Limits Unimagined

Those of you who are friends on Facebook might know that I have embarked on this crazy-ridiculous exercise regime called Insanity. It is hard - harder than anything I've ever done in my life. In that list are things like carry, birth and raise children, so I'm guessing you get it.

www.beachbody.com/Insanity

At some point every day during this insane cardio workout, I am sure I am going to die. And yet, I don't. I survive and feel great (afterwards.) The difficulty level makes this a huge commitment - 60 days of about an hour of hard core, boot camp bananas cardio that leaves me screaming at the television and makes me want to cry every time. I'm following the eating plan as well; five small meals a day. I've never done this before and I really like it - I'm never hungry. On Saturdays and Sundays I give myself a break at dinner to enjoy a little extra. It's not on the Insanity plan, but it's on mine. You gotta enjoy your life!

So here's to getting healthier and living longer. Here's to pushing myself past limits unimagined. I'm not sure how insane my results will be, but I feel like a different person already. At nearly three weeks in, I think this new way of life may become a habit. (We'll see what I say when the intensity increases in week 5!)

Wish me luck!

Simple Surprises

Sometimes, some simple act of kindness, needs to be recognized for the something wonderful that it is. It might not seem like a big deal, but Logan's grandparents in North Carolina just did that kind of something wonderful just for her and I thought it was seriously blog worthy.


The class had an assignment of sending a "flat Stacy" out of town with hopes that she'd have some adventures and then return to tell the class about it. Mary and Alby took it to the extreme, taking Stacy on a road trip to Florida and the North Carolina coast. They stopped all over and took her picture, had adventures, collected souvenirs. Mary made a travel journal and folders for every state they traveled through, highlighted maps and gave all sorts of facts on each state.

As you might guess, not many kids in class had quite the same flat Stacy project to share with their classmates. Logan has been telling me about it for two weeks and just brought it home today. It is AMAZING - such a loving thing for them to do and a truly exceptional learning opportunity for Logan and her class. My favorite part is the pictures, which are so funny, they make me want to cry. Here are a couple...


Special thanks to Grandmom and Granddad!

Oh the Drama!

While organizing my newly painted office, I came across this piece of paper. I have no idea what it's from or how old it is. All I can tell you is that the darn drama is starting already. At EIGHT!!

From the mouths of babes

The following is an excerpt of a conversation between Finn and his classmate Brooke that I overheard while driving them to school today. Brooke's Dad has been putting together their new swing set and they're discussing what's left for him to do in order to finish it.

Finn: He still needs to put on the slide.

Brooke: And the driver thing and the telescope.

Finn: Oh yeah, and the roof. How will he get up there to put on the roof?

Brooke: My Daddy has a big ladder.

Finn: No, Brooke, my Daddy has a really big ladder.

Brooke: My Daddy's ladder is the biggest of all.

Finn: Brooke, my Daddy's ladder is the biggest in all the worlds.

Brooke pauses, then: Are you kidding me?

Finn: No, I'm serious.

I laughed all the way to school.

hello again

Where has the time gone? I miss this blog like crazy. I'm going to try to post a short Andersonism once daily - let's see how close I can get. It's more important than ever as the kids just realized I stopped putting photographs in albums in 2004. This blog may be the only record of our existence!

Today Finn took his place among the big boys shooting hoops at the full-size basketball hoop on the street. They all snickered and teased him and I held him on my shoulders a few times until he started sinking a few. A neighbor called me over and I left him to his own devices, all thirty-some inches of them. Before I knew it, there was raucous cheering coming from under the hoop and the neighbor boys were calling me over.

"Finn got it again Molly! He's so little and he keeps doing it!!" And he did, again and again - it was amazing!

I swear, Finn grew six inches before my eyes right then. He is more boy then ever - what a ride this is! And even though he's only in the 25th percentile in height (thanks to yours truly, I'm sure) maybe this little man will cruise us all the way to the NBA! You never know.....

First Place All Around!!!

February 7th marked one of those moments in life that just don’t come along very often. As we shuffled Riley off to her first-ever gymnastics competition, it never even dawned on us that she, the only kindergartner on the team, would place. Months earlier, we painfully forked over the extra dough required for GIJO (Greater Illinois Junior Olympics) to give Riley an idea of what competition is, and the opportunity to see if this is something she really wants to do. All we hoped for was a good experience for her.

Man did we get it. She rocked! She did awesome as the first child to compete on vault as soon as the meet started and her 9.0 totally got her fans juices flowing. Grandmom and Granddad, Nana and Tony and Grammy and Jim were all there to watch with Daddy, Logan, Finn and me. Riley even invited our good friends, the Marienthals – I think she must have known that she was going to give us a show!

As soon as she completed floor, her third event, I figured I’d tally up the scores. She had the second highest scores on vault and beam, so I wondered if she might be in the running for anything. I think I went into some kind of shock when I realized that she was neck in neck with two other girls, with one event left. When she put up an awesome vault and her 9.3 was displayed, I knew.

This was the craziest thing ever. I am not a nutty gym mom. I don’t sit there gossiping about other kids or pay for private lessons. I really just want Riley to have fun and as long as she’s having fun, we’ll make it happen for her. But I have to say I lost all my faculties when I realized my pipsqueak daughter, who turned only 6 one week before the meet, took all around first place for 6 to 8 year olds at her level. This must be what it feels like to win the lottery or something. I know that’s totally over the top, but it’s true!

I turned to Mike and whispered what I thought just happened, and he couldn’t even comprehend initially. By the time the news got around to her other fans in the crowd, most of us were crying. And ten minutes later when the scores were tallied and the trophies awarded, a very shocked pipsqueak was called to the top of the podium to accept her trophy for the Sweetheart Classic. For real, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

I’m sure it was for Riley, too, but she’s so reserved you’d never know. Three days later she told me in confidence that it was pretty awesome, but that was the extent of her outpouring. From the moment we arrived home that day, she continues to practice and perfect, but doesn’t talk about it much. It’s no big deal to her you see – she just loves it!

Robert Joseph Hajicek

My earliest memories of my Uncle Bob are of a kind of nerdy teenager who came to visit us in Omaha with my Grandma and Grandpa. He was lots of fun, at only thirteen years my senior, how could he not be? I loved his visits and was so happy as he married and had a family; my big kid status allowed me to spend a lot of time with them in those early days.

There was one point I gave up liking him for about a year. It's true. When I had become the akward 'tween, he jokingly pulled out my chair from under me at a family holiday dinner. He thought it was hilarious, and in hindsight, it was. But then, not so much!

My uncle had a crazy work ethic and loved his family. He was a whiz with tools and I'm thrilled to have a hutch he built in my dining room. He was so wonderful with my kids, always happy to have them on a knee or to listen to his latest joke. He was political, let me tell you! When he believed in something, there was no wavering. He never drank, never smoked. He was strong and he was a good man who left us too young.

My Uncle Bob lost his three year battle with brain cancer last night at the age of 51. We're told he is the longest-lived survivor of his type of cancer on record. I am sure I know why. Uncle Bob was a man so solid in his faith that I have no doubt it kept him going. He truly believed that he would be okay, no matter what happened, because he knew that God would take care of him. And He did. He was blessed to die peacefully at home with loved ones.

He will be missed by so many, his wife Dawn who took such good care, his children, his family and friends, co-workers and the Knights of Columbus, his church community. But more than all the missing him we'll do, there will be welcoming up above. Surely the heavens are rejoicing his arrival. Surely his suffering is over and his body and mind are in peak condition. Surely he's having breakfast with Grandpa and catching up on so much lost time. Surely.

I love you Uncle Bob.