eSpecially Ben

 "My Three Sweet Flower Girls" Check out other Special Exposure Wednesday Photos .

Why the Challenge? In my effort to turn 40 this year as a healthy, less stressed and fit woman, wife and mom, I challenged myself to run a race a month this year. I was inspired by another mom blogger who wrote about skipping her own doctor's appointments, gaining weight, eating poorly and then finally realizing that putting her own health in jeopardy was dangerous business for her entire family. I hope to spread this inspiration to other parents who may need to challenge themselves to take better care of their health. This can translate to mean more time with friends, reading a favorite book at the coffee shop alone, taking hikes or enrolling in a cooking class. The challenge for parents is to put themselves before their families once in awhile to enjoy something without feeling guilty, anxious or regretful. Race Update I finished my second race, a 5K at UNC Charlotte .  It was a tough one because of the hills. I expected them, but had not trained well for them. My trainer

  Since Ben was born, I have taken advantage of the photo studios with the low price package specials. They usually include a 10"x13" enlargement. Not knowing what to do with such a large photo, I decided to laminate them to be used as placemats.  The kids love to use these placemats because it is fun for them to see themselves as babies. It is a great way to keep the photos preserved. We also play the game, Whose that baby? The Halloween photo is the most confusing because they are all wearing the same pumpkin outfit. The lamination was done at Office Max , costs no more than $3. Use their largest size, do not cut it down. Be sure to put the child's name, age and year the photo was taken on the back in permanent marker before lamination.  An 8"x10" photo may be used also - in fact the second placemat has the smaller photo. When the kids get older, I will allow them to use wipe-off markers to "decorate" the photos adding mustaches, spiky hair and