Last night, when I was talking with my husband,  it occurred to me that the biggest dream I have had as long as I can remember was to have an amazing family.  My parents were excellent role models, and I always wished I could have a solid, loving relationship like they had.  I am so blessed to have a husband that supports me in my triathlon racing and training, and who wants me to be happy - that dream has come true beyond my greatest expectations.  What I sometimes lose sight of is that a being married and being a Mom takes "TRAINING."  What I mean is that it takes work to nurture and cultivate relationships - in this case with my family.  In order to have  relationships that work, I have to spend time talking with and finding out what the other person needs and wants.  With my kids it simply means spending one-on-one time with them, listening to how their day went, or helping them with homework.  With my husband it means not only listening to him after a hard day, but also putting in the extra effort to make sure our house is neat (mostly), and planning fun nights out together.   A lot of times I am thinking "I am tired - I don't feel like doing this now!"  But just like preparing for a triathlon, training yourself in these areas is the ONLY way to have the race you were hoping for!  Having a passionate marriage and a healthy relationship with your kids is not a speed race, but a race in the sense that you want to be the BEST you can be and have everyone around you be excited about life.  That way every person as a part of the whole family can use the home as a launching pad for doing great things!  I always knew this to be true, but sometimes I get caught up in my own little world and don't really take the time to find out how it's going for the rest of the family.  Luckily as human beings we can learn from our mistakes and start new each day - thank God for that!