Snow Day And Fitness Freedom

 

 

We had another snow day yesterday.

I must admit, I was actually happy that the schools were closed.

My son was with his dad all weekend, up late with the Super Bowl Sunday night and lately he enjoys sleeping which is the complete opposite of how he used to be when he was younger.

I loved not having to drag him out of bed yesterday and I loved even more not having to drag him to Hebrew School in the afternoon.

He is growing up so quickly that having him home was actually nice.

He didn’t bounce a ball in the house yesterday! Not even once!

I noticed he was almost out of toothpaste the other day. It occurred to me in that moment that I am not on top of his toiletries anymore because he no longer needs me to brush his teeth or give him a bath.

When did that happen? It’s like he went from three years old to some middle school kid overnight.

The years are becoming a blur and I don’t think I like it.

I longed for the day where I could leave the room and he would play safely unattended and now those days are so here that I question what it is he is doing when he is in his room without yelling for me every two minutes.

Lately I have been thinking again about those first few years of motherhood.

When he was attached to my hip.

When I nursed him for 16 months (I sure did and I am proud), when he was my best little friend, my favorite lunch partner (we were regulars at Panera and the Nordstrom Café) and when the thought of sending him to school sounded really mean.

When the only gym I saw for a few years was the inside of our local Gymboree.

When it was more important to me that he was free to run around a safe place and burn off energy than it was for me to run at all.

The only exercise I had during those first few years of his life came in the form of stroller pushing, child-carrying, car seat lifting, diaper changing and don’t forget the constant entertaining and cleaning.

Oh and chasing him. He was always getting into something, like the ice bucket.

I never understood the attraction to the ice bucket but he’s a boy and I don’t understand boys.

Traditional workouts were just not important to me. I lived a 24/7 workout just raising him.

Of course we attempted stroller walks sometimes in the morning and sometimes I even succeeded in getting us into a little routine where he counted bunny rabbits and I tried to count us to a 30 or 40 minute walk but it wasn’t a guaranteed thing.

I didn’t mind though.

I always knew I would have my fitness freedom back before I knew it because that little boy would suddenly not need me as much anymore.

I often think about all of those days where I chose to build with Peek A Blocks, set up the paint supplies at 7:00 am and actually sit down while he was quietly watching Baby Einstein on repeat rather than try to squeeze in an exercise session.

Lately I do a hypothetical with myself to determine if I would handle things this way again should I get remarried and have more children.

I mean, there are gyms like Lifetime now with fancy two-hour babysitting but why would I bother?

Play groups in the parks, walking the malls with my best friend and her son, mommy and me classes, watching Sesame Street and playing with the Little People must have given me some form of endorphin high because I honestly didn’t notice or care that I wasn’t truly working out.

And I remember being happy. So happy.

I may not have been doing traditional workouts but I was still thin and in shape enough to keep up with my son which honestly took more energy sometimes than running a half marathon.

I may have done the count down to bedtime every day for years but I wouldn’t trade any of it.

I love to run and I adore the mental me time exercise gives me but looking back over those first few years of his life, our routine and everything we did, I am confident that I would back burner running and true workouts all over again.

We can put off a run, skip it, reschedule it, come back to it… in a week, month or a year.

We can’t do the same with our children because moments may be missed that we can never get back.

I wrote a similar post to this last year which was featured on Blogher regarding how pregnancy and motherhood can affect your running routine.

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Are you snowed in again too?

If you have children, did you keep your same workout routine when they were born?

Anyone do Stroller Strides? That’s something I think I would have done if it was around back then!

 

 

 

Running, Pure Barre But No Black Bean Brownies

 

The weather was rather icky yesterday (snow, slush, ice, sleet, rain) so I decided it was a good day to finally make black bean brownies.

I scoured my pinterest boards and did some google searching on the subject just to glance at the various combinations before formulating my own recipe.

When I finally came up with my plan, I took out the food processor and brownie pan, got the cocoa powder out of the cabinet, preheated the oven and opened the pantry for the rest of the ingredients including the black beans.

Guess who was out of black beans.

*Monday*

 

Pure Barre Mile High Series DVD & 6.71 miles

There was a black ice alert so I went slow at first to test the waters (I mean ice).

At the .71 mark of the first mile, I made the decision to complete my run inside on the treadmill because black ice means I can’t see it…but it was definitely slippery in spots and it was not a pleasant way to run.

Not to mention, I am a mother.

Being a mother automatically means to me that I put my son first and he does not deserve to have a mom falling on ice and getting really hurt because she insisted on running in dangerous conditions.

Once I took that pregnancy test about 12 years ago now (wow), my life was not my own anymore.

I mean, it technically is, but having a baby means that someone else needs you to think responsibly and be in one piece if you can help it.

I don’t love having to switch from running outside to inside but I do what I have to do so I stuffed my layers in one of the cubbies in the gym and hopped on the treadmill for six miles.

*Tuesday*

 

Pure Barre Studio Series DVD & 6 Easy Miles

I am getting better at the plank positions required in the Studio Series workouts.

And, when I do want to drop to my knees and die, I pop up into downward dog instead figuring that is somehow still a good thing.

*Wednesday*

 

6.30 Miles

When I don’t do Pure Barre in the early morning, I feel weird.

I have come to love it so much, even though it can be challenging, that when I skip it, I tend to do the stretching parts on my own to get the blood flowing before waking up my son, getting him ready for school and then heading out for my run.

6.30 miles @ a nice consistent pace of 8:49.

*Thursday*

 

Pure Barre Mile High DVD & 45 Minutes Elliptical

I look forward to the Mile High DVD days because they really seem that much easier (while still burning) than the Studio Series.

It fascinates me that there are so many variations to barre and so many ways to make my abs ache.

I work with four Pure Barre videos and each one offers different exercises for each part of the body. Sometimes it’s ever so slightly different yet challenges me each and every time.

*Friday*

 

10 Miles?

You must realize by now that when I say ?, it means my phone died so I lost track of mileage.

I never invested in a garmin because the MapMyRun app has always been fine for me.

Except for when my phone dies.

My phone konked out on me at the 6.30 mile mark so I finished what I think was ten miles but I may be off on that.

We will never know.

I ran a little more than my usual route just because it didn’t sound like I would get outside for a few days and I wasn’t in the mood to leave it all for the treadmill.

*Saturday*

 

11 Treadmill Miles

I was correct in that the weather would prevent me from running outside but I wasn’t expecting to feel amazing for 11 miles on the treadmill.

You know it’s winter when you have to wear your boots into the gym and then change into your running shoes.

I figured I would go with how I felt and I felt great immediately.

I followed this pacing plan to keep myself comfortable without overdoing it.

Once I saw I felt amazing (seriously, I wish every run, especially on the treadmill, could feel like this) I decided on two sets of five miles each for a total of ten miles.

It actually ended up like this: 6 miles -> stop for bathroom, water, jelly beans->5 miles.

Average pace I think around 8:40.

*Sunday*

 

Pure Barre DVD – not sure which one yet.

 

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Did it snow by you this weekend? How did it affect your workouts?

Have you made black bean brownies before? If you have a recipe for me, please share it!

Best thing you ate so far this weekend?

 

Healthy Brand Showcase Stuff

 

Just because I am a mother does not mean I know how to do laundry.

Do you know what this is?

This would be my Run Swiftly short sleeve shirt that I wore for Monday’s race which I seem to have washed with the race bib still attached.

And, just because I am a mother does not mean I know how to dress the part.

I don’t care how old I am, this shirt is me.

In fact, I need to plaster this quote on some running gear, preferably a shirt made of sweat-wicking material, just so the dog walkers and other people I pass while I am running don’t expect me to speak to them.

I must be a mother however because today is the first day of school and I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER. It’s time. It just is.

We did enjoy some quality mother-son bonding time though yesterday at the Healthy Brand Showcase.

My son was quite busy walking the show and sampling his way through all of the goodies.

If you notice, he is carrying the goodie bag at the beginning but by the time we loaded up and were leaving, he passed it on to me.

And, since I always tell you the truth, we are lucky he even took this picture without making some form of obscene gesture in the camera.

I hope you appreciate my honesty here. Kids are kids and boys are most certainly boys and I am not about to sugar coat that for you.

The only thing you will find sugar-coated on this blog is my dessert.

There were so many great brands featured this year at the showcase that now we have lots of new products in our kitchen.

I loved this Stur stuff that you add to flavor your water. Have you seen it already in the stores?

The Coconut Pineapple one was my favorite but I do really like the Fruit Punch and the Strawberry Watermelon too.

Normally I shy away from products like this but there are no calories and nothing funky or artificial in the ingredients. Ever since we arrived home yesterday, I keep squirting a drop or two in my water.

My son needed the Stur waters to wash down all of the Pretzel Crisps he was eating while I was chatting with the vendors.

While I have never been a pretzel person (weird, right? I know, it goes along with my not-a-chip-person-persona) I was talking to the brand reps about making snack mixes ourselves rather than buying prepackaged mini bags which can cost a lot of money.

Making your own snack mix also allows you to control the ingredients and portion size. I like to throw together different cereals, raisins and chocolate chips (when I know they won’t melt) and these mini pretzels would be cute added to the mix as well.

You know what else I don’t really like and please don’t hate me for it…SOUP.

I KNOW.  Weird.

But I think the whole no soup thing goes along with my no smoothie thing. I prefer to chew and while we can argue that some soups are chewable, I just never crave a bowl unless I am sick which thankfully doesn’t happen more than every few years.

We did sample some tasty Slim On Soup and every time I eat soup, I do wonder why I don’t eat it more often.

My son and I really liked the Kale, White Bean and Tomato and we also enjoyed the Split Pea Coconut. I see on their website now that there is a Sweet Potato Peanut which I know I would enjoy as well.

I was talking to the brand rep about other ways you can use soup other than simply eating it straight from a bowl.

I may not eat a lot of soup but I do use soups, especially Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato in other recipes like sauces and Italian dishes.

She gave me some recipe cards which incorporate their soups in other dishes so hopefully their products come to my local Whole Foods stores since right now they are only sold at specific Whole Foods locations.

I got really lucky when it came to lunch time. Not only was my son a bit full, he fell in love with the Revolution Foods samples and the lovely brand rep sent us home with their healthy version of the dreaded Lunchable.

You have no idea the battles we have had about those Lunchable packages over the years, which to me, is just a box full of sodium, processed ingredients and artificial junk trying to be passed off as not only food, but food for our children.

The Revolution Foods box contained crackers, turkey and cheese (both without the nitrates, hormones and antibiotics!) and a fruity thing for dessert. No preservatives or funky ingredients.

He assembled his lunch while I found myself a vegetarian salad bowl at Delectica.

I had my choice of three vegetable dishes so I went with roasted eggplant and zucchini, roasted cauliflower in some type of something sauce, and another eggplant dish.

It was so good that I ordered an additional side of the vegetables when I was finished.

Oh, and if you follow me on instagram, you already saw the crazy looking contraption on my thighs.

 

I really need to read up more about the Rexist360 resistance bands because they were so totally cool and I was lucky enough to receive my very own set.

I need to figure out exactly how to put them on myself as well as exactly what I can use them for although from what I already know, it sounds like you can wear these bands for every workout of your choice for the added resistance to improve your strength, speed and endurance.

I would like to figure it all out today because the resistance bands are small and totally portable/packable which is perfect for me for this weekend since I am off to Florida tomorrow!

I am flying down real quick for my best friend’s son’s Bar Mitzvah.

Did I pack yet? No. I am good at throwing the clothes together but what I really need to focus on are my travel foods since I live in fear of getting hungry on an airplane without an appropriate snack.

Be sure to check out what everyone else is thinking about today!

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If you could wear a slogan on your shirt, what would it say?

Do you like soup?

What snacks do you pack for airplane travel?

 

 

 

Thinking Out Loud- Maureen’s Kitchen

How do you feel about the word coincidence?

Some say there’s no such thing, that everything happens for a reason, reasons which may be higher than our ability to explain or rationalize.

Sometimes I agree with this controversial theory and sometimes, things just seem coincidental.

I find it oddly coincidental that my post about running and motherhood  from last week was featured on Blogher yesterday, the same day as my son’s graduation from elementary school.

He may only be ten, he may only be entering middle school but really, it’s kind of a big deal in our lives.

I mentioned in that post how those moments where your children need you every second are short-lived. It is so true.

The time flies by so quickly that I just cannot grasp or understand how my little bunny is old enough to now switch classes, have his own locker as well as request that I not speak to him at school functions.

I can’t help but feel grateful that I had the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom for so many years where I was able to spend basically every second with my son.

Some moments were pure torture (any mom who fails to admit this is lying to you) yet I wouldn’t trade the memories for the world.

I can now look back on some of those torturous moments which were captured in pictures and laugh.

When we look through photo albums, I tell him the stories of his monstrous newborn nights, how he had me chasing him into bushes when he was an active toddler, that he was photographed inside the giant ice bucket because he felt the need to always climb inside at our barbecues and I never leave out that he didn’t sleep through the night until he was well over the age of four.

Beginning at the age of two weeks old, I slowly introduced him to the world of dining out. It was an outing for us to go out for lunch. It built some routine and structure into our day as well as taught him how to sit in restaurants.

I like to think that the quality time the two of us spent together (and continue to spend when he deems it okay for him), has also helped him to develop proper foodie skills.

You know you have done your job as a mother when your son orders the French Toast Cinnabon special at Maureen’s Kitchen as his post-graduation brunch.

Maureen’s Kitchen is a special breakfast spot here on the island where basically any day of the week, expect a wait to be seated in the cozy cow decorated kitchen which serves ridiculous breakfast delicacies including this special cinnamon bun sliced open and cooked French toast style with bananas and chocolate chips.

To cut down the wait time, we opted to sit at the counter which we both find entertaining since we get to watch the kitchen in action.

Some parents educate their children through museums. I opt for opening my son up to the inner-workings of fabulous food establishments.

Of course I went with the baked oatmeal.

I don’t know how to order anything else when baked oatmeal is offered on a menu.

Please don’t ask me what’s inside the oatmeal. I haven’t a clue. It is always different. It was definitely cinnamony. There may have been a raisin. Possibly a nut. Can’t place the other fruits but it all cooked and mushed together especially after I poured the warmed milk on top.

I decided that the waitress saw my post last week regarding my obsession with blueberries and bananas since she offered me a separate side dish of my latest combo to add to the oatmeal.

Believe it or not, school doesn’t officially end until tomorrow. Today is a half day so my friend and I will be picking our kids up around lunch time to head into the city for another graduation restaurant treat in the form of Max Brenner.

Bring on the chocolate.

Be sure to check out what everyone else may be thinking about today!

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Do you choose savory or sweet when it comes to a brunch menu?

Favorite local breakfast spot?

 

 

 

 

How Pregnancy and Motherhood Affected My Running Routine

 

 

Today let’s talk a little bit about how pregnancy and motherhood affected my running routine.

Even if you don’t have kids or are past this point in your life, it’s worth reading along anyway.

I didn’t run while I was pregnant.

As you know from last week’s post, running did not become my fitness first love or priority until a few years ago.

I did however go to the gym five days a week for years and then attempted to keep up that fitness routine while I was pregnant.

They say you can maintain your activity level while pregnant as your body is already used to your fitness routine so long as you go by how you feel and make adjustments as your baby continues to grow in your belly.

Once I found out I was pregnant, I quickly stopped doing sit ups.  I stuck to thirty minutes on the elliptical machine or treadmill as my main form of exercise.

One morning at the gym before work (maybe I was eight weeks along?) the smell inside the locker room nearly killed me. Pregnancy hormones will do this to you.

I got myself out of that gym as fast as possible in order to take a shower at home. I was late for work (I am never late!)  but staying alive was more important than being on time that day. The stop at the bagel store for an egg sandwich was pretty important too.

I didn’t step foot inside a gym again for a good three years.

I always thought I would maintain my fitness routine while pregnant but my body told me otherwise.

I had a fairly easy pregnancy (aside from a bout with bed rest at 28 weeks) but I was nauseous a whole bunch in the beginning. I was exhausted by the end of the work day and as my belly got bigger, my back hurt too. Trying to function just to complete daily tasks was not easy.

When I felt well, which was really most of the time, I kept up my usual morning exercise routine by going for a walk before work. I also went for daily walks during my lunch break. Those lunch break walks often included a stop at TCBY for a shake on the walk back to work but hey, I was pregnant and hungry.

I still don’t know what I weighed or gained during my pregnancy since I never looked at the scale but I absolutely enjoyed myself. From what I now understand,  I gained at least the recommended 35 pounds (I asked the doctor afterwards if I met that amount) which all came off within the first year and then some.

My father only wanted to get me a treadmill right before my son was born so that I would be able to get back into my fitness routine without leaving the house.

But I didn’t want it.

I didn’t want a treadmill in my house because I didn’t need it staring at me each day as a reminder that I couldn’t find thirty minutes to walk or run on it.

I knew that having a treadmill in my house would make me feel guilty for collapsing into my bed at night, for choosing to shower for more than twenty seconds when I could or sitting down to eat when possible rather than use that time to squeeze in a treadmill run.

Some people can use their exercise equipment as a clothing rack but I knew that I couldn’t.

I would have viewed that treadmill as a responsibility and when you have a baby, the last thing you need is another responsibility.

Taking care of an infant is grueling. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you.

The first six weeks after pregnancy you aren’t even allowed to exercise because your body needs to recover. Your hormones need to stabilize, wounds need to heal and all that recovery requires some rest too. I never got around to that rest part.

My form of exercise was to simply survive taking care of a baby.

Just carrying that car seat, taking the stroller in and out of the car multiple times a day and getting through a 24 hour period was a daily marathon.

At the six-week mark, I did try to return to a fitness routine at home where I did sit ups and free weights but honestly, I was petrified about the lactic acid getting into my milk which was known to make a nursing baby fussy.

Trust me, I didn’t need another variable thrown into the mix as to why my baby was crying, screaming, fussing and up all night long.

Aside from driving, nursing was the only time I was able to sit down. Luckily, those rest moments were actually burning calories and tightening my stomach muscles. You know, you burn on average 500 calories a day just from nursing.

I didn’t belong to the gym anymore or schedule daily workout sessions but I sure did a lot of walking. We were always somewhere, always on a walk in the neighborhood or through a mall.

I did have a jogging stroller but I think I bought it for the entertaining steering wheel thing rather than for its ability to help me run.

I honestly thought that the friendly dashboard would keep the kid humored and quiet <—new mother who knew nothing.

Nowadays they have fitness programs for moms called Stroller Strides.

I totally recommend this program and would have signed up for those sessions but really, I did those strides on my own everyday.

Key point here: You do not need to pay to attend a structured stroller fitness group to get moving.

Simply strapping your baby in safely and heading outside for a walk (or run) or even just walking the malls endlessly like I did is all you need.

Setting out for thirty minutes a day of stroller walking is enough to get the endorphins flowing, blood pumping, muscles working and hopefully, a baby sleeping.

Stroller walking is exercise. If you can run with the stroller, even better.

I learned rather quickly that the journey of motherhood means your life isn’t all that your own anymore.

You even have to share your ice cream.

I was a stay-at-home mom and wouldn’t trade it for the world but it wasn’t easy.

My husband worked beyond full-time so it was all on me, especially as a nursing mother. Let’s not get into my son not taking a bottle.

Those infant and toddler stages, the moments where your children need you every second are so short-lived and part of me knew that.

I chose to use the short breaks of time that I had to myself to get my nails done or go food shopping alone rather than head to a gym or out for a run.

I always figured that once I sent my son to preschool, I would rejoin the gym and have some regularly scheduled time to devote to my fitness routine again.

I also knew that I had to balance that return to the gym with knowing there would be days I couldn’t get there.

Days on end where my son would be sick which would keep us homebound.

Days where it would snow and driving us both to the gym just so I could take a kick boxing class or use the elliptical machine was not worth it.

Days where he would be off from school and sending him to the gym babysitting room wouldn’t fit into our schedule.

I may not have been as fit as I am now but I was able to carry a baby in one hand, groceries in the other and somehow unlock the front door.

I could change a messy diaper on the fly and had the strength to somehow get my son who refused to bend when it was time to get into a stroller all buckled in.

I could give him a bath and wash his hair all while he insisted on standing yet unable to stand on his own which meant I had to hold him steady.

If you want to know the truth, the strength I had back then far surpasses my running endurance now.

I swear I don’t know how I did it all, all day long and then into the night to only start over again in the morning.

I would like to have another baby one day. I don’t know that I will but I do often think about it and wonder how I would handle things this time.

Running is my thing. I look forward to it each day (well, not every day since one needs a break but I hate those breaks because then I miss my run) but if I were pregnant, would I be able to keep it up this time?

Would I jump out the door six weeks post-partum?

Would my stroller walks be more like stroller runs?

I really don’t know.

I read many a blog about pregnant runners and mothers of young children running pretty regularly and even running races.

I have a feeling that if I were a new mom, reading those blogs would make me feel guilty for all of those days where the last thing I thought about was being able to run.

I found this picture in a photo album last night – I clearly wore my running shoes but the only running they saw was through Chuck E. Cheese.

I don’t think I would trade any of those runs through Chuck E Cheese for the world.

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Did you keep up your fitness routine while pregnant?

Nursing moms- has exercised affected your milk supply?

Anyone ever try Stroller Strides?

Do blogs ever make you feel guilty or feel as though you need to run/workout more than you already are?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOL And Chocolate Chip Day

 

Just about my entire post deleted itself upon publishing this morning. Be thankful you weren’t here when I realized this horrendous occurrence for then I had to calm down, suck it up and rewrite all of the words I  struggled to replicate.

Parenting thoughts:

I have a ten-year-old son. I am soon to be a 36-years-old.

Yes, I realize I am stating the obvious but sometimes I forget my baby is headed to middle school in the fall instead of Gymboree where he used to find fascination in running on top of the moving parachute while the rest of the kids sat on it for the ride.

They totally loved us at Gymboree, can you imagine?

So, now that I have acknowledged the age of my son and the soon to be age of myself, I am questioning the length of my jean shorts. At what point do I need to graduate to mom shorts?

I asked my son if my shorts were too short and he told me that how I wear mine is how all the girls where them and I am fine.

All the girls? The girls he knows ARE TEN.

This can’t be good for my image. Although between me and you, I am a bit honored that he counted me as one of the girls.

Speaking of my son, did I ever tell you how smart he is? I don’t like to brag, but he is like really intelligent.

However, I looked over his essay the other day and noticed he drew a smiley face Emoji at the conclusion of a sentence.

I informed him that the English Language does not include Emojis and they are for text purposes only.

I hate to say it, but, this whole text generation? What is our world coming to?

Running Thoughts:

How come us runners sometimes say, ” I couldn’t wait to finish that run” or “I am so happy those miles are finished.”

If you stop to think about those phrases, it almost sounds like we hate running and that really isn’t the case at all.

Perhaps we couldn’t wait to complete our run for the endorphin high produced or for the sense of accomplishment we achieve by pushing ourselves through tough miles, up a hill or to hit a specific pace.

Or maybe we can’t wait to finish because then we get to eat and everything just tastes that much better after fully exhausting ourselves.

On a similar topic, sometimes people use a poor choice of words. A friend of mine referred to my running/workout routine as strict, regimented and even included the words will power.

I associate such terms with negative situations, things you don’t want to do but push yourself to do anyway. If you know me, you know I rarely do anything I don’t want to do.

I mean, had the judge not ordered me to divorce court by stating a warrant would be out for my arrest should I not attend I never would have appeared and I probably wouldn’t have gone through labor had I been able to pass the childbirthing part off to someone else which I really tried to figure out how to do while breathing between contractions on the way to the hospital.

So yeah, I never really do anything I don’t want to do. In fact, my mother used to write me notes to get out of many a situation.

Don’t want to play gym today? Note. Don’t feel like swimming in camp? Note. Don’t want to go to school today? Note.

I always wanted a note to get out of going to work but realized that might affect getting a paycheck.

I love running. It is what I do. It is an involuntary bodily process that just goes without speaking, is part of my routine and just…well…is.

Food Thoughts:

Talk to me about maple syrup.

I would never buy the sugar free stuff and don’t want to buy the light stuff due to the high fructose corn syrup but the real syrup is super duper high in sugar not to mention pricey.

This whole picking a maple syrup thing is a completely overwhelming task which is almost leading me in the direction of the light syrup but the thought of the HFCS upsets me which then makes me question my insanity for getting worked up for an ingredient that most of America consumes without thinking.

Just tell me which to buy and I won’t say another word.

Oh, and before I go, Happy National Chocolate Chip Day.

I had a bunch of extra Hershey’s Miniatures yesterday so the natural thing to do was to bake Chocolate Chip Blondies with a layer of Hershey Bars in the center.

Who wants the Mr. Goodbars though? Peanut butter inside chocolate, yes but actual nuts inside chocolate, no. Just no.

Be sure to check out what everyone else is thinking about today!

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Bloggers – Ever have your post publish yet be missing just about the entire thing!!!???!!!!

Favorite Hershey’s Miniature?

How do you feel about your workout routine?

Ever have your mom write you a note to excuse you from something?

 

 

 

Sometimes I Am A Pitbull

 

Well good morning.

I was a very lucky girl today. The temperature when I woke up was a balmy 32 degrees signifying the return to my running path.

I am pretty sure it had been a good two weeks since I went for an outdoor run. While two weeks doesn’t seem all that long, it’s amazing how quickly one forgets what is required to run outdoors in the winter. Even when they blog relentlessly about their layering system.

I know you wanted to see my layers in the form of a pile of laundry.

Before I set out for my run, part of me was nervous. This week has been draining for some reason and my treadmill miles were few and far between. Nothing ached or hurt or bothered me this morning but mentally I questioned how my run would go – which is not something I normally do.

Part of me wondered if I would “forget” how to run outside in the cold, if I had it in me to run long or if I was even in the mood to run. Yes, I swear such a thing crossed my mind.

Within the first five steps though, all was right in the world.

In fact, my warm up mile chimed in around 8:20 min/mile which is pretty darn lovely.

Since long runs shouldn’t focus on time, I tried to enjoy the fresh air and even chatted with my good friend for several miles on the phone.

She was on her way to treat herself to a break in the form of a hot yoga. My friend is a wife, mother of two boys and full-time teacher.

This reminded me of something I read this morning before my run. One of my favorite dessert blogs, Confessions Of A Cookbook Queen, discussed and shared a controversial link  from a woman claiming motherhood and marriage to be “super easy”.

I won’t share the link to this horrendous excuse for an article; rather, I invite you to click on over to Confessions Of A Cookbook Queen to read it in full. I would much rather promote good desserts.

Anyone with a Mrs. and/or the label of “mommy” to their name knows there is nothing “easy” about either position and when the two are combined? Two of lives biggest challenges and joys that this poor excuse for a woman has never and most likely will never experience.

Clearly this woman has never been up with a vomiting child at 2:00 am or had to figure out how to change a diaper in the backseat of a car without wipes. I will venture to guess she doesn’t know what it is like to shlep kids in and out of car seats, in and out of strollers and shopping carts just to run errands and make sure food is in the pantry, let alone prepare a meal with a baby attached to your body in a contraption they call a Bjorn.

I will go out on a limb to assume this Article-Writing Person is not married because if she was, she would know how difficult it truly is to keep a marriage happily on track, especially when children and life happen along the way.

She doesn’t know what it is like to finally get the kids to bed after a long day either at home or in the office (or both!) want to lay down and hear silence – only to have a darling husband waiting for his turn for attention.

We women are all different – some of us work outside of the home, some work inside of the home and some of us do both. We all come from different backgrounds, live in different states and countries and follow different traditions.

Some of us may nurse, bottle feed, go straight to sippy cup or even, dare I say, put soda in a baby bottle. We use different strollers, sleep techniques and follow different schedules.

But, when we see each other in passing, we give that silent smile and nod because we know.

We know that no matter how different our daily lives may be, we are part of the same club. We go through the same challenges with our marriages, with our children and with ourselves. Our patience is tested on an hourly basis and sometimes, just making it through the day can seem questionable.

I challenge you, Ms. Article-Writing Person to discuss your thoughts with me. I would love for you to further describe how  mothers and wives have it easy.

Even more, may I provide you with an opportunity to discuss single motherhood with me? Surely you must have some opinion on us single moms as well, yes?

Should you take up my offer to chat, I will even use my twitter account and host a twitter party in your honor.

Fact: My friends sometimes refer to me as a Pitbull – super sweet and innocent until something annoys me…and then? Well, then I let loose and attack.

Now that this is all off my chest, please excuse me as I have worked up an appetite.

13.13 miles will do that to you, you know?