These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things…

Girls in Oiselle tanks and white satin sashes,
Taffy that sticks to my teeth, not eyelashes (because that would be weird),
Frigid cold air that does not feel like Spring,
These are a few of my favorite things!

(Okay, not the weather. Florida native here. I had a minor freakout last Sunday morning when Mer told me it was 28 degrees on the boardwalk in Atlantic City.)

It was a wonderful weekend of running and even more laughter, and now I’m home to my most favorite people and a mountain of laundry to fold. (Not a favorite, if you are taking notes.)

Since the AC half was already covered by Mer and Vic, I only want to tell you a tiny bit about my experience, and also share some other things I’m loving right this second:

First, the AC half. I know you are Meridith’s, but if she were willing to share you, we could be sister-wives. (Did I just imply that Mer is married to a race? I guess I did. I’m really tired, you guys.) I only ran once last week because of my shin pain, so I think rest, plus KT Tape, plus the oh-so-forgiving boardwalk helped me achieve a pretty sweet time for this race- I finished in 2 hours, 7 seconds, which is 11 minutes faster than my Princess 2014 time. (Still not a PR for me, blah blah blah. I get so tired of saying that. I get so tired of thinking it. But we runners love to focus on the numbers. Anyway, now that I’m thatclose to a sub-2, I am more than confident that a personal best will happen this fall.) Of course, if I hadn’t been texting my friends while running, I probably could’ve shaved off 8 seconds- but, no regrets.

The best part of this race was seeing our dear friend Anne finish her first half-marathon. The thing about a half-marathon, and running in general, really, is that no one can help you do it. You have to put in the time. You have to do the work. But when you finish? The accomplishment is all yours. Seeing a friend triumph like this is so powerful; for me, it feels as good as it does when I achieve my own goals. I’m lucky to have been there when a few friends crossed that half-marathon finish line for the first time, and the emotional impact hasn’t diminished. I guess I’m a marshmallow. Congrats, Anne!

While in NJ, we went to Target. As one does. Vic and I found these super cheap hoodies on clearance in the men’s section. This kept me so warm, post-race. Bonus- we were matchies.

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I love makeup. A lot. My favorite fun thing right now is this blue mascara from Butter London. I think there are a few other colors- I know there is purple and I’m definitely planning to buy that one. With this, I do a neutral face, and then coat my lashes in blue. It’s very noticeable in the sun and less so indoors and I just love it.

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How excited am I that OVERALLS are in style? Well, I’ll be honest. I’ve been waiting for this moment since 1999. Last Spring, I bought some short-alls because it was way too hot for long ones, but these Madewell overalls made their way into my closet recently and they are the best. More tapered than your 90s overall and I think you are supposed to wear them with cute flats or heels or booties and not birkenstocks (but those are back too, and you can’t see me right now but I’m wearing my EXCITED FACE.)

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I just finished taking another class on Conscious Discipline at my church and I cannot say enough good things about it. We’ve been working on implementing CD in our home for the past few years and it has helped all of us. Without getting too much into it, because this is a running blog, not a parenting blog, and I’m certainly not an expert- CD teaches emotional and social intelligence. You can read more here and here.

This book has finger plays, songs and games to increase your connection to your child- and their connections with each other. I’ve taught the girls a few things that they now do regularly with their brother and us, and we’ve also developed a goodbye ritual that the girls enjoy.

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One more book- The girls and I are currently reading Ramona the Brave. Last summer, we read the first two books in the series, in which Ramona is in preschool and then kindergarten, and now that my oldest will be a first grader soon, we decided to start the next book. I LOVE RAMONA. She’s so sassy and misunderstood and delightful. We still laugh about her singing the “dawnzer” song in kindergarten…you know, the dawnzer lee light.

BABIES. I’ve had more than a few friends have babies recently- three of them in the past three days! My instagram and Facebook feeds are filled with sweet, squishy newborn faces. Thank you, new mamas, for sharing your babies with me. I love seeing them!

Lastly, I love that I’m going to see my chicks in less than three weeks. DC, here we come! I hope you have enough cheese.

Talky! Do you text during races? How do I break myself of this habit? Best thing you’ve bought at Target recently? Overalls are amazing, right? What are you reading? By the way, The Sound of Music is always on my list of favorite things.

Oh Kiddo, My Kiddo

Nine years ago tomorrow, at 9:49 in the morning, I became a mom.

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Since then I’ve learned what it is to be a parent and it’s a continual learning process. The role of a parent isn’t the same as mom, which might surprise some, while others might be nodding their head in agreement. I’m always a mom. But I bring out the parent hat in teachable moments, when I need to guide and lead my children.

Recently (and here’s where it gets really cool) Pooks and I have been establishing our friendship. Now, the roles of mom and parent always supersede the role as friend, but we are growing into this new found part of our relationship.

It’s freaking awesome!

Going into our 9th year of being us, there are things that we enjoy doing together that are ours.

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He recently read a book that he loved and then suggested that I read it because he knew I would love it, too. The love of reading is something I shared with my mom and it’s so cool to see this continue on to the next generation.

Furthermore, he’s more in tune with me in an emotional sense. When our dog got sick and my husband was at the vet with him, Pooks was there with me when I got the call from Jay that Jack wasn’t going to be coming home with him. To have him with me in that vulnerable moment, when I couldn’t put on the mom or parent hat, and just needed to have him as my friend was invaluable. He’s starting to see me as a person. For so long, I think it was really easy to only relate to each other as our given roles in a family; now it’s more than that.

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In honor of Valentine’s Day coming up, I’ve been decorating my family members doors with hearts and reasons why I love them. There are currently nine Valentine’s on Pooks’ door.

1. I love you because you are musical and want to learn more.

2. I love you because there are so many things you want to do and explore.

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3. I love you because you are Principal of the Day.

4. I love you because you always ask if I am okay if I’ve been sad or upset.

5. I love you because you’re a good big brother.

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6. I love you because you sing in the shower.

7. I love you because you are ridiculous!

8. I love you because you care about animals.

9. I love you because you are a great kid.

Here’s to my son, my friend, my nine year old.