As you can see from my Flickr sidebar, the only pictures I’ve been putting up have to do with the remodel. It’s amazing how it can dominate your entire life. The tile guy worked most of Saturday. Sunday was supposed to be a workman-free day but he decided it would be better for him to finish up then instead of trying to come here and his other job on Monday. So – sigh – he was here Sunday afternoon when Ash was gone and I couldn’t take the kids to the playground and you know, LEAVE THE HOUSE. But he finished and that’s what matters. Right now, the sheetrock guy is finishing up and soon as the plumber gets his ass back here to put on the last few things, our bathroom is freaking done. Well, the shower anyway. We still need to re-do the floor and get a more modern sink. But there’s no money for that right now. Not with me off work.

But soon enough I will be going back. I’m looking forward to it. Two children is a special kind of challenge, one that has made me rethink “the hardest thing I ever had to do.” New things continually present themselves and surprise me. I am amazed at how stressful it can be just to do laundry. One kid is freaking out for you to watch him, I don’t know, spin around or something inane and the other one is crying because the vibration on his little seat shut off and God forbid you sit still for one hot second. And it’s only really hard if Ash isn’t around, which is not often, but there are even times when we both fall apart and things seem like Total Chaos. But for the most part, we’ve been working as a very efficient team for the past few weeks. Things are smoothing out, calming down, getting easier. Hell, Isaac went to sleep at 9:30 last night and it took me a mere 10 minutes to get him there, including feeding. And he slept until 2:30. That, my friends, is magical.

With Isaac calming down, I have been able to squeeze in time for running. Though, it’s really only more like jogging because I’m not going that fast. But it’s been semi-pleasurable in the way that only physical exertion can be. You know the end result will make you happy. My lungs feel like they’re going to explode and I often get a cramp in my side; it’s hot as all get-out but I keep going. Surprisingly, my legs are never the problem. At least, not at this mileage. Later this week, I will move up from 2.2 miles to about 3, depending on how far down this one road I want to go. The key is good music and NOT thinking about pain or heat, etc. Get in the zone and your feet will take you all the way. I just know that I’m looking forward to being thinner againIt can be done!