind of how I will feel when I can zip some of my jackets again.  SO many moms are taking up the running trend, and taking it further (and crazier) by participating in Mud Runs with obstacle courses and of course - mud.  Lots of it.  I've seen pictures from a color run, where apparently you run across puddles with color in it that splashes all over you.  I don't know if this is supposed to make running more appealing, or just give you physical evidence that you did it, but whatever works!  If it would help, I'd start one of my own, where you attach a pole with a string over your head and have Taco Bell dangling in front of your face.  But I don't think too many people would sign up for the Mexican food runs... 

Anyhoo... The reason I started running over the weekend was just to save time.  My trainer at Rejuv Medical told me she was assigning me just cardio until our next session, no weight training.  Hubby and I had to work opposite schedules quite a bit this weekend, so rather than waste time driving across town to get on a machine at the gym where I'd be doing nearly the same thing, I decided to just hit the pavement and see how far I got.

My 7-year-old daughter saw me putting on my tennis shoes, asked what I was doing, and immediately wanted to come with me.  I had been looking forward to listening to some music and having my thoughts (I hate this, I hate this, I hate this) to myself.  But she was so excited, I couldn't turn her down.  She did great, and it actually made the run sort of fun because she distracted me with her excited little girl chatter.  She asked why exercise is good for you, asked about how the leaves change color, and pointed out every squirrel that scurried by.  One run down.

The next day, my 7-year-old, my 5 1/2-year-old AND our 6-year-old neighbor girl wanted to come with me.  There is a reason you don't see serious runners have children trailing after them.  My 7-year-old decided to be Narrator of the run.  "Look at my mom running.  She needs to get exercise.  My mom is embarrassed right now.  My mom loves the color turquoise.  My mom didn't want to take the dog with because she thinks he would want to chase squirrels.  My mom still has kind of a big tummy because my brother was in there for so long."  My 5 1/2-year-old wanted to hold hands with me and although on any other given day she has more energy than I have in a week, she pooped out about a half a block into it and would only walk.  The neighbor girl stopped abruptly in front of me and bent over to look at a dead worm.  I almost plowed us both over and stopped myself from exclaiming something that sounds similar to "mother runner!"  It wasn't much of a run, but it was an adventure, and we eventually made it around the loop. 

I haven't given up.

M.O.M. Squad

When people refer to moms who can 'do it all,' they picture this:

When in fact, it's more like this:

I truly believe that M.O.M. stands for Master Of Multitasking. This thought came to me before bed the other night as I was washing my face with one of those pre-moistened cloths (who has time for ACTUAL water?), while simultaneously swishing mouthwash, and peeing. Yes - all at the same time. You're welcome for the visual.  For me, it's really my own fault when I don't get things accomplished.  I am a great multi-TASKer, not a great multi-FINISHer.  Maybe this is because sometimes I'm juggling Words With Friends and Facebook, but at any rate - there's a lack of focus on my part.  I have good intentions, though.  I START many tasks in the time I'm home after work while my daughters are in school. 

I begin by getting a load of laundry out of the dryer to fold. Then, maybe I'll get a text from a friend, so I reply.  Then I make a snack, and think to myself that I should really get a chalkboard for the pantry so I can keep a list of groceries we need.  So, I hop online to shop for chalkboards.  While I'm thinking about a possible purchase, I feel a stray eyebrow hair.  I go to the bathroom to pluck it, and notice the TP supply is low.  I get a roll, let the dog out, see my phone on the counter and check my texts, and check my emails.  I do some work that one of my emails asks me to do, and then go get my snack where I left it - in the microwave.  I re-nuke and eat the snack, go to the garage fridge to get a soda, and notice that the kids left their toys where they can get run over.  So, I pick up the toys, and it dawns on me that the dog ran off.  I stand outside and yell for him until he comes back, and then the baby starts crying.  I change the baby and feed him and we make faces at each other for awhile.  Then the older kids are home from school and I've accomplished nothing.  Notice, I never got back to that laundry, half of which is still in the basket getting wrinkled, and the other half that had been folded was just walked on and knocked over by the dog, who got excited that the girls walked in.  Suddenly, I feel exhausted after being up at night with the baby and working early in the morning.  So I get mad at myself and think - if I wasn't going to accomplish anything anyway, then why didn't I sleep while the baby was sleeping? Now, it's too late.

Somehow, even with all of the things we're juggling - even the stuff we don't need to be that we pile on ourselves - we get it done.  Appointments are made and bills are paid (mostly).  At some point, laundry DOES get done and food gets in bellies.  We're the homework helpers and the RSVP-ers, the boo-boo kissers and the butt-wipers.  And that's why we're the superheroes known as - The M.O.M. Squad.

Now, if I could just remember to take meat out of the freezer once in awhile, I would be invincible.

Here we go!

I should probably take up jogging, but today - it's blogging.

Whenever anyone has asked what I like to do, or what I dream of doing one day, my answer has been 'to write.'  However, I'm not so great in the follow-through department, and it has taken me years of saying I write to actually write this - my first blog post.

The title of the blog is a tribute to my two lives.  I am the co-host of a morning radio show.  My husband is my co-host.  More on that later.  'Marconi' is for the first scientist, Guglielmo Marconi, to achieve successful radio transmission.  (If there's any kind of transmission to be famous for, I guess that would be the one to shoot for.)   

I'm also a mom.  Mother of three, as of late.  As a mother, I am constantly telling my kids to "say cheese!"  In my job I say a lot of cheesy jokes.  As a mom, a DJ on the go, and as a plain old lazy cook, I also make lots and lots and lots of -- you guessed it.  And like the comfort food, our show aims to be "comfort radio."  We want our audience to feel like they're hanging out with friends.

I have a few reasons for feeling the need to blog all about it.  I want to keep record of raising my kids because they're the sweetest and funniest beings on the planet and it would be sad to forget the fundamental hilarities that will make them who they are.  And, I just think life is too short not to laugh at it.  Humor is essential to keeping the sanity in my marriage, job, and raising kids.  I'd also like to show my kids that if you really love to do something, you should do it.  It doesn't need to be recognized for greatness or make you money.  If I'm the only one who actually ever reads what I write, I will still so enjoy reading back on it.

So welcome to my little blog.  Hope you enjoy, but if you don't, that's alright.  There are always cat videos.

Amy