Blessed are the Peacemakers End of week one.

All in all, I think this week was a success. I can't recall one incident that I got overly angry or that there was any serious contention in the home to derail the peace I have been trying to foster. It's amazing what a little consitent and conscious effort can make. It seems so subtle, yet it has made a profound difference in the quality of conversation and communication in the home. I would also have to say that I think that there has been alot more laughing and less complaing and crying this week as well. Of course this is not scientific, and I am not documenting each and every detail that occurs everday, but I know that the feeling I have is more peaceful and content, and I think that is a great indicator that this experiment is working.
I wonder how my Miamaids are doing or all the Young Women and leaders who were challenged. I hope that they are all making an effort to do it.
Here's to a brand new week, and hopefully it only gets better from here.

To be a peacemaker... get a good nights rest. Day 5

Today I realized that I have a much easier time at being an advocate for peace in my home if I don't feel exhausted from the moment I wake up... I have been a little bit more irritable, though I have managed to take the beginnings of what could have been a silly argument and stop it in it's tracks before it was able to take off and become a full-fledged contentious time in the house.
I definitely am glad that the weekend is here and the pace in the house will slow down a bit. Hopefully I will get a good night of zzz's too.

Blessed are the Peacemakers Day 3

I have helped prevent little fires between all members of the family the past couple days. It really takes a lot of diplomacy and trying to point out the good things and ignore some of the bad. It also has taken a real effort to not raise my voice when I get frustrated and not take offense to some of the off-handed comments my husband might say. I am also trying to not assume what he said was meant to hurt my feelings, so I am not "over-reacting". I must admit though, I do feel a little bit like Carol Brady or Mrs. Cleaver from "Leave it to Beaver". Only, I will not vaccum the house in high heels and a dress.
I wonder if at the end of the month anyone else in my little family will notice a difference in the home? It feels like I only notice all the avoided conflicts because I am the acting peace maker and I am helping steer everyone clear from potential disasters. It is definitely an effort, and there are moments when I catch myself on the verge of saying something that would make me a "contention maker" but so far, I haven't slipped to much, and hope to keep up the "peace" in the home.

Blessed are the Peacemakers....

Yesterday, my Bishop challenged me and the rest of the Young Women and the leaders to be peacemakers in our families and homes for the next month. We are not to let anyone in our families know that we are doing this, as this might ruin the experiment. I am taking this seriously, and am trying really hard to put out the "fires" of contention that arise.
I started to notice yesterday afternoon how much our words and the way we say things to our loved ones can cause hurt feelings or contention.
One disagreement occurred between Colata and Jada, and it was about "how" to do something. No one was wrong, and each opinion had value, though, they were arguing about who had the better idea. They turned to me asking me to pick a side, and I diplomatically pointed out the value of both of their ideas. I also made a conscious effort to not become impatient and to use kind and respectful words when I needed or wanted something. In return, I got the same responses back.
Today, I don't think there was any contention in the home at all. No arguments to dispel or tempers flaring. Though Gabe needs to learn how to have nicer hands after he is told "no". But he also said "please" when he wanted something and "your welcome" after he received it (he gets "thank you" and "your welcome" backwards) I hope this journey will continue, and I hope that I will become a better person by being more conscientious of my influence of peace in the home.

My 2nd 5k race...

Ran my 2nd race yesterday. I was a little bit more nervous this time around. Funny, huh? I think it was because I had something to live up too... my previous time. What if I did worse than before? What if I tripped, or it rained or something crazy like that? Well, the nervousness was for nothing, though it did start to sprinkle before I finished the race, but it was a blessing because I was getting warm with my scarf on. I finished at a personal best time of 35:00mins exactly, and I didn't think I would do so well. I was hoping for at best 36:00 or 37:00mins. I was running with my iPod on, so when I passed the first mile marker, and I thought I saw the race volunteer mouth something that looked like (10mins) meaning I had just run a 10 min mile, I thought I must have read his lips wrong, because I have never run a 10 min mile brefore.
Anyway, I think last time I posted about my previous 5k, I had stated that my goal was to run the whole race without walking. I didn't make that goal. I admit, I had to walk a few times, but those recovery walks for me were short and few. So though my time was definitely improved, I think I will keep my goal of trying to run the whole race. That gives me a month to build up my endurance. I think trying to push through those walls that come up and tell me it's time to take a rest will be a better test for me than trying to get an improved time. Though, if that happens, that would be great too.
On a related note, I do most of my training on the treadmill. Though my actual race time is way better than anything I have done on the treadmill so far (my race time beat my treadmill time by a whole minute) mentally, I find it easier to run on a treadmill because I am perfectly aware of how fast I am running, how far I still need to go, and how long I have been running. When I am in the race, I can't tell how fast I am running, and I am never exactly quite sure how far I have come (though there are the occasional markers that will tell you 1mile, 2mile, etc) though, I can check on my watch how long I have been running. I am too busy concetrating on my breathing to try to do the math to calculate my pace. The positive thing about running in the race is that because of the other participants and the lack of knowing pace/distance/time, I set my sights on keeping up with those around me. When I fall behind or pass someone, it helps to push me to do better and to work harder, than when it's just between me and the treadmill.
So I think I mentioned already that my race time was 35mins, and my previous race time was 38:35 or something like that, so that was a full 03:35 min improvement. I will eventually shoot for running the 5k in 30mins, but that just maybe an unattainable goal, but one I will try to get as close as possible too.
Here's to next month's race in March. I hope I am able to run the whole race this time!

running woes.

So as a first time runner, I have come across some hard times these last few weeks. It has limited my ability to actually train for my next 5k. I am not quite sure exactly what happened, because I was feeling great, then got the flu (aches, pains, stomach bug) and was flat out for a couple of days, and then, when I went to get back into my routine, I felt better, except when I ran, I felt like I still had the flu in my lower legs. I tried pushing through the pain, and did it for a week thinking that it would eventually work it's way out, but it didn't. So I did some internet research and thought maybe I had shin splints or runner's knee, and both prescribe me to not run until the inflamation has gone down. So instead I have been cross-training, doing swimming and the eliptical, suprisingly, all this week, no pain in my legs. So My next 5k is in a week and a half, and I am going to start slowly jogging again tomorrow. If there is no pain, I will continue to slowly get back to my running. If not, I think I will have to go see a doctor and see if there is anything else I can do to help me out of this tragedy.
Any runner's out there with any advice for this novice?