Three Things Thursday

~Howl at the Moon  On Monday registration opened for Howl at the Moon an 8 hour ultra that I have done the last 3 years.  It is by far my favorite race of the year.  The event always sells out within a month.  This year it might be even sooner.  It was posted that after 2 days the event is over half full.  One reason I really love this event is that even though you are racing with 299 other people it really is an individual race.  You are running/walking as much as you can for 8 hours.  Instead of a set distance you are just going against the clock & your own abilities.  Just about every person who does this race is a winner in their own right.  Yes they award & recognize those that go the furthest, having done this race 3 times I have always felt like a winner because each year I have accomplished something new and reached a new level of running.  That is what winning is really about!  If you are interested in doing this race (yes, you ARE capable) you can register here.  If you have any further questions about the event, feel free to ask me or look up previous posts where I gave in dept race reviews. Either way, don't miss out on the best event!!  Sign up for Howl at the Moon!!!!

~Mile 22 bag  Last December I joined a Twitter party.  It was my first party.  I wasn't 100% sure what I was doing, but I joined in the fun and even won a prize in the process.  Average Moms Wear Capes was the host of the party and gave out a fabulous prize from Mile 22 Bags.  Not too long before that I had read a blog review of their product.  I was in love with the product idea, but not so in love with the prices I saw listed.  I don't say that to be a negative reflection on the company, it's just not what I would spend on a bag.  At least not one of the big bags.  I'm reconsidering a small bag in the near future.  To get a bag of substance I personally would not pay $150+.  I put it on my list of in your dreams items and forgot about it.  Until I won the prize from the party.  I was SO EXCITED!!!!  Even better I could use the prize to pick ANY bag I wanted.  Ummmmm, hello $150+ bag!!!!  Due to the holidays and then our vacation it took me awhile to get things together for the bag.  The company was very understanding and didn't pressure me to claim my prize right away.  Once I got things together & sent it off it was still a 4-6 week wait.  Yesterday my package came and I was beyond excited.  I snapped a few pictures and made a video talking about the bag too.

~Mommy Matters I turned into a Momma Bear yesterday.  My 7 year old son came home and told me a bully had punched him in the eye.  Whoa!  What?!?!!?  Get me that boy, I'll teach him a lesson or two!!!!  To back up, this boy, a 4th grader, had been verbally bullying my son, a 1st grader, last fall.  It never happened at school, but on the way home while they were walking.  When it first happened my son did tell a teacher about it and they talked with the boy and everything stopped.  Phew!  Last week my son mentioned that this same boy had punched him when he rode by on his bike, again while coming home from school.  By time my son told me it had happened over a week ago.  I talked to my son about what to do if something happens again.  Sure enough. he came home & told me right away.  His eye was a little pink looking, but nothing massive.  No big black & blue spot.  I called a neighbor because her kids were also walking home from school.  They didn't see the actual punch happen, but the did verify that something did happen and that Andrew came running up to them upset that he had just been hit.  Even though I wanted to go hunt this child down myself I remained about as calm as I could and got on the phone right away with the school and talked to the principal.  I am very thankful that they are willing to deal with the situation even though it's not happening on school property.  Yes, it's tempting to go straight to the parents myself.  I don't know them, but they live on our street, just on the other end.  It's also tempting to just call the police, I know several officers, not to mention the police chief personally.  This boys behavior will not be tolerated.  Sure, I could also pick up my son every single day and escort him home or even better yet drive him home and out of harms way.  That's not going to stop this kid from being a bully and picking on someone else.  My son should be able to walk home and not worry/fear being beat up by one of his schoolmates.  I started with the school first, they are willing to bring the boy in and talk to him about his behavior and let him know it will not be tolerated.  If something happens again, you bet we'll be taking a more drastic measure to put a stop to this.

My Andrew boy!  He's not always perfect & innocent himself, but he's a good kid who doesn't deserve to be bullied.  No one deserves to be bullied!!