Tag Archives: kids

Motherpluckers

“Yes, Mother. I can see you are flawed. You have not hidden it. That is your greatest gift to me.”
– Alice Walker

This post is a short ode to the motherpluckers of the world.

I salute you.

You know who I’m talking about, right? Motherpluckers.

The women (particularly moms) who still find the time to pluck their eyebrows and stuff like that during their uber-busy lives. (Wait…what did you think I was saying? That’s the name for them, right? Motherpluckers? Well, sheesh, what do you call them? Anyway….)

Let me just say that you chicks amaze me. I don’t even have small children anymore, but Richard and I have three teenagers and one pre-teen between us and let me tell you – getting myself ready to go anywhere falls LAST on the priority list. By the time everyone is up, fed, bathed, and clothed, I’m usually standing in a towel with dripping hair while the rest of the family is wondering why I’m not ready to leave.

If I manage to get out of the house with pants on, I’m doing good.

How do you ladies do it? How do you have the manicures and the highlighted hair and the perfect makeup? TEACH ME, OH WISE ONES!

Eh, I guess I’ve made it this far with my bushy eyebrows and frizzy hair, so I suppose I’ll be alright. But still – it’s hard not to look at you guys with the adoration that my teenage daughter reserves for boy bands. I’m in awe. Mesmerized. Obsessed.

Jealous.

But, I’m guessing those same women may look at me and wonder how I find the time to run, don’t they? I’m sure they wonder how I squeeze that into the day – and sometimes I wonder that myself.

I guess all of we moms wish we had more time for the things we can’t seem to fit into our busy lives, don’t we? I suppose I should just look at it like this: If we’re all finding time to do at least something just for us – whether it be running, plucking, reading, or whatever else makes us feel better about ourselves – then I’d say we’re probably doing alright.

“Get busy living, or get busy dying.” as my buddy Stephen King says. As long as we’re living, we’re not dead. If I manage to leave my house with two daughters with French-braided hair and two sons with their bellies full, then I guess my bushy eyebrows are a small price to pay.

Hey, at least I’m wearing pants.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do… 😉

***

“The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children.” – Jessica Lange

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: blog, blogging, busy, change, children, daughter, eyebrows, family, flaws, inspiration, kids, moms, mother, motherhood, motivation, teenagers, writer, writing. Leave a comment

Oct. ’14

Lead By Example

“It’s hard being a girl. There are a lot of body image issues that come up and I think the best thing we can do for our kids is lead by example.”
– Cheryl Hines

Some of you may remember me mentioning a while back that I am now helping coach a new Girls on the Run team in our area. If you’re not familiar with Girls on the Run, we are basically what the name implies…girls on the run! We have a team of 3rd – 5th grade girls and we meet twice a week…not only to run, but also to talk about the qualities and values we need to have to be the best ladies we can be out here in this big ole world. And believe me, I’m learning just as much as the girls are. No doubt about it.

Which brings me to the topic of today’s blog.

One of the things the other two coaches and I have discussed is the importance of participating in both the physical activities (running, warmups, etc.) and the mental activities (lessons about our character, etc.) right along with the girls. It’s one thing to tell people what they should do, but it becomes a whole different lesson when you show them. It means more. For instance, if we expect the girls to do 20 laps, then we get out there and do 20 laps with them. If we are teaching a lesson about the importance of not gossiping, we have to make sure we don’t find ourselves in situations where we, as adults, are doing just that. You catch my drift?

We have to not only lead these girls, but lead them by example.

Now, I thought I was doing a pretty job of this whole concept. I mean, after all, I’m currently training for a marathon…surely I’m leading by example as far as running is concerned, right? And when we have our lessons about character traits, I’ve been willing to share personal info from my own life (including the parts I admittedly need to work on myself…I mean, who knew that listening was actually a part of the process when I’m arguing with my fiancé, Richard? Hey…you learn something new every day, right?) But earlier this week, something caught me slightly off guard. My “lead by example” strategy got challenged.

One of our girls was talking to me during our laps, and she mentioned how much trouble she has with her “crazy hair.” Now, this wasn’t the first time this girl has mentioned her hair, so I know it is somewhat of a sore spot with her. Like me, she has been “blessed” with a head full of curly hair. And, as we all know, the straight-haired girls want the curls and the curly-haired girls want to give them to them. I understood this girl’s dilemma quite well. Taming the mane does not come easy.

So, we had a conversation that went a little something like this:

Her: I have so much trouble with my crazy hair!
Me: Why do you call it crazy hair? You have great hair!
Her: You don’t understand. It’s curly and frizzy and everywhere all the time.
Me: Oh, I definitely understand, silly. Mine is exactly the same.
Her: *quizzical look* No, it’s not.
Me: Well, sure it is.
Her: I can’t tell. You always wear it back.
Me: Well…

And here’s where I had to actually stop myself from saying what was on the tip of my tongue. Because you know what almost came out? What almost spilled out of my face was, “Well, that’s because my hair is horrible and I can’t do anything with it.”

Whooops.

Didn’t I just finish telling her that we had the same hair? If I said that, what would I be telling her about her own hair?

I can’t remember exactly how I finished the conversation. I think I told her something about how as you get older, you find more ways to fix your hair and different products that make you learn to like it better, etc. Which is true. But you know what I usually do with my crazy curls? Straighten them. And when I don’t have time for that, I pile them in a ponytail or in a bun. I hide them.

Here’s where I need to learn to lead by example.

If I tell this little girl to embrace her curls and learn to love them…all while mine are hidden from view, is she going to hear me? Is she going to learn to accept herself for who she is and not try to “fix” what she perceives as an error to make herself more “acceptable” to her peers? *sigh* I’m guessing not.

Time to lead by example.

So, today, my crazy curls are flapping around for all the world to see. When I get to practice in a few hours, that little girl is going to see that she and her coach have a little something in common…curly, “crazy” hair that we are learning to accept and appreciate. Together, we are going to show each other that this thing that makes us unique, somehow also makes us the same. And we are going to learn to be proud of that fact…not try to hide it.

So, thank you my little Girls on the Run student for showing this old gal a little thing or two.

Are you leading by example in your life? Something to think about, isn’t it? The little people are watching…don’t forget that.

***

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: blog, blogging, change, changed, character, character traits, children, coach, curly, example, exercise, flaws, friendship, girls, girls on the run, hair, influence, inspiration, inspire, kids, lead by example, leader, leaders, marathon, motivate, motivation, photos, problems, Quotes, run, runner, running, sharing, students, training, traits, writing. Leave a comment

Sep. ’14

Girls on the Run

“Running has given me the courage to start, the determination to keep trying, and the childlike spirit to have fun along the way.”
– Julie Isphording, Marathon winner

So, how many of you have heard of Girls on the Run?

Now, wait a minute. All you non-runners…get back here. Not so fast. I know how you are. “Oh great, another blog about running. I’m not a runner. I’m out.” Well, hold it there, missy. (Or mister.) Stick around for a second. I want to tell you about something pretty awesome. (Especially those of you with daughters…you’re going to want to hear this.)

I spent my day today getting to know about Girls on the Run. Now, I had heard of it before, of course, as I’m sure many of you have. And, like many of you, I assumed that this was some kind of school “running team.” I mean, it’s called Girls on the Run. It must be girls running, right?

Well, yeah. That’s partly true. But, wow. There is soooo much more to it than that.

Girls on the Run – Westwood site coaches

I have recently been given the awesome opportunity to be an assistant coach for a Girls on the Run team in my area – Ashe County, North Carolina. See this pretty lady here to the right? That’s Natalie Foreman. Although the two of us didn’t know each other that well, our shared love of writing caused our paths to cross a short while back. She’s a local editor who happened to be the one reviewing an essay I’ve written for an upcoming anthology. And that essay just happened to be about…you guessed it…running. And just before Natalie had read that essay, she had been toying with the idea of getting a Girls on the Run program started in our area. She had done all the research, checked into all the details of securing a location, etc. But what was she missing? An assistant coach. And Fate, as she so often does, just happened to drop a runner’s essay on her desk.

So, Natalie gave me a call.

And here we were today, two practical strangers, headed to a coaches’ meeting.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I had done a little research on my own, of course, but I still didn’t realize what all was involved with the program. Again, I had it in my head that we were going to go to this coaches’ meeting and they were going to teach about us about different exercises, different methods to teach the girls to increase their running distances week-by-week, etc. But nope. That’s not what happened at all.

I walked away from that coaches’ meeting feeling like I knew everyone in the room. Especially Natalie. And I walked away feeling like I could actually succeed at coaching for this Girls on the Run program.

How did that happen? Well, it’s like this.

The program director taught us how to teach the kids. She put us in a setting that the girls would be in. She showed us the different games, conversations, techniques, etc., that the students would be going through in our program. For today, we were the students.

We got to know each other. We got to know our likes, our dislikes. We got to know our vast array of personalities and how each of us could still get along and come together for a common goal…not only despite our differences, but because of them. We came away from that meeting knowing that a group of drastically different strangers, could walk away a few hours later as friends. We walked away feeling confident in ourselves, feeling special because of the little idiosyncrasies that made each of us different from one another, and feeling beautifully unique. And most importantly, we walked away excited for the next time that we could all be together.

And that, my friends, is what Girls on the Run is all about.

Do you know a 3rd-5th grade girl that lives in or around the Ashe County area? Well, I know two women who started the day as strangers and ended it as friends, who absolutely can’t wait to show that little girl how that happens. Life is so hard for girls these days. Maybe it always has been, but I just feel like it’s just a tad harder now. There’s so much media and peer pressure to be a certain way, or act a certain way, or…worst of all…to look a certain way. What these girls need is an outlet. A place to come to feel safe. To feel like they can be themselves…where differences are celebrated, not shunned. And where they will get to have a fun, playful workout in the process.

Here’s a quick rundown of the details for you local peeps:

Meetings will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. at Westwood Elementary School. (Students do not have to attend Westwood Elementary to participate – that is just the meeting location.)
Meetings technically start this Tuesday, September 9, but if you haven’t signed up by then, it’s not too late! (We have about two weeks to get all the registrations in.)
This is a 12-week program, that will culminate in a 5K race for the girls in all area Girls on the Run programs on December 6, 2014.
Coaches are head coach, Natalie Foreman (who is a runner and has a third grade girl herself), and myself (who wishes her daughter was still young enough to participate, but who is also a runner and absolutely adores working with kids!). We will also have a part-time assistant coach, Thea Van Sickle Young, who will be available to help out on Tuesdays.
Sign-up and other info can be found by clicking here. (There is a cost to the program, but reduced fees are available to kids who receive free/reduced price school lunches.)
Girls on the Run of the High Country Facebook link can be found here.

And there you have it, folks.

If you have read this blog and are local, please do Natalie and me a favor. Will you share this? We just know that there is a girl out there who needs this program. (We know there are many girls who need it actually.) And the only way they’ll know about it is if they hear about it. Help us spread the word. Without a certain number of girls signed up, we will not be able to proceed with the program. We really don’t want to see that happen. Our hearts are in this, and we know how much the girls need it.

Help us make a difference, won’t you?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Click on the flyer below for a little more info and…share, share, share! And, of course, let me know if you have any questions or need more info!

Let’s start a new generation of healthy, happy, confident girls, shall we?

***

“The woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes the race.”
-Sign at the Nike Women’s Marathon

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: 5k, change, coach, daughter, elementary school, exercise, friendship, girls on the run, inspiration, kids, motivation, motivational, passion, problems, race, run, runner, running, sharing, writing. 1 Comment

Feb. ’14

To My Valentine

“At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.”

– Plato

To My Valentine….

Valentine’s Day’s
the time they say
to show what they mean to you;
Chocolate bars,
sappy cards,
dinners just for two

Candlelight talks,
moonlit walks,
Sweet music to serenade
One night to show
that special glow
From the love you both have made

It sounds so nice
most don’t think twice
They throw their all into this day
And while I do understand
most couple’s plans
For us, it’s not quite this way

The lives we lead
are busy indeed
And are filled with much to do
With four kids between
(and most are teens!)
Little remains for me and you

With their needs galore;
clothes, concerts and more
Birthday presents around every bend
The wallet stays bare;
(surprised we even have hair!)
And before we know it, the money’s all spent

So we find other means
(not requiring much green)
To show the love that lies within
Those arms that you place
around my waist
Those sweet dimples in your grin

The hours you spend
shoveling snow with no end
So my little car can get out of the drive
The errands you run
when I’m coming undone
From the stress of these busy lives

Your sweet, gentle ways
through these hectic days
That keeps me from coming unglued
Every kiss that you place
upon my grateful face
Shows how much I am loved by you

I hope mere words are enough
to thank you for your love
For all the many loving things that you do,
Valentine’s Day and the rest
I am loved by the best –
Thank God for the gift that is you.

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Poetic Musings. Tags: blog, inspirational, kids, love, motivation, motivational, parents, passion, poem, poetry, relationships, Valentines Day, writing. Leave a comment

Nov. ’13

Bus Driver

Ok, I lied.

Remember Friday when I said I was going to do the daily “what I’m thankful for” thing during the month of November? Well. I guess that’s not happening.

Here we are – November 4th – and I have written a grand total of….ONE blog. Crap.

It’s not that I’m not thankful for things. I am. It’s just that I don’t like forcing myself to write. Telling myself to write every day makes it feel like a chore. And for me, writing cannot turn into a chore. It’s one of my only escapes from life’s many other chores as it is. And besides, I’ve been grumpy as crap over the past few days, so forcing myself to write about what I’m thankful for during my current mindset would have been about as productive as the time I tried to give my cat a bath.

Get my drift?

So, I skipped a few days. And I’m probably going to be skipping a few more if I’m going to just be quite honest with you. I’m just a tad too much of a cynic to come up with a cutesy thankful blog every single day, anyway. Again, it’s not that I’m not thankful for things. I just don’t feel like being forced to vomit sunshine and roses every day for a month. Because some days just aren’t conducive to that kind of…um…’product.’

But, even with that being said, I do, however, want to give a shout out to someone I noticed over the weekend.

My daughter’s school drama club had their annual drama competition on Saturday. It was in another town – about a two-hour drive – and the team was being transported by bus. Since they had performed their skit the night before at the school for parents, none of the parents were going along on the Saturday trip. Except me – the one parent who works in a separate state which kept her from getting to the Friday night performance on time. So, with the coach’s advance permission, I rode along on the bus with the kids.

Now, believe me when I tell you that there was not a dull moment on that bus ride. I like to think I’m a pretty young and hip momma, but shew! I was exhausted before we even got to the competition. They were great kids, don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean there was any trouble or anything like that – it was just loud. LOUD. And there was so much energy. Where do they get that from?? I sure do wish I could’ve siphoned some of it into a bottle to take with me to my half marathon in a few days. Good grief!

Well, we got to the competition, and they all performed their little hearts out. But, sadly, when the results were tallied, not only did they not win, but they actually came in last place. 😦 Talk about a bunch of sad kiddos. That energy that I mentioned before? Yeah, it had turned down quite a few notches by the time they all piled back on the bus for the trip home. While they truly did have a great attitude about the whole thing, the disappointment was evident in all of their faces and body language. They just couldn’t hide it.

So, we start the much quieter trip home, and someone (in hopes of lifting everyone’s spirits) gets the idea to ask the bus driver if they could play one of their CDs on his stereo system on the bus. From my safe little seat near the front of the bus (my, how things have changed from when I was a teen myself…), I could see what I expected to be a stern “No, now sit back down and let me drive” from the bus driver. But, to my surprise, he not only allowed it, but asked them if they wanted him to crank it. Ha! What a pointless question – this was a bus full of teenagers. So, crank it, he did. Now, we all know the healing power of music, and this was no exception. As the decibel rose, so did those kids’ spirits. Before long, there was laughter, singing, and even some “dancing” (at least I think that’s what you call that these days…). Just like that, the teens’ disappointment was all but forgotten and the bus trip returned to its original state from earlier in the day. A bus full of happy kids with nothing to worry about except hoping their parents were there at the school to pick them up upon their return.

So, we got back safe and sound (well, maybe our ears were a little worse for wear, but other than that…). As we were all piling off the bus, myself lagging near the end, I stopped and put my hand on the bus driver’s shoulder and said, “you have the most patience of anyone I’ve ever known.” His response? “Nah. I didn’t mind at all. They only get to be young once.”

Wow. Did you hear that?

“They only get to be young once.”

What a guy. What a philosophy. What a reminder.

Because of this one man’s positive attitude and flexibility, a potentially depressing bus ride home for a bunch of devastated teenagers turned into the happy, fun-filled trip that it should have been all along. I wonder if he realizes that? I wonder if this man knows how contagious his one little attitude ended up being for a busload of kids…and one somewhat grumpy momma?

I hope so.

So, even though I have failed miserably at doing my daily duty of documenting the things I’m thankful for each day, I would still like to add Mr. Bus Driver to the list anyway. I am thankful for people like him. People who think of the wellbeing of others before himself. People who sacrifice a full day of their time to transport a bunch of kids to some event hours away, and then sacrifices his own comfort to be sure they had the best time they possibly could’ve had. I’d like to think I’d have been the same way if I were him, but I honestly don’t know. I probably would have been tired. And grumpy. And ready to go home. And not willing to listen to the laughter and loud music while I drove all that way after spending an entire day with teenagers. But see, that’s why I’m not a bus driver. And that’s why he is.

So, welcome to my small thankful list, bus driver dude. You made an impact on more people than you probably realized, including myself. Thank you for being in the right place at the right time.

This blog’s for you.

***

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
– Winston Churchill