Archive for the ‘Life’ Category
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Last January, on an impulse, I started training for a half marathon. I know that might seem strange, what about a 13.1 mile race is impulsive. But it was {as are so many things in my life}. After 12+ weeks of training, I ran my race in April. Sweet victory. I’m currently training for the Austin Half Marathon on February 20th. After getting some questions from friends about my training, I thought I’d spend the next three weeks doing a series.
{photo credit}
Half Marathon Training {The Physical}
I’ve thought it cliche to say “If I can do it, you can do it”, but I honestly believe it. I’ve never been a runner. And before I set my mind to running/training, the furthest I’d ever run was 2 miles. In high school. One of my favorite quotes about running {from Runner’s World} said “Running is hard. If it wasn’t everyone would do it”. I can’t tell you how incredibly true that is. Running is hard. Some days I hate it. But I do it anyway because deep down I really love it. Here are my tactics for training:
1. Run – Obvious enough, but something we can all put off. It’s too cold. It’s too hot. It’s too rainy. It’s too sunny. You name it, I’ve used it as an excuse {including “It’s too windy and will mess with my running time”}. You can’t train if you don’t run.
2. Schedule – Just google “half marathon training schedule” and you will get countless training schedules ranging from beginners to advanced. Pick one that you can tailor to your needs and stick with it. Here’s mine: Basic Half. It worked wonders for helping me stay on track with my first half last year. This year I’ve tailored it a bit more, since I’m training in half the time.
3. Food is fuel – I’ll be the first to admit I’m not always great about seeing food as fuel {as I lick brownie crumbs off my plate and type…}. But if running has taught me one thing it’s: bad food makes for a bad run. End of story. The more junk I eat, the harder the run. I feel bloated and nasty. Not something you want to feel when you’re staring down an 8-mile run.
4. Water is essential, but so are electrolytes – Perhaps I’m part fish, but I need water. Literally crave it. And aside from my much needed coffee {and occasional wine/beer} I steer away from all other drinks. Unless I’m running. Throughout the day I drink tons of water, but on a long run day {anything over 6 miles} I make sure to have a Gatorade on hand. I typically won’t drink it during my run {just water}, but Gatorade is my saving grace for post run hydrating.
Running isn’t just physical, but mental and emotional. In the next two weeks, I’m going to be sharing my tips for how to mentally and emotionally train.
*Disclaimer: All tactics/tips are my own personal opinions and not medically backed. Please seek medical advice before starting any running program.
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One year ago, I started a photo project – to take a family picture once a month. And while it seemed easy enough, it was hard coordinating a photo every month. Yesterday was the last day, which actually didn’t happen until this morning. Here are my favorite pictures from the last year:
1. June 2010
2. March 2010
3. October 2010
4. July 2010
5. May 2010
6. November 2010
7. December 2010
8. February 2010
9. April 2010
10. January 2011
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
An Entire Year of Family Photos
Posted on: February 1, 2011
{Sorry for the fuzziness - I'm still figuring out our Point and Shoot. And Jack does look a little evil in this one...}
Yesterday marked the 12th month of our monthly family photo. It’s hard to believe an entire year has passed since I first started this project. It has a been wonderful documenting how the girls have progressed. So much has happened in the last year that our lives seem so different now.
Hannah is talking up a storm. Every day she adds something new to her vocabulary and it’s awesome. My favorite phrase is “I did it!“. She says it with such pride and enthusiasm. Hannah has completely transitioned to a twin bed and isn’t waking up nearly as much to crawl into our bed at night. Watching her always imitate Julia has made her seem advanced for her age. And while she isn’t even 2, she seems so much older than she really is. It makes me want to pause life for a while and capture all these little moments.
Julia, as always, is acting like a little mama. She’s taken charge of several responsibilities – putting away dishes, helping with Hannah and cleaning. Julia’s been learning a lot in preschool lately. She’s very fascinated with sciences, so we have been spending time watching educational videos on the planets, the ocean and wildlife. She can’t get enough. I secretly believe she’s going to be a scientist.
Jonathan recently became part of Toastmasters – an impromptu public speaking group. It suits his personality perfectly and is teaching him how to be short and concise in his presentations. In addition, he has been spending a lot of time researching houses here in town, narrowing down what part of Austin we would want to live in. While we haven’t found a house that we want to buy {or rent}, we have at least settled on living in south Austin – for now.
I’ve spent the last month training for the Austin Half Marathon, which happens February 20th. It’s been good for me to get back into a real running regimen again. However, I’ll be happy to have long runs of only 5-6 miles instead of 10-12 miles. I got back yesterday from Blissdom in Nashville. It was a awesome. Overwhelming {with information and content} but I am hopeful that I can really implement a lot of the things I learned this week.
I’m Back in Iowa!
Posted on: January 28, 2011
Well, I’m not actually in Iowa {although I’m not in Texas either…}. I’m just visiting Iowa via Kelsey over at Mrs. Dexter. I love Kelsey’s blog and I’m super happy that she asked me to guest post for her today. She’s doing a great series on coffee shops and I’m sharing my recipe for Banana Bread with Agave Nectar. Yuuuummmmy.
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I’m leaving today for Blissdom. And much like when I left for New York last fall, I have taken some steps to help Jonathan out while I’m away. Because, while some days I’d like to think my full time job is my blog, it isn’t. My full time job is taking care of my family. I take a lot of delight in my work and want to make sure that I can still fulfill my wife/mother roles while away. So here are some ways I’m helping Jonathan cope with me being away:
1. Organize the girls clothes –
Each day is bundled together, with the girl’s name on it. Unwrap, dress and you’re ready to go! {I did provide layers, in case the weather goes all crazy on me.}
2. Organize meals –
I have the freezer stocked with dinners and the pantry loaded with quick and easy snacks. I’ve also made a list of side options to go with each meal.
3. Organize activities – While Jonathan is super active in the girls’ lives, he doesn’t quite know what activities there are to do around town like I do. So I made a list for each day to let him choose.
4. Sticky notes –
I did this when I traveled to New York. Jonathan said it was helpful {for other things – like coffee}, but the dog never did get fed…
5. Movies – While I tend not to want the girls to watch much television during the week, I know it’s an easy pass time. I’ve made sure there are several episodes of their favorite show recorded so they can watch a set amount as needed.
6. Diapers/Wipes/Pull ups – Jonathan isn’t as into cloth diapering as I am {read Jonathan doesn’t cloth diaper}. To prepare for the week, I stocked up on disposables. Because there is nothing worse than having to run to the store just for diapers.
7. Back up help – We were very blessed to live right by three close families while in Iowa. At the drop of the hat we could ask for help and they could be there in no time. Now, as we are still meeting people, I’ve had to do a little more planning. Still, we’ve been really blessed with people willing to help Jonathan {even if it is just inviting him to playdates} so that he doesn’t feel alone in the process.
8. Answering my phone – I’m notorious for not answering my phone. And it drives Jonathan bonkers. Because of that, for the next few days, my phone will be attached to my hip {not literally – not a big fan of those hip holders}.
9. Sweet loving – I’m making sure Jonathan gets some sweet loving before I leave. And… It’s not what you think. I made him a batch of cookies {as bribery for girls} and am currently baking some blueberry muffins – which are his favorite.
10. Grace – Taking care of the girls and being a homemaker isn’t Jonathan’s full time job, it’s mine. I need to loosen up any expectations I might have for how things should go – or honestly, how the house should look when I get back. I need to be overwhelmed by the fact that my husband is showing me this grand gesture of love and respond in kind, with grace and love.
What do you do to help your husband prepare for you being away?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
Bookmark Me Baby
Posted on: January 24, 2011
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In early December, Jonathan and I started talking about business cards – specifically me getting business cards. We knew with Blissdom approaching, it would be nice for me to have cards to pass out to the other attendees. I started doing some research, but never fell in love with anything. I wanted something practical, but expressed me at the same time {a lot of pressure for a little card, huh?}.
Then Jonathan mentioned the idea of a bookmark business card. Immediately I loved the idea. A bookmark {because I love to read} that has all my information on it. Perfect. Now to find a design/designer. After going through Etsy a few times, I came across DesignsByThoughts. As soon as I saw Tiffany’s work, I knew it was a match for me. So I contacted her, discussed some ideas and this is what she made:
Isn’t adorable? I just love the red roof on the church. And the adorable flowers. And the stain glass. And the…. okay, I just love the whole thing. Seriously.
Hannah Makes Tortillas
Posted on: January 21, 2011
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While we were packing to move, Hannah decided to take a break and make some tortillas. You can hear Grandma in the background – she was less than pleased. But, personally, I thought {and still think} it was pretty hilarious.
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This week we had the opportunity to go to the circus – which was a first for all of us. Initially, I had some reservations about going; I have mixed feeling about zoos and circuses because of the welfare and treatment of the animals. But, Julia loves animals and probably won’t ever be able to see an elephant or lion this closely. So we decided to go.
Excuse the camera phone quality - We forgot our regular camera
We went with some friends, John, Angela and their little guy, Evan. The girls had a really great time. Julia was in complete awe. Thanks to Angela, we scored some seats center ring right at the bottom, so we had great views of everything. When they brought out the elephant, Julia mouth dropped. It was great.
They also had acrobats who did these amazing {although completely crazy} stunts. At one point in the show there was a woman on this small platform hanging from the ceiling. She had nothing securing her to anything and she did these twists and turns by just holding on to a bar. From the ceiling. Then they had women climbing sheets hanging from the rafters and doing synchronized twists and turns. It was really, really impressive. And really, really crazy. I suppose it’s not crazy – their trained professionals – but I’m probably not going to sign up for acrobatic classes anytime soon.
I’m glad we went, if for no other reason than to see Julia and Hannah’s faces when they saw all the animals and acrobatic tricks. It was a fun family adventure.
Have you ever been to the circus? What did you think?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Unintentional Co-Sleeping
Posted on: January 19, 2011
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Nap time in the Big Bed
When Julia was born, I was firmly against sleeping in the same bed with her. I viewed our master bed as a sanctuary, a safe haven from the day. And as such, I didn’t want to share it with anyone but Jonathan. Which in reality meant, I spent a lot of nights sleeping in a rocking chair. But despite the hours spent sleeping nearly upright, I never gave in.
And then we had Hannah.
I was way too tired to make the trip 20 feet to Hannah’s bassinet and back every few hours. Before I knew it, Hannah was 6 months old and co-sleeping. Honestly, Jonathan and I didn’t mind, both knowing it gave us a little more sleep. However, somehow {maybe intuition?} Julia caught on to our new sleeping arrangements and demanded to have a spot too. Well, demanded might be a tad strong, maybe begging at 3 am is more like it. And really, who were we to fight it? {Ah, the life of sleep deprived parents}. Slowly, we weaned both girls out of our beds {well, Julia never fully – she still managed to find her way back in every few nights}.
Once we moved to Texas, we had the horror {and I do mean horror} of discovering that our movers broke Hannah’s crib. So, much before she {or we} were ready, Hannah was bumped up to a big girl bed – a twin mattress on the floor. Before we knew it, Hannah was coming into our room every.single.night. We pushed both girls’ beds together, in hopes that it would deter Hannah from leaving. But it did not. And, if Hannah left, Julia was sure to follow.
So our sleeping arrangements are back to unintentional co-sleeping. And while we don’t love fighting over the space at 1 am, I’ve learned to deal with enjoy having baby feet in my face every night. After all, this won’t last forever. Right?
My Blissdom Top Ten
Posted on: January 18, 2011
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In one week {ONE WEEK!} I leave for the Blissdom Conference in Nashville. I am beyond excited. Thrilled, actually. I don’t fully know what to expect {it’s my first time going}, but I do hope to get a lot out of the conference. There are so many great seminars lined up, that it’s kind of hard to narrow down just want I want to participate in. But, I’m sure what ever I go to will be great.
1. Knowledge – From search engine optimization to editing your posts, the seminar descriptions look packed with information. And while I want to go to every single one, I’m sure I’ll be on overload before I know it.
2. Community – I’ve “met” some amazing women over the last year. Grown to really know them as they share their lives through their blogs. It’s provided me with a since of community that has been really incredible. I can’t wait to meet them in real life next week!
3. Networking – Along with the women I have “met” there are still so many great blogging women out there I haven’t. Having the chance to meet new women and expand my network is something I’ve been looking forward to for a while.
4. Creativity – I’ll be honest, I’ve been creatively dry for the last several weeks. Almost as though I’m on auto-pilot. I keep telling myself “Make it to Blissdom” because I’m convinced I’ll walk away full of wonderful creative ideas. Or at least I really hope so!
5. Seeing my family – Blissdom is held each year in Nashville – my childhood city. So going this year means I get to spend a little time with my family. Which is really awesome, because I miss them, even if it’s only been a month since I last saw them.
6. Staying at Opryland – Ok, this might be kind of a silly reason to be excited about Blissom, but the conference is held at Opryland Hotel. In all my years, I’ve never spent the night at Opryland. It’s like a daydreamy place – I had my senior prom there, I’ve walked through it’s halls dozens of times with my family – but I’ve never been lucky enough to spend the night. Until now. And as if it couldn’t get better, I get to stay with Alicia from Alicia’s Homemaking. Squeal!! So excited!!
7. Mama vacation – I’ll be gone for five whole days next week. Five. The longest I’ve ever been away from either of my girls. And while that’s a little sad, I’m taking Alicia’s point of view when she emailed me “I’m going to go SIX days without having to wipe down a high chair!” Woot!
8. Having fun – While Blissdom is sure to teach me a lot, I know it’s not just going to be a boring classroom – in fact, it’s going to be a blast. Between the kick-off party and the pj party, I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of giggling women all around.
9. Being myself – Writing brings out a part of me that nothing else seems to and I love it. So having the chance to spend time tapping that resource is such a great thing.
10. Fashion – Ok, since I made 2010 my year to bring out my fashionista, I’m pretty excited about some of the finds I came across between now and then. In particular, a gold necklace. Which might not seem like a big deal, but to me it’s huge. I don’t wear gold, so to do a gold necklace is a big step. I’ll be wearing it at Blissdom so let me know what you think!
If you’re going to Blissdom, what are somethings you’re looking forward to?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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