The Easter Bunny is Real…Right??

One of my most dreaded ‘parent-child’ conversations ended up being one of my favorites.  It was the, “Is Santa for real?” conversation.  Ugh.  Our parental strategy was to avoid the topic until our son brought it up.  We wanted him to believe in the magic of Christmas forever but realistically, that would have been stupid.

One day, out of the blue, my then 8 or 9 year old (that’s how memorable it was…I can’t even remember his age), asks, “Mom, is Santa Claus for real?  Tell me the truth.”  Well, ok.  Since he asked for the truth, my grand plan to lie to him was foiled.  So the conversation went a little something like this:

Me:  “You want the truth?  Are you sure you want the whole truth?”

Son:  “Yes.”

Me:  “Once I tell you the truth, we can’t go back.  You really want the truth?  You can’t handle the truth.”  OK, I really didn’t say that last line.  But I cracked myself up typing it.

Son:  “Just tell me mom.”

It was a bittersweet moment for me.  He was growing up right in front of my eyes and it sucked.  I explained to him that Santa does not visit every child’s house on Christmas Eve, that he does not have elves or reindeer or a workshop or a home at the North Pole, in fact, the whole Santa Tracker thing is a scam.   I told him we bought the presents, we wrapped them up, we ate the cookies and we tossed the gross, room temperature milk he left out for Santa.  I confessed that we chewed up carrots and spit them out on the lawn…not Santa’s reindeer.  We made the footprints in the snow, not Santa.  We wrote the ‘thank you for the cookies’ letter from Santa in that fancy, ‘looks nothing like mom’s’ handwriting.   Then I got pretty philosophical on him about Christmas.  We talked about being thankful (I know, I know, that’s Thanksgiving), we talked about the story of Jesus, we talked about being with family, giving to others, and again, being thankful (I think that’s important).

He looked at me as thoughtfully as an 8 or 9 year old could look at a parent who just turned their world upside down, and asked a very clever follow up question:

Son:  “I kinda thought that about Santa.  Some kids were talking about it at school…….(long pause)…..But the Easter Bunny is real, right?”

Me:  Thinking to myself, “Are you kidding me little boy?  You want me to ruin all that is good in life in this one conversation?”  Like any fabulous parent, I replied, “Honey, do you really think there is a 6 foot rabbit that comes to our house and hops around hiding plastic eggs everywhere for you to find?” 

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Son (looking very perplexed):  “Well, I guess not.  So that’s you and dad, too?”

Me:  “Yes, honey.”

Son:  “Mom…”

Me:  “Yes bud.”

Son (reluctantly asked):  “What about the Tooth Fairy?”

I gave him some kind of pathetic, defeated look because he said to me, “You’re the Tooth Fairy, aren’t you?”  I nodded my head.  He then inquired, “Where do you keep your Tooth Fairy outfit?”

That was a rough conversation for all of us but looking back, it was one of my favorite, most memorable talks (so far, anyway).  Santa and the Easter Bunny still stop by each year (wink, wink) although the Tooth Fairy stopped visiting when my son told me point-blank to keep my change.  

Technorati Tags: Santa,Easter bunny,tooth fairy,humor,the truth about Santa

Two Weeks of Running “Firsts”

These last two weeks of running have been filled with many firsts and it’s refreshing to know that even at the tender age of 45, opportunities for “firsts” are abundant!

Here’s my first “first”:

I am participating in a group training program. I recently posted about joining a training group which was a pretty big deal for me (issues folks, I have issues).   I was worried about being the slowest one (I’m not).  I was worried about getting separated from the group and never finding my way back (hasn’t happened…yet).  I was anxious about talking to people during a run because A) I wouldn’t be able to breathe while talking and B) I would not hear a word they were saying because of my hearing.  Turns out, when someone talks to me, I can just smile and throw in a couple of “uh-huh’s” and “really’s” and call it good.  No one needs to know.  Other than faking conversations, my group training experience has been great!  The mentors are full of helpful advice and it’s great to run with an energetic, supportive group.

My second “first”:

I ran my first night run.  I know, I lead such a sheltered life.  Last week, the training group went on a night time run and it was so amazing!  We ran downtown around the river and it was perfect.   Imagine my surprise when I finished the run in one piece…no kidnapping, no mugging.  It was a good night.

My third “first”:

OK, this is a biggie.  So, I’m a slow runner, and that’s just fine, but I am trying to improve my time from like a 12 minute mile to 11 minutes to 10 minutes…and let’s just stop there for now.  For the first time EVER, my time started with a 10.  It doesn’t matter that it was 10:45, I just like to focus on the 10 part.  I think the group runs keep me motivated.  At some point during the runs, it’s inevitable that I will get separated from the bulk of the group.  When that happens, I get nervous that something sinister will happen (I have an overactive imagination) so I move faster to keep up.  In fact, during this morning’s run I saw two homeless guys in the park.  One was sleeping while sitting up and the other one was passed out on the grass with an alarm clock right next to him.  I hope he wasn’t counting on the clock to wake him  up because, well, he was in a park with no outlets.  Anyway, I felt bad for those gents but I have to admit my pace picked up as I tried to run past them and catch up to the rest of the group.  Bottom line, my time is improving but really bizarre things motivate me. 

My fourth “first”:

I went running with my puppy, Finn, for the first time!  Normally I would say, “I took my dog for a run,” but in this case, 8 month old Finn took me for a run.  We did a quick two miles around the neighborhood and I cannot believe how great he did.  He was so focused, didn’t get distracted, didn’t trip me up and didn’t stop to pee on everything in sight.  He was great.  My favorite part was the way he would look at me while we were running.  I couldn’t tell if he was thinking, “You can do this!!” or if he was thinking, “You can do this??”  Running with a dog changes the dynamics of a run in a very wonderful way.  I am looking forward to more runs with Finn!

While I’ve only been running a little over a  year, I love the fact that there is so much to learn and that I can look forward to many more “firsts” in my running adventures!

Slow Girl relaxing with Fast Dogs!

Running Topless

Well…..I’m not talking about running topless like THAT!   Sheesh.  What kind of girl do you think I am?  Besides, it’s sooooo cold out there.  Speaking of brisk temperatures….

I recently joined a running group and they do crazy things like run outside when it’s cold.  I know, right?  Insanity.  I bet they even have some outrageous “rain or shine” policy, too.  Since I’m new to this running group thing as well as running in cold, hostile temps (low to mid-40’s…I can say that since I grew up in southern California, right?), I decided to purchase this cool-weather running accessory:  The thermal topless winter headband made by Headsweats purchased at Title Nine.

     

Here’s what I love about this thermal topless winter headband:

1. It has a fleece lining around the ear area so simply pull it over your ears and you have ear warmers.
2. The front portion that covers your forehead is made of super absorbent, moisture wicking material so your sweat is absorbed but the headband does not feel drenched.
3. It has a cool ponytail slot in the back…not sure if that’s the technical name for it.   If you have a ponytail, it can easily slip through the slot and your headband will stay in place while your hair stays out of your face.
4. It’s machine washable.
5. It’s cute.

I wore it during my first group run on Saturday morning and it was just perfect.  It kept my ears warm, my forehead dry, and since it was topless, I didn’t have to deal with excess head heat.  The cost was around $16-$18 (I threw the receipt away before I realized I loved it so much I would blog about it).  Normally I would think that was pricey for a headband but this one was well worth the money.

I sweat a lot when I run so I love, love, love (need, need, need) headbands and this is my cold-weather fave.   If you run in cool temps and want to try going topless, this thermal topless winter headband is definitely worth checking out!