Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Just a Mud Mum Trudging along in the Fun Run of Life.

One thing I have discovered about myself in the past couple of weeks, is that I am incapable of blogging or any form of writing if my house is dirty and out of order. So I am revealing that my house has been in rough shape for a while now, giving me a boggled thought process and disabling my ability to write for three whole weeks! Not entirely, but there is a good amount of truth to that. What really has kept me away from my blogging is sickness..and chaos. From Immunizations to Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care's to sick visits, it's all been enough to make one's head spin. Never the less, we got through it. Praise God! Once I finally got my house back in order, cleaned and sanitized from millions of germs, and my last piece of laundry was folded, I sat down and could finally see through the cloudiness of my mind to find something juicy to type on a screen. I really wasn't feeling the idea and drab of writing about sickness, so I chose to enlighten you with the Mud Mom experience...

I recently completed a 5K race with a group of four other moms. This wasn't an ordinary race, It involved some deep mud and seemingly difficult obstacles. Brandon thought it to be quite intriguing that any woman would want to attempt such a challenge of trudging through the mud while hurdling obstacles and trying to run a race. Let alone five moms! The truth is, the obstacles we face as moms on a daily basis are nothing short of what this little competition entailed. The only difference was (and I think I can speak for all of the moms that ran) is that we had a tad bit more fun with this particular event then the normal hum drum routine of our everyday life.

The mud didn't phase us even though we were covered from head to toe. As a mother, we've all had days where we look as though we've been through the wringer by the time our husbands walk through the door. After having dealt with sick kids, nothing really tops being covered in puke thats not your own, or receiving a lovely streak of mucous on the shoulder from an unwiped nose that made it to your shirt before getting to a tissue. Then there's the everyday oatmeal from breakfast, the spaghetti sauce from a messy meal at dinner, paint from an art activity, and you have to love those muddy handprints from some good old fasioned outside play.

With all that absorbed and in mind, the mud was just dirt under the rug for we moms:-) In a moms eyes, there's nothing that a little bit of soap, bleach and oxy-clean can't fix. A true mom is not afraid of a little dirt under the nails. On that note, a pedicure would be very much appreciated by my feet after this wild ride I took them on through the muck and grime, that was not only friendly with my feet, but unpleasantly intimate with my eyes, teeth and ears! This is not likely to happen though, seeing where just about every pedicure I have had was in the event of carrying an eight month old baby, in preparation for delivery day. I always thought it would be courteous to the doctor and nurses to have at least one aspect of my body looking primp and proper for the special event! Only the doctor who delivered (A)2 (A)3 didn't deserve even a single painted toenail, but that's another story for another time:)

The running aspect of this muddy event was the best part! As a mom, its rare to find the time to go out for a jog, or anything peaceful and rejuvenating for that matter, so a good run can be free spirited and refreshing. Refreshing to the ears with the liberty to listen to our own music without the blurb excerpts of a sibling squabble about who had the toy, snack, or seat first.. It can be refreshing to the mind giving a break from that sweet but persistent little voice repetitively echoing in your ear only to mess up your thought process just as your in the middle of something pensive. And it is a refreshing freedom to the body to have the opportunity to do what it wants, free of little hands tugging it this direction and pulling it that. Among many other things a mom's tough body endures in the act of becoming a mom, a 3 mile run is just a walk in the park (without the kids of course:)

For The Mud Moms, this run was nothing short of a fun event to look forward to just for the get away experience! For one very early morning and for a small amount of time, we weren't at home tackling dirty laundry or dishes. We weren't corralling kids around the dinner table to face the challenge of forcing them to eat something that they just dont feel hungry for, or arguing with them about what to wear or where we're going and why. We were simply running in the mud... no worries, no cares, just running. The only thing we had to be aware of was the obstacles we would approach every half mile, that would be small beans compared to some of the motherly challenges we face on a daily basis. Some of the obstacles consisted of crawling through a tunnel, while others were more of a pull yourself up hanging from a rope, kind of challenge. Either way, there was nothing a mud mom couldn't handle. With our hard core determination, competitive spirits, and willingness to complete the race, we meddled together and finished strong with smiles on our faces and mud in our teeth:)

In Speaking of a mom's determination and willingness to complete the race. I ask myself," What exactly is it that gives me the drive and determination to press on, as a mom?" Well, I can't begin to give anyone credit, without first acknowledging my Heavenly Father and Savior for giving me every ounce of anything I have in me to sustain in this life. Apart from Him, there is one other person here on earth, whom, if ever I get stumped and feel like giving up, I can't do so without thinking of how hardcore she was and is. She has given me the determination to do the best that I can do because she didn't give my sisters and I anything less than the best of herself. She may not have competed in mud runs, but she is the reason I must press on because if she could do it, then there is no reason why I can't. Thank you Mom and to all of the mothers out there reading! Thank YOU for giving your best and all that you have sacrificed for your babies! Happy Mothers Day!