Yearly Archives: 2015

53 posts

Disney’s Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights in Hollywood Studios

Disney

Today for #WDWWednesday I wanted to talk about the Osbourne Dancing Lights in Hollywood Studios.

It began as a single home in Arkansas’ display of annual Christmas lights, and then in 1995 was brought to Walt Disney World to be shared with all of us! You can read more about it on the Disney website. This year was the 20th anniversary of the dancing lights, and is sadly the very last year Hollywood Studios will be hosting them.

The first time I saw the dancing lights was for my 21st Birthday, and EVERY year since then I have told my (then boyfriend now husband) that we HAD to go. We never seemed to make it until THIS year, and just like I said he LOVED it!!

We’ve gone twice since we got our annual passes and have just really enjoyed the show. The dancing lights are only here until Sunday (1/3) and then they become one of those Disney memories from long ago (Like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride).

Here are some videos of the dancing lights from December 19, 2015. Enjoy!

Question of the day: Have you ever seen the Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios?

Disney Hotel: Port Orleans Riverside

Disney

Soooo,… guess what…

WE HAVE ANNUAL PASSES TO WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!

Anyway, Yes. We have Annual Passes to Walt Disney World and since we will be spending quite a bit of time at Walt Disney World I thought i’d start a Wednesday series called “WDW WEDNESDAY” Basically,… I will attempt to refrain from talking about Disney on any other day because, On Wednesdays, we talk Disney.

For my first WDW Wednesday post I thought I’d share about the most recent resort we stayed at.

Over the weekend my husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I can hardly believe it’s already been 7 years. 7 years ago we stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter and simply fell in love with the resort. We have stayed in the French Quarter a few times since then, and even visited the resort for lunch at Sassagula’s on several occasions.

Being two adventurous Disney fans, we thought we would branch out and stay at on the Riverside portion of the Port Orleans resort. We recently visited the grounds and were excited to stay there for our anniversary.

Here are a couple of thoughts from our visit.

Service:

  • All experiences with hotel staff was superb, I didn’t meet or see a single cast member lacking in Disney magic. 
Comfort:
  • The room was very spacious, the bed was soft, and there was plenty of space for our belongings to be organized. 
Transportation: 
  • Boat service to Downtown Disney (Disney Springs)
  • Bus to all 4 parks 
  • Bus to Downtown Disney (Disney Springs)
Resort Grounds:
  • This was a large resort, so with 4 bus stops it was a little annoying driving around to all the bus stops before leaving for your destination and being dropped off at your bus stop. 
  • Beautiful walkways 
  • Beautiful running pathways
  • Nice pool 
  • Nice playground 
Would you stay again? 
I don’t think I’d stay on this side again, I much preferred the French Quarter. I love the ability to easily access the main lobby without walking too far, I just felt the Riverside was much larger and spread out. 
Any pictures? 
I realized when we got home that I only took 1 picture at the hotel… I’m sorry. I do have a youtube video from when our family visited Port Orleans for lunch though. 

Question of the Day:
Have you ever stayed at a Disney Resort? 

Little Lady at 23 Months.

Mom Life


My Dearest Little Lady,

Someone once told me “the calendar always flips”; that is to say today will end and tomorrow will come. Over the last two years you have taught me more about myself than I can ever express. I thought people were crazy when they told me that I’d want to bottle up your scent and keep it. I thought people were crazy when they told me I’d miss the days of being drenched in your acid reflux vomit. … okay I don’t miss that.

but I do miss your sweet baby self.

We’ve had some pretty exciting days mixed with some days that bedtime could’t come soon enough.

As much as you challenge me, you inspire me to be a better person. I am so thankful for you and all you bring into our lives.

Right after the holidays you are going to turn two years old, and here are a couple of my favorite things about you right now.

What you like…

  • Your family – You LOVE your mom and dad and baby sister most of all. But I love that you love all your Tio’s, Tita’s, aunties, uncle Brian,  Abuelo’s and grandparents and cousin.
  • Playing – You are SO active, you are non-stop from the time you wake up until you fall asleep. 
  • Water – bath time, swim time, shower time, sprinklers, and even DRINKING water you love it all
  • Chocolate Che-Che (Chocolate Milk) – You are obsessed with it. 
  • Animals – live animals, animals in books, toy animals, you love them ALL
  • Mickey Mouse – All Disney really… you just love it. 
  • Exploring – you LOVE to see new places and experience new things
  • Cooking – you LOVE helping me cook in the kitchen and I love watching you love it
What you don’t  like…
  • naps
  • sleeping
  • going to sleep
  • bed time
  • the thought of bed time 

Family walk – 2 Months Old 

When mom was training for goofy challenge (7 months)

First Christmas 

1st Birthday!

13 Months

I’m soaking in the last days of having a “1 year old”… and look forward to the excitement life with a two year old will bring.

Our 7th Anniversary!

Mom Life Uncategorized

Today we celebrate 7 years of Marriage.

I thought i’d share 7 of our crazy adventures from the last year with you!

1. Goofy Challenge 2015 – I could NEVER have run 39.3 miles 6 months pregnant without the support of my husband. He stuck right beside me and completed 1:00/1:00 run-walk intervals for every single mile.

2. Celebrating Little Lady’s 1st Birthday!

3. Resigning from my full time employment to stay home – thanks for (hardly) ever commenting on my terrible cooking babe!

4. The move to Southwest, Florida. – It’s not ideal to accept a new job, sell your condo and move while your wife is 9 months pregnant, but the Lord was with us and we are surviving.

5. The Birth of our Love Bug – She’s truly a gift.

6. New Orleans Adventure

7. New York Adventure

I can’t wait to see what adventures await us in our next year of marriage! 

MESS FREE Infant and Toddler Thank You Notes

Mom Life

Christmas is right around the corner and if you have young children you know all to well that they will soon be showered with gifts from loved ones. One of the values we want to instill into our children is gratitude.

How do you instill an attitude of gratitude when your children are 8 and 23 months old? Well,… the short answer is you live it. Our daughter is approaching two years old faster than I care to admit. I swear I just found out I was expecting… how do I have a two year old?  ANYWAY… I’ve been having a lot of conversations with my little lady about saying please and thank you, and we have had many talks about the Season and why we celebrate Christmas.

One of our conversations was about how on Christmas we give gifts to those we love; and how it is important to always take the time to acknowledge that someone thought of you. Since my girls aren’t able to form beautiful sentences and write lovely letters of thanks to all who have given them gifts I decided to let them make their own note cards.

This is not an original idea of mine, I have seen it on various social media sites. In fact, a quick search of “zip lock bag finger painting” on pinterest will yield lots of cute ideas!

Tools.

  • Heavy Paper or Cardstock
  • Finger Paint
  • Markers
  • Gallon Size Zip Lock Bag 
  • Scissors (to cut the cards out, when dry)
Instructions. 
  1. make dots or designs onto paper with various colors of paint
  2. put paint in gallon size zip lock bag
  3. seal bag
  4. allow children to play with the paint and create designs
  5. pull paper out of bag and let dry
  6. cut out note card shapes
  7. (optional) write a message on front with a marker 
Notes. 
This was SO much fun. My youngest (7 months when we did the craft) LOVED to feel the paint and watch the colors mix. I loved that this was a painting craft that didn’t end in me giving baths in the middle of the day or cleaning paint out of my carpet. 
If you are doing this craft with more than one child, I would recommend getting a couple of bags set up in advance. My oldest daughter loved this a lot more than I anticipated and so it was a little hard for her to wait for me to make more bags with paint and paper for her to play with. 
Over all I am extremely happy with the results. I think they are so cute, and will be a fun little way to include the girls in the Thank you note writing fun.  When it is time, I will allow my oldest daughter to help me “write” the notes with a crayon. She loves to send letters, and it will be another opportunity to talk with her about gratitude, and why we are writing letters to our family and friends. 

Question of the day: Do you hand write thank you notes? 

Seen on my Run: Central Park

Family fun Healthy Living

Running through Central Park is beautiful, there is no question about it.

Running through Central Park on your birthday… MAGICAL!  We left our hotel room around 7:30 and set out for a run around Central Park. We weren’t sure how far we would run, but we knew we wanted to see as much of the park as we could before we got too hungry.

The perimeter of the park seems to be where most people run and there were LOTS of people out running. I wanted to see the inside of the park and explore some of the bridges so my hubby and I turned into the park and went exploring.

We ran 3.70 miles and took lots of pictures. It wasn’t a run for time or anything, it was a run for FUN!

Here are some pictures from our run.

Enjoy!

like my new baby hairs? 


The question of the day: Do you run for fun when you are traveling in a new city?

In case you missed it… 30 hours in New York. 

30 hours in New York!

Family fun Healthy Living

 I have started to type out the details of the most magical Birthday ever (and I’ve been spoiled by my husband a few times before), but I just couldn’t find the words. I am so thankful for my family and friends who made this trip possible. My in laws who sacrificed sleep to drive us to the airport and watch our babies, my parents who gave us gift cards to use for food and trinkets from our travels, and all the wonderful Facebook comments and text messages wishing me a Happy Birthday.  I am one loved girl!

I picked a few pictures to show you the adventures we took during our 30 hours in New York!

9/11 Memorial 

Carousel in Central Park

Central Park 
Central Park 

Niketown

Niketown 

Broadway
Times Square Disney Store! 

Ready to explore after the show

Birthday Run

Run

I liked this tree… Central Park. 

Central Park 

Nike Store 

Miami Turkey Trot – Recap

Healthy Living

Every year since 2012 my husband and I have participated in the Miami Turkey Trot every year.
Recap from 2012.  – 10K.

If you saw my Thanksgiving vlog you saw the weather was less than ideal. Since it was POURING down rain we decided not to bring the girls. The last thing we needed was for them to get sick, and I’m sure they had more fun with their grandparents anyway!

By the time the race began we were SOAKING wet, and I was shivering. My feet were drenched from the puddles and I really wasn’t sure why we stayed – but we did.

The race started and we just started running, and I felt GREAT! Since I was so cold I just kept running and before I knew it, we were at Mile 1. I took a little walk break and then ran some more and then MILE 2.

Since it was still raining, and we didn’t have to worry about our children staying dry my husband and I just ran through all the puddles, and laughed together for the last mile.

Just like that, we were done!

As always, running in Miami was SO much fun. The crowd is always dynamic, and the vibe is incredible. I missed Miami so much and was Thankful to run in Miami again!!

Question of the day: Did you run in a Turkey Trot this year?

Did you see our Thanksgiving Day Vlog?

Baby’s First Thanksgiving!

Mom Life

As I look around and see so many hurting I am reminded that we have much to be thankful for and that life is a gift. It was an honor and a blessing to be able to celebrate another Baby’s FIRST Thanksgiving this year.

My husband had to work today (Friday) so our Holiday has been a little different, but we are still having a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving!

Here is a short video of our time in Miami with my husbands side of the family.

Question of the day: What are you Thankful for today?

Fort Myers Half – Recap

Healthy Living
I remember registering for the FM Half a few months ago, and thinking how wonderful running in November was going to be. November is typically full of rain and cool-fronts. If you hit it JUST right, you have AWESOME running weather (if you don’t hit it right, you have Splash and Dash or…Wine and Dine.) Never did I think we would be running in 97% humidity and temperatures approaching the 90’s… (so miserable).

The race was scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m., but for some (unannounced) reason the race began late. Our pre-race instructions encouraged you to line up with your pace, but there were no signs or pace groups to line up with.

Mile 1 felt GREAT! Perhaps a little too great, because it was my fastest mile (11:21). I hit my groove and made a friend for miles 2-8. My pace was slowly creeping up from low 12 minute per mile to low 13 minute per mile, but I wasn’t too concerned about that. It was starting to get REALLY hot and I was starting to get a head ache.

Just after mile 8 we turned a corner and started up a ramp… “just like Disney” I told myself for the entire time. Disney is always throwing ramps and over passes in the course (just for kicks and giggles I suppose). When I reached mile 9 I was exhausted. So I decided I’d walk until 9.5… that turned into walking until mile 10,… and then eventually walking until mile 11.

At mile 11 I made myself promise I’d go back to running 30:30’s. 30 second running and 30 second walking. I kept my promise and mile 11 proved to be the most grueling of them all… (a 17:12 mile pace).

During mile 11 we started the climb up and over the second bridge of the course, and had now been in direct sunlight since mile 9. By this point, I was just ready to be done – I couldn’t imagine how the runners doing the full marathon were feeling, but the finish line was coming.

Even though I could see the finish line for the last mile, it took all I had in me to cross the finish line.

After the race I walked directly to the nearest curb and plopped myself down to hydrate. It was during that time while talking over the race with my husband that I realized I had missed my sub 3 hour half marathon by a few seconds.

I’m sad but not upset, I gave it my all. It was hot, it was humid and I was running on less than 4 hours of sleep.

When I look back on this race, I will remember the older woman who cheered me on throughout the race, the fire fighter running in all her gear to raise awareness for cancer and watching the Marathon winner cross the finish line!

Official time: 3:00:10

Thanks for the memories and the PR Fort Myers Half!

p.s. I think you should consider starting the race at 6:00 a.m. next year; especially if it’s hot like this year.

The current 13.1 time to beat!
November 2015

Fort Myers Half Marathon – Packet Pick up!

Healthy Living

Saturday morning arrived far too early, and my husband headed out the door with both girls for a shake out run while I did some speed cleaning around the house.

While he was out, I was able to get the bathrooms cleaned, floor vacuumed, laundry moved along and started to unload the dish washer. I raced around the house dreaming of lounging on the couch with a cup of coffee. Someday I’ll be able to enjoy that coffee, and that day will be sad because it will mean my girls are in school…

Around 12:30 my husbands parents arrived, I pulled a frozen pizza out of the oven (I’m quite the chef, I know) and we headed out the door for packet pick up.

Packet pick up took place at a crab festival in town, and if you wanted to park it was 5.00. Since we were only picking up our packets and heading over to Target we decided that I would jump out and get the packets while my husband drove around the block .

Well,… I jumped out of the car and only took my drivers license (oops). I picked up our packets and then walked around the perimeter of the crab festival looking for my husband. My love was calling me, but I couldn’t answer because my phone was on silent in the car.

Eventually we found each other and we headed over to Target.

All the Halloween costumes were 90% off so we may have had a little fun in that department (We were without kids you know…). I also found a Star Wars shirt to wear to the movie in December and some other random things ( like stickers and Mickey tissues from the dollar spot).

After Target we headed home to visit with our family, and then decided to order dinner from Jason’s Deli. After dinner we put our littlest love in bed and watched Inside Out before all going to sleep around 9:00 p.m.

Question of the day: Have you ever had to pay for parking at a packet pick up?

Monster Dash – 10K Race Recap

Healthy Living

Hello Friends,

Thank you SO much for all the love on the other days post. I didn’t set out to be an inspiration, I set out to be a healthier version of me. It’s a journey I’m still on.

Last weekend my husband attended a Bible Conference with Missionary to Niger Nate Bramsen. I had the opportunity to hear some of the messages, but mostly I was watching the girls.  I mentioned to my sister that I needed a to run a 10K for a submission time for the Princess Half Marathon and she recommended that I run a 10K at my former school (Lake Sumter Community College).

Since she agreed to watch my oldest, I registered! $30 for a 10K isn’t a bad deal when you just paid 200+ over to Mickey Mouse.

The two nights before the race I couldn’t sleep, at all. The first night (Thursday) I was at my inlaws house in South Florida because the girls had pediatrician appointments on Friday (yes, we kept our pediatrician in Miami…even after the move). Friday we made it to camp for the conference and both girls were WIDE awake from the excitement of being with family and in a new place – basically I didn’t fall asleep until about 2 a.m. and then the baby woke up at 5 a.m. when Daddy went to go for his long run.

6:45 a.m. (ish) I headed out with our oldest daughter and my sister to the race.

They had some stretching before the race, but I am more of a dynamic stretching type of girl so I warmed up on my own. I noticed my FAVORITE professor (who is now retired) has a bench in her honor near the track. It made me smile, and reminded me of the time I clocked a 22 minute mile in Fitness class and she told me I needed to work on that.

The race started around 8:00 a.m., and I along with about 30 other people headed out around Silver Lake. The 10K course was two laps around the lake and the 5K was one time around the lake.

I’d forgotten my visor  but I didn’t think I’d miss it. Well, I did. If you don’t have a Sparkle Athletic visor, GO GET ONE. It was no fun having sweat dripping into my eyes for the 10K.

Since it was a small race, I ran by myself for most of the time. I could see some people a little in front of me, and some people behind me but for the most part I was alone. There were two water stops around the lake staffed by the college’s baseball players

The race ended through a giant blow up cat with plenty of water and snacks for the finishers!

I was excited to PR on this race, especially since I’m using it as a submission time for corral placement in the Princess Half!

Time: 1:12:58
Overall Place: 26/28

Would I participate in this event again?
Probably not. It was fun to do once but I’m not sure I’d do it again unless someone did it with me. I was a little bored and lonely on the course.

Question of the day: Do you like to run in costume?

Who is StorybookErin?

Mom Life Uncategorized

Today on the blog, I’m answer that question. Who is this Storybook Erin girl and what’s she all about?

I started blogging in 2011 as a hobby, I blogged about movies and just general daily adventures. At the time health wasn’t a priority in my life. It’s scary (and sad) to admit, but it wasn’t. I was in graduate school, working full time and dreaming of starting a family. Through all of that, I went from overweight to obese.

From the time I got married in 2008 until the end of 2011 I had gained a good 50-60 pounds and was completely uncomfortable in my own skin. I asked my husband if he would start walking with me to help me lose some weight and he agreed.

In January of 2012 we started walking a few miles a couple days a week, and limiting our junk food intake. It was around this time my blog started to shift focus and become more of a weight loss journey.

By April of 2013 I had fallen in love with running, ran two half marathons, countless 5k’s, lost about 60 pounds and was finally pregnant with baby number one.

Baby # 1 Pregnancy

My blog took a little shift again, and now was all about my pregnancy and running. After baby number one (Little Lady) was born, I continued to blog about running, being a mom and training for the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World.  In September of 2014 we found out that I was expecting again, so the blog went back to pregnancy posts, mom life and training for the Goofy Challenge.

Baby # 2 Pregnancy

Now here we are.

I’m a stay at home mom to two beautiful girls and on the blog you will find a combination of mom life, training, weight loss and all our adventures as a family of four living in Florida.

If you’re interested in following our story, please check out my social media channels linked below!

Question of the day: What’s your favorite fall activity?

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Please leave the link to your blog in the comment section so I can stop by and say hello!  

Favorite Products for Running + Training Run Recap, Fall 2015

Healthy Living Run Disney
Outfit of the Day! 
*this post contains affiliate links*

How I felt during the run: 
This was a very comfortable outfit for my 8 mile run. The visor helped keep the sweat out of my eyes, and the shirt was a mesh back so I was able to keep cool that way too.

I was having a little trouble with the sparkle skirt and the running belt today, for some reason the skirt just wasn’t sitting right on my hips and I felt like I was pulling it down the whole run.

Overall it was pretty comfortable and the compression socks help keep my legs feeling strong for those miles.

Question of the day: Do you run with a running belt?

Recipe Review: Black Bean Smothered Sweet Potatoes

Healthy Living

It’s been a while since I tried a new recipe. I’d gotten into a groove of buying the same groceries over and over again, it made meal planning easy and groceries faster. The only problem, I was sick of eating my own cooking. Truth is, if I AM  sick of my own cooking, I knew my husband probably was too. He doesn’t like routine when it comes to meals, he likes more of a variety.

I knew I had sweet potatoes roasting in the crock pot and some black beans in the pantry.

So, off to google I went and a quick google search landed me on the eatingwell.com website where I found a recipe for smothered sweet potatoes! 

This recipe can be done over the stove or if you are in a hurry it can be done in the microwave.  My husband and toddler (1.5 years) and I really enjoyed this meal. I loved that it was something new to try with ingredients we already had in our pantry. It’s also a great meal if you are trying to eat less meat.

Question of the Day: Have you ever tried black beans on your sweet potato?

You might also like…
5 minute meal for the picky toddler.
2 slow cooker recipes for a budget.  
Oven s’more recipe. 

Zoo Review: Audubon Zoo, New Orleans

Family fun

Our family recently road tripped to New Orleans to go visit the Audubon Zoo. We LOVE going to the zoo, mostly because animals are always fun to watch and you can guarantee that you will always have a unique experience at the zoo.

Animals are just fun!

After hubby and I took turns running through the city and breakfast at Starbucks, we set out for an adventure at the zoo!

(His Run & My Run Recaps!)

We arrived at the zoo right when it opened, and just enjoyed the beautiful fountain. Elephants are my favorite animal, so I didn’t mind spending time at the fountain.

The zoo was a little on the small side, so It didn’t take the whole day to get through the exhibits. Honestly, when you have two young children and it’s almost 100 degrees outside, you tend to appreciate smaller zoos.

A couple of the exhibits were not open (such as the elephants, sea lions and frogs) but of the exhibits that were open, our favorites were:

  • Primates
  • Giraffes
  • Louisiana Swamp
  • Reptile House
  • The white alligator

Other non-exhibit things we enjoyed were:
  • The Elephant Fountain
  • Ice Cream Shop
  • The play ground
  • The beautiful trees

Disappointments
I was pretty disappointed that everything seemed to have an extra charge. The zoo itself was almost 20.00 per adult to get in, and then if you wanted to go to the water section, dinosaurs and train there was an additional fee. I understand the train and merry-go-rounds, but I was disappointed that we weren’t able to see the water section without paying an additional fee. 
It seemed to be pretty cool based on what we saw on YouTube, but we didn’t experience the water section during this trip. Perhaps when the girls are older we will go again. 
Question of the day: Would you prefer to have an all inclusive ticket or pay separately for sections of a zoo? 

You might also like…
The Jacksonville Zoo 
Santa Fe Zoo 
Central Florida Zoo
Zoo Run Recap – 2013

Packing Tips: Two under Two

Family fun Mom Life

Our family recently went on a weekend trip to New Orleans. We loaded into the car at 2:00 a.m. and drove to New Orleans. We had a great trip, but a lot of planning went into the packing for that trip. There is a fine balance between being prepared and taking too much!

One way I stay organized now that we are a family of 4 is with packing cubes. I first learned about packing cubes on Jen’s Youtube channel (Pretty Neat Living).  On her blog she has a whole section about travel and packing, you should check it out – I always get lots of inspiration from her! Upon first glance, packing cubes can be quite expensive. However, I use a site called ebates and buy from the ebags website.  if you use the referral link included you can get a 10.00 gift card and start earning money just for shopping online! The ebags website typically gives back 8-12% cash back for purchases!

Go now, Free Money!!

Anyway, back to how I pack for trips with two under two!

Yes, you will be investing in the cubes, but i’ve found them to be so helpful. Especially because my oldest daughter loves to pick out her own outfits. With the packing cubes, I don’t have to worry about her picking a shirt she’s already worn, she only has the options still in the packing cubes!

How do you pack.

I put each persons items in a cube, all their socks and clothing must fit in a cube.
Towels, burp cloths, blankets and *extras* go in a different cube.

What happens when you get to your destination? 
All clean clothing and items stay in the cube. Dirty items go in a pile (sometimes they make it into an empty bag) until it’s time to go home.

Do you put dirty clothes in them to come home?
I don’t. I feel like it adds extra work when I get home, so I typically ONLY put clean items into the cubes, so they are ready for our next trip when we get home.

All the dirty clothes get stuffed into 1 bag, and the cubes, clean clothing, extra diapers and items go into the second bag.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a list of items packed for the girls ALL in 1 bag! 

Items for my four month old.

  • 2 pajamas
  • 5 pairs of socks
  • 2 dresses
  • 3 diaper covers
  • 2 shorts 
  • 1 pair of jeans 
  • 2 shirts
  • 1 hat
  • 1 swim shirt
  • 3 onesies

Items for my 19 month old.

  • 1 pajama
  • 6 pairs of socks
  • 1 pair of jeans
  • 1 bathing suit
  • 1 hat
  • 2 dresses
  • 2 onesies
  • 3 shorts
  • 3 shirts
  • 3 swim diapers
Extra’s packed
  • q-tips
  • powder
  • saline sprays
  • diaper rash cream
  • 2 bibs
  • 6 burp cloths
  • 1 sheet
  • 1 changing page
  • 100 wipes 
  • 38 Size 2 diapers
  • 32 Size 4 diapers
All items above were packed into 1 large duffle bag, and by using the packing cube system, I felt very organized upon our arrival in New Orleans! 
My husband and I also used packing cubes for our clothing and found it to be helpful when looking for our clothes. 
An added benefit to using the packing cube system is that it forces you to really think about what you will need, and NOT over pack. 

For fun I created a short video of me packing the girls items for our trip, I hope you’ll enjoy! Be sure to subscribe for more fun videos! 

Question of the day: Have you ever used packing cubes or a similar system for travel?

You might also enjoy…

Scene on MY run – New Orleans Running
Scene on HIS run – New Orleans Running
All the (mugs) I mean Souvenirs we purchased in New Orleans

Influenster Review: New Pampers Cruisers

Mom Life

Disclaimer: Influenster sent me a sample of the new Pampers Cruisers to try, all expressed opinions are my very own.

If you saw my unboxing video on YouTube last week, you saw that we were selected to try some of the New Pampers Cruisers. These diapers claim to turn your sag into swag. A pretty strong claim, i’d say.

My daughter is quite active, and loves to dance and play and does NOT like to be slowed down long enough for silly things such as diaper changes… (potty training time?!) I used the three diapers during nap time or bed time, because those were the two times she would go the longest between diaper changes.

I have to say, I was quite impressed. The newly designed pampers really do limit the sag – Good job, Pampers!

Here’s the closest I could get to a picture of her in the diaper… (go phins)!

Thanks again Influenster and Pampers for the opportunity to try your new product 🙂

Tips from Jeff Galloway – Do I Need a Training Plan?

Healthy Living Run Disney
Since I am part of the Jeff Galloway blogger program, I get tips and motivation from Jeff himself to share with all of you! This information came at a great time for me as I am about to start seriously training for an upcoming Half Marathon! 

Enjoy!

THE TRAINING PLAN
 

WHY SHOULD I HAVE A TRAINING PLAN?  When using a proven strategy, a runner gains control over fatigue while improving motivation.  Those who follow the right training plan, for the individual,  tend to improve more, with less injury risk.

WOULD BEGINNERS BENEFIT MORE FROM A PLAN  Unfortunately, most beginners “run as they feel” or follow conflicting advice.  This leads to confusion and more aches and pains.   The right schedule will systematically increase the type of running needed for a goal, with strategic rest for rebuilding.
 
KEY TRAINING ELEMENTS:

1)       A longer run builds endurance, 2) a hilly run builds strength, 3) Scenic or social runs insert fun and keep you coming back for more.

WHAT IS ADDED TO A PLAN IF THE GOAL IS TO RUN FASTER?  The right training plan will gradually increase the speed repetitions needed for the individual goal.  Easier days and rest days must be inserted before and after speed workouts.  To avoid injury, the pace and the increase must be realistic for the individual.   

EVERY OTHER DAY!  Most runners—especially beginners—run best when they run every other day.  This allows for the “weak links” to heal.  The very slow long run is usually on the weekend, when there is more time available.  Hills and fun days can be run on the short runs during the week (for example, Tuesday and Thursday)

SHOULD I EXERCISE ON NON-RUNNING DAYS? While you don’t have to exert yourself on non running days to improve your running, exercise will energize your mind, and improve your attitude and vitality—while burning some fat.  So I recommend any exercise that does not fatigue the calf muscle, such as recreational walking. 

DOES VARIETY HELP?  Changing things a bit can improve motivation.   You don’t have to change the “mission” on specific days, but alternating some of the courses or running with different groups can make each day more interesting.

WHAT ARE VARIOUS MISSIONS, FOR VARIOUS DAYS? Each type of run bestows a different benefit.  Hill runs build strength.  Drills that work on cadence, gentle acceleration and gliding will improve your running form.  Long runs produce stamina and endurance. 

WHAT SHOULD I DO THE DAY BEFORE AND THE DAY AFTER LONG OR FASTER RUNS?  Take it easy on these days.  Do little or no exercise, don’t over-eat, drink 8 glasses of water/sports drinks, and focus on how you will enjoy the next run.

SHOULD I SKIP THE REST DAYS—TO IMPROVE MORE QUICKLY.  Not Recommended!  It is during the days off from running that the running body rebuilds and improves.  While some runners can get away with running short and slow runs on rest days for a while, these “junk miles” can compromise recovery and lead to injuries. 
 

IF I DON’T LIKE A WORKOUT CAN I SUBSTITUTE? Following a consistent plan is more likely to lead to success and improve motivation.  Those who pick various elements from different schedules experience  more burnout and injury.  
_ _ _
NEW Jeff Galloway’s Customized Training Plan!

Let Jeff customize a plan that allows you to “have a life” while achieving your goals!  Your 6 month plan includes:
  • customized training schedule
  • daily email reminders for your workouts
  • drills to improve your running form and efficiency
For for runners of all levels, from beginning to ultra, with busy schedules or without a local Galloway training program.

Learn more now!
Jeff’s proven method has helped hundreds of thousands to achieve their goals, injury-free. Whether you’re a beginner or a Boston Qualifier, let us customize a plan that allows you to “have a life” while achieving your goals.Your 6-month Custom Training Plan includes –

  • A customized training schedule to your target race over the next season
  • Daily email reminders of upcoming workouts
  • Based upon your current conditioning
  • Drills to improve running form, efficiency, and speed
  • For runners at every fitness level, from beginning runners to ultra-runners
  • Perfect for those without a local Galloway Program or with busy schedules 
Register now for the Jeff Galloway 13.1 Half Marathon weekend from December 11-13th. 

  • Jeff Galloway 13.1 – Sunday, Dec. 13th
  • Barb’s 5K Presented by BeeCause – Saturday, Dec. 12th
  • NEW Fit Kids Run/Walk – Saturday, Dec. 12th

Register now!

Travel Souvenirs: New Orleans Edition

Family fun

Lately I’ve been really into watching “haul videos” on Youtube. I’m not sure why I’m so fascinated by them, but I am. I like to see what’s available and what people buy. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that our family tends to purchase the same types of things when we travel and I was curious if anyone else shares similar interest.

So, here’s a list of the souvenirs we purchased on our recent trip to New Orleans.

1. Hard Rock Cafe Pins.

My husband and his best friend both collect pins from the Hard Rock. My husband displays them on his guitar strap, and it serves as kind of a reminder of the places we’ve been.

2. Nike New Orleans Shirt.

My husband and I both LOVE Nike Shirts, we like to lounge around in them and to be honest, 90% of my husbands shirts are nike shirts (the other 10% is star wars or mickey).  We happened to mention that it would be fun to go get a nike shirt, and when we looked up the nike store, we were actually only a few miles away! So, we went!

3. Starbucks: You are Here Mug

I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t like to drink coffee out of this mug. I use my Mickey Mug every day and I LOVE it, so why change? However, we do love to collect these mugs as little memories of the places we have been, and they are wonderful for eating Soup (or ice cream) out of!

4. Books.

Since our girls are growing SO fast, I feel like clothing is a total waste of money. So, we purchase a book about the area. This trip we purchased Hello, New Orleans and What Sleepy Animals Do.  both of them were purchased at the Audubon Zoo. I get a little nervous about over spending because, as you can see EVERYTHING can be found on Amazon, but the prices were the same with the exception of the Hello New Orleans book. We paid 1.00 more at the zoo than if we’d bought it online.  Since we purchased the zoo book AT the zoo, we scored a signed copy, so that was pretty exciting for the girls.

Our girls really enjoyed both books, and Hello, New Orleans has become part of our bedtime routine.

5. Coffee and Mug.

If you go to New Orleans, GO TO CAFE DU MONDE! It opened in 1862, and you can get coffee and beignets 24 hours a day! The first time we went, it was almost sunset and the lines for both the take out window and the dine-in were ridiculously long. We actually waited in the take out line for almost an hour. Let me tell you, it was WORTH every second of the wait!

We went back on our way out of town and I purchased a can of coffee to bring home and surprised my husband with a mug and a can of the coffee they serve. New Orleans is a city he has ALWAYS wanted to visit, and I wanted to surprise him with something he wouldn’t expect.

Question of the day: Do you purchase souvenirs when you travel and what do you usually pick up?

Guest Post: Scene on HIS Run: New Orleans

Healthy Living

Hi Friends!

Since my love and I took turns running in New Orleans last weekend, I thought it’d be fun to show you some of the pictures he took while he was out running solo in the City! (Here’s my run in case you missed it).

My hubby’s Social Media.
Twitter Feed
Instagood pics
Facebook Page
Blog – Holy Things
Blog – All about Books 

There were a few things on my “must do list” for Labor Day Weekend in New Orleans. Beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde, see the mighty Mississippi river that Mark Twain raved about so very much, visit the Audubon Zoo as is our family tradition, eat an authentic New Orleans po’ boy sandwich and add a run to my map on Nike Plus.

OK, maybe that’s a bit more than just a few things. But if I was going to make the long trek out to NOLA, I wanted to be certain that there was enough to occupy my time. Oh, the trek? We left at 2 AM (Eastern) and arrived at 2:30 PM (Central). That’s a lot of time in the car. After being cooped up, I wasn’t sure that I actually felt like running. On several occasions, I considered scratching the fitness element off my list.

After arriving and checking into the hotel, we set out on our first adventure: beignets. Oh yeah, we were on vacation and we were going to treat ourselves immediately. Cafe du Monde, here we come! It was about 0.7 miles from our hotel, so we strapped up the baby and grabbed the toddler by the hand and made a beeline for sugary-fried-goodness.

Get in my belly Coffee & Beignets!

It felt like a hundred degrees outside and we got fresh, hot beignets, so we couldn’t get back to the hotel’s AC fast enough. There would be no running that afternoon for me. I would need to cool off and rest. Remember all that driving?

Taking Pictures @ Jackson Square

The next day, I got up early with my alarm. I got up at first light. Early enough when you’re on vacation. I had my clothes laid out so I could throw them on without disturbing the girls too much. I said bye to the wife and hit the road.

First (or second) light on Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church

It was a cool high 70s outside (South Florida Runner, that’s cool) and the city was quiet compared to the bustle of the previous evening. I made my way down Canal street towards Harrah’s Casino. It was about as peaceful as one would imagine a major city could be. I crossed the tracks by the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and there it was: The Mighty Mississippi.

Reader: perhaps you are from a part of this country that borders the Mississippi River. Perhaps you could read Huckleberry Finn on the very banks that the protagonist of that book explores. Until this weekend I had never visited it. I am a fan of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, so seeing the river brought me joy. Isn’t that why we go on vacation? For the joy of it? Isn’t that a good reason to go for a run? To bring a little joy into your life?

The Mississippi & Monument to the Immigrant

Next came a few selfies. I know, it’s very narcissistic but I did it anyways. As I cut through Riverwalk Park, I paused to take a pic of the Monument to the Immigrant because who cares about pace when you’re on vacation? Once I got to the Steamboat Natchez I decided I should head back. I promised the wife I’d only put in a mile and I was about to hit up cafe du monde again. For you close readers, you’ll note that I broke my promise.

Running through the French Quarter

I headed back to Canal street via Decatur and paused for a selfie in the French Quarter. The architecture was just beautiful. I had to document the moment. There were no incidents coming back up Canal street. Just friendly faces and more than a few fellow runners. I imagine they too were on vacation, adding a little run to their map as a memento of their trip to NOLA while relishing in a morning burst of endorphins.

As I entered my hotel, I realized that the model of New Orleans they had in the lobby was a perfect replica of the area I had just run through. I quickly snapped a picture for Instagram. I just ran NOLA.

Map of 1.90 mi. run through NOLA

 I entered the hotel room and realized right away that I’d be babysitting for a little while. Erin was up even though the babies were asleep still (we REALLY need to buy blackout curtains) and her running clothes were laid out on the bed. “Should I go out for a run? Is it safe?” I smiled. Going out for a run was probably the best decision I made that weekend. She should definitely go out for a quick run.

“Go.” I told her. And so she went for a quick mile run.

Just in case anyone is mad at me for going further than I said I would, take a look at this map. Yes, she went out further than I did, so there! You can read about the Scene on Her Run right now.

Scene on Her Run: my perspective

Scene on my Run: New Orleans

Healthy Living

Our family road tripped to New Orleans over Labor Day weekend. While the babies slept my husband and I took turns running around the city. It was strange for me to be running solo in a new city while my family was relaxing in the hotel, especially because my husband and I typically do EVERYTHING together, but it was a nice experience!

I set out to “only run a quick mile” but…

I ran 2. 
Here are some of the pictures I snapped while I was out. 
Aren’t the clouds beautiful!
The Mississippi River!
Cute little park by the river. 

Outside the aquarium.

Crossing the tracks and heading back to the hotel!

Stopped at Starbucks for a surprise treat for our daughter! She got to try Chocolate MiLk for the first time during our trip! 

Question of the day: what’s your favorite part about traveling? 

5 minute lunch for the picky toddler!

Mom Life

My comfort food is and has always been Macaroni and Cheese. I love it SO much I even recently ordered it at a restaurant. It’s just so comforting! 

My heart was a little broken when I realized my daughter does NOT have the same love for good ol’ fashion Kraft Mac & Cheese. I guess I should be glad since it isn’t the healthiest option available, but still I was a little saddened. 
She does however enjoy a good bowl of noodles with cheese. So, little lady’s special Mac & cheese was invented. It takes less than 5 minutes and is always a hit with my toddler. 
Recipe:
Cook peas (as desired)
Cook egg noodles 
Mix together with shredded cheese
Serve! 
My daughter loves this meal and I love that I can fix it in minutes. 
Lately she’s been helping me cook it, which is a bonus learning activity! 
Question: what’s your favorite quick lunch?

Family Vlog: Sanibel Beach

Family fun

In honor of #throwbackthursday I thought i’d share about a little adventure we had on Wednesday.

My Aunt and Uncle are staying in a little cottage on a local beach, so my sister, husband and two girls went over yesterday morning to visit for a little bit and go to the beach.  It was a short visit, because my husband had to work that afternoon, but we had a lot of fun.

Here’s a little sneak peak into our morning at the beach.

Enjoy!

How I transitioned our daughter off the bottle in 3 days.

Mom Life

This is the story of how our family transitioned our oldest daughter off the bottle in three days. Our method may not work for everyone, but it’s what worked for our family.

Background Story
Right before my daughters first birthday I resigned from my position at work and became a full-time stay at home mom. I was getting ready to welcome baby number two in a few short months, and wanted to get into some routines before the baby was born. One of the routines I wanted was a bottle free 1 year old. 
I didn’t want my oldest to be dependent on a bottle or a pacifier, and I didn’t want to be washing bottles for two babies. 
Well, after months of trying every sippy cup created, and dropping the bottle before naps etc. I stopped, she wasn’t ready, I was exhausted, we were approaching my due date and my husband had just accepted a new job (which would require us to move)… 
She kept the bottle.

18 Months.
At her 18 month check up, the pediatrician recommended we drop the bottle as soon as possible. Since I had been trying to wean her slowly off of the bottle for 6 months with NO success, I knew we would have to drop it cold-turkey.

The total transition took three days, and yes we have had some whiney times, broken a new leche (milk) cup, and have spent late nights reading stories and singing songs trying to get her to fall asleep without a pacifier or milk BUT, her last bottle was 10 days ago and we are moving forward!

So, here’s what we did.

Day 1 – Love, Love, Love.

After her appointment, I made sure to give extra hugs and kisses. Whatever comfort she was getting from that bottle needed to now come from me (and her daddy). I held her while she slept, gave her a hug and a kiss and told her how much I loved her before each bottle – she got lots of attention!

Day 2 – Conversation.

In addition to extra love and comfort, on this day we added in the conversation. Before each bottle, and while she was drinking the bottle we’d hold her and talk to her about what type of big girl “cheche cup” (milk cup) she wanted to buy. We talked about how she could go to Target and pick out any two cups she wanted to drink her milk out of, and how special it was that she was able to drink her cheche (milk) from a cup!

Day 3 – Shopping. 

After church, lunch and nap time on Sunday it was time. I pulled out a Target gift card, and gave it to my daughter so she could go shopping for a new cup for her milk. She was so cute as she held her little gift card on the way to target. Once we got there, she walked right into the aisle and quickly began to inspect ALL the cups.

The top choices were a Cars cup, A Princess Cup, Ninja Turtles and of course a Frozen cup. She held all four of them for quite some time but when it came down to it, Elsa and the other Disney princesses prevailed and we were on our way to the check out.

After she paid for the cups, she carried her bag all the way to the car.

When we got home, she and I had some milk in our big girl cups and said goodbye to the bottle.

That night, we had story time while drinking some milk then brushed our teeth and went to sleep.

The Week.
She has been a little more emotional, and had several more meltdowns that I know would be resolved in a second if I’d give her a bottle of milk – BUT, we aren’t going to do that. Her meltdowns don’t last too long, she gets distracted easily with her sister and begins to laugh.

Tips for Moms.

  1. Give yourself some GRACE.
    • I read post after post online about how important it is to drop the bottle before 18 months.
    • I almost cried when the pediatrician told me the bottle had to go.
    • I was scared we wouldn’t be able to transition, but we did and you can too!
  2. Know your child.
    • My daughter doesn’t do well with gradual change, she’s persistent and will eventually find a way to get what she wants (in this case, the bottle). This is why a coldish turkey method worked best. She knew it was coming, we talked about it and we did it!
    • Maybe your child isn’t ready, thats okay! 
  3. Coffee. 
    • Coffee (or Tea) is relaxing. Go have a cup…
Happy bottle transitioning! 



Weekend Recap: National Geocaching Day!

Family fun Healthy Living

Happy Monday Friends!

How was your weekend? Our family had a great visit with my parents, and spent a good portion of the day Geocaching!

If you aren’t familiar with Geocaching, it’s basically a little treasure hunt with your GPS. I’ve been geocaching since 2006, when smart phones weren’t in the hands of every person from 8 to 80.  You enter some coordinates into your gps and search for a small log, once there you sign the paper and then go into your geocaching website and log it there too! Back in the day, you needed a real hand held GPS and a notebook to jot down clues and information found on the website before you left on your adventure. Now, you can download apps on your phone and be on your way without any planning.

It goes up and down with popularity, and I even go through phases with it, BUT it’s a lot of fun! My husband and I love it because it’s something you can always do. If you have a day that you aren’t sure what you want to do, geocaching is an essentially FREE option. Essentially you are just paying for a little gas to drive from location to location and you’re good to go!

More info can be found here!

We’d planned an adventure with my parents for Saturday, and then while we were on our way geocaching I realized that it was actually National Geoaching Day! So, that was pretty exciting!

Here’s a sneak-peak into our afternoon of Geocaching!

After geocaching we went and had some soft serve ice cream at a local produce stand and headed home before the afternoon thunderstorms.

How was your weekend? Have you ever been or heard of Geocaching?

My Pixar Rankings!

Disney Uncategorized

Father’s Day Weekend 2015, my husband and I went on a double date with some friends and saw Inside Out.  It was so wonderful to get away for a few hours with some friends, but obviously it got the conversation going. You know… what  is the BEST Pixar movie ever?!?!

My husband read several lists, and rankings, and tweets, etc, etc, etc… I will be honest, I didn’t read any – I just let him tell me all about them. After a few weeks of conversing about our favorite pixar movies, my husband decided that we couldn’t properly rate the Pixar Movies because we hadn’t seen A Bugs Life since it came out in the 90’s.

So naturally – we ordered it off Amazon.

Sunday afternoon we watched it, and then my husband went to work on his rating scale.

His scale had four categories:
1. The Story
2. The Characters
3. The Feels
4. The Originality

So here we go, my Pixar Ranking!

…

I was surprised, that Toy Story 3, Up & Inside out were all tied for my top Pixar movie because I love them for different reasons. But, there you have it!

If you are interested in taking the survey my husband designed I’ve linked it below!
Create your own user feedback survey

Running Tips from Jeff Galloway

Healthy Living Run Disney

As you know, I am a blogger for Jeff Galloway. As such, I get tips directly from Jeff to share with my readers! 

Hope you enjoy his tips on training through the heat, I know in Florida it’s always a struggle to start a training plan for a fall or winter race because you have to begin in the hottest part of the year! 
Enjoy!

Dealing With the Heat

Training through the summer can not only be grueling, but down right dangerous.  Here are some tips to train safely and as comfortable as possible in the hot summer months.

Slow down by 30 sec/mile (20 sec/km) for every 5F temperature increase above 55-60F ( every 2.5C above 14C)
When the temperature is over 70F (21C) you may take a 5 minute “cold shower break” every 25-30 minutes to keep cool.
Try to complete your run before the sun rises above the horizon.
More frequent walk breaks during hot weather can lower body temperature increase.  If you used to run 3 minutes between walk breaks, run only 90 seconds (walk 30 seconds) at 70F (21C) and at 80F (26C) drop to 60 sec run/30 sec walk or 30/30
When you start to heat up more than normal, take a longer walk in a mall or indoor AC building
Pick shady courses on hot days.
Don’t wear a hat!  Pour water over your head
Have an indoor alternative—treadmill, etc
Run in the deep end of the pool, using a flotation belt
– – –
ANOTHER AMAZING LAKE TAHOE RETREAT!

We stay at the beautiful and comfortable Squaw Valley Lodge. Lodge amenities include indoor and outdoor hot tubs, swimming, tennis, sauna and fitness room. Week camp began Thursday, July 23th.  Weekend camp began Friday, July 24th at 5PM. Both camps began with an easy run to get acquainted.  The morning breakfasts were followed by clinics by Jeff and his guests. Seminar topics include Running Injury Free, Nutrition, Speed work, Goal setting, Shoe selection, Pool running, and Running form / analysis.
After lunch, our guests shopped, went sightseeing, sunned by the pool, or joined the group for a scenic hike, T-shirt swap, bike ride, river raft ride, etc. The group gathered again in the evenings for dinner onsite or at one of the nearby restaurants and after-dinner relaxing.

You can learn more about the various Jeff Galloway Retreats at http://www.jeffgalloway.com/retreats/.

– – –

MAKE YOUR NOMINATION FOR THE MARATHON FOTO/ROAD RACE MANAGEMENT LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Make your nomination today!

In conjunction with the Road Race Management Race Directors’ Meeting, Road Race Management and MarathonFoto will again honor an individual who has made a major difference in the sport with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award is for contributions to the sport of long distance running over the course of a lifetime. Nominees, who may be either living or deceased, should have made major contributions to the sport in more than one area, for example as an administrator, elite athlete, promoter of the sport, or innovator as an event director or vendor.

“We are seeking to honor a ‘sport changer’…a person who really made a difference,” says Phil Stewart, RRM editor and publisher.
Nominations from the public are being solicited and will close on August 31, 2015.

A ten-person committee will choose the winner to be announced November 6 at the Race Race Management Race Directors’ Keynote dinner in Hollywood, FL.

3 things that surprised me after losing 90 pounds.

Healthy Living

We all have a starting place… Mine exceeded any number I thought I’d ever see on a scale, and the thought of attempting to lose 100 pounds was scary – the thought of NOT losing 100 pounds was even scarier.

I don’t share my story to brag, because honestly, I couldn’t have lost a pound without the support I found online through social media or more importantly my husband and family.  I share my story to help others who may know they need to lose weight but are terrified to start.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that since January 1st, 2012 I have lost 90 pounds and become a mother to the two most beautiful baby girls i’ve ever seen. In fact, I’m not sure i’ll ever be able to wrap my head around it, but here are the three things that surprised me after losing 90 pounds.

Take a moment and look at these few pictures from 2010 – 2011, it’s when I was reaching my heaviest.

Go ahead,… take a look.

Our Church
2010

FIU
2011
Camp
Summer 2011

Beach Vacation
Summer 2011

 

See how happy we are? My husband and I were genuinely happy. Our weight was steadily increasing, but so was our love for each other. 
So, now that you’ve seen more of less where we started. 
Here are 3 SHOCKERS about losing a large amount of weight. 
Shocker 1: It’s really hard to take a compliment. 
If in the last few years, you’ve told me how great I look – and I’ve been really awkward in response, or perhaps offended you, I am sorry. 
I just really don’t know what to say when people comment on my weight loss – really… I don’t. Mostly because I’ve been uncomfortable with my weight for most of my life, and because of my discomfort I read WAY too deeply into what people say to me. It’s sad, but it’s the truth. 
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!  If I seem awkward or slow to respond just know my heart is bubbling, and I’m thankful someone noticed my hard work. 

My FIRST 5K, Everest Challenge
May 2012

Shocker 2: The struggle is REAL

My husband gets onto me ALL the time because when we go shopping I will automatically look at the plus sizes – not just look at them, but try them on. This is why I’m no longer allowed to shop online – I have no idea what size I am. 
When you’ve seen certain sizes in your closet for your entire adult life, it’s very hard to re-train your brain to give that medium a try. 
Shocker 3: You won’t look like you envisioned, and that’s okay. 
When I first set the goal of losing 100 pounds, I imagined I’d have a flat stomach and basically look perfect. The closer I get to my goal, the more I realize my vision won’t be the reality, and I’m okay with it. 
Truly. 
I’ve had two babies, and lost a significant amount of weight in order for me to have a flat stomach, I’ll probably need skin removal. I’ve got saggy skin, it’s gross – but it’s the truth. 
Whatever your goal is, go for it! Weight loss has been the hardest journey I’ve ever taken, but look at these two beautiful gifts I received after getting my health on the right track. 
Weight loss is a process, it takes time, dedication, and a decision to make better choices each day. I’m so thankful my husband said yes when I asked him to help force me out of bed an hour and a half earlier each morning for a walk. Those early morning walks are some of my most cherished memories of our times together. 

A day in the life – RunDisney Registration Day!

Mom Life Run Disney

Now that I’m a full-time stay at home mom, I thought it’d be fun to share a day in my life. Unfortunately, every time I think about writing one, or filming one, … I realize my life is pretty routine and slightly boring.

But, if you are interested in a “normal” day, let me know. I’ll be happy to share!

So, here we go!

Our day, RunDisney Princess 1/2 Registration Day!!

As you know I’ve been excited nervous about registration day for a while. My sisters and I are going to be running at the Princess weekend, and registering for these races is getting more and more competitive. So,… I had to be ready!

If you don’t know, I have two beautiful daughters. My oldest is 18 months, and my youngest is 3 months next week.

4:00 a.m. – Baby 2 wakes up for a snack.

5:00 a.m. – Baby 2 wakes up for a snack again.

6:30 a.m. – My husband gets up and gets ready for work.

7:45 a.m. – Both babies wake up for the day.

8:00 a.m. – My husband leaves for work.

From 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. – My oldest will have breakfast and a snack during this time. We also spend some time with the baby on her tummy and read lots of stories.

11:00 a.m. – Boot up the lap top to get ready for registration. Change diapers, prepare snacks and try not to freak out about registration.

11:30 a.m. – Baby wakes up from her nap extremely fussy.

11:35 a.m. – Start the Little Mermaid.

12:02 – I’m registered!!!!! (oh, I was able to calm the baby down during registration)

12:30 p.m. – FaceTime with my sisters, relieved that we MADE it into the Disney Princess weekend!!

12:30 – 2:00 p.m. – More play time and tummy time with the girls

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Singing time and nap time for my oldest and more tummy time and play time for my youngest.

Have you noticed that the baby only takes small cat naps? … yeah.

4:00 – 5:30 p.m. – playtime until Daddy comes home.

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  – Chick Fil A Cow Appreciation Dinner. We dressed like a cow and got free meals at Chick Fil A then went to the park to play for a bit.

8:00 – 9:00 p.m. – I went to the store and did the dishes from the day while my husband did bath time routine and played with the girls.

9:30 p.m. – Bedtime Routine for my oldest, and one last feed for the baby.

10:00 p.m. – both babies are asleep for the night.

Yep. We play all day and I try to do most cleaning and housework when my husband is home to play with the girls.

So, that was our day!

How was yours?

Running Announcement: RunDisney Glass Slipper Challenge

Healthy Living Run Disney

Friends, I’m in!

I’m officially registered for the 2016 Princess Glass Slipper Challenge!

Any other princesses out there?

I’m looking forward to sharing with all of you my training. Now that I’m a mom of 2 under 2, and my husband is marathon training, and we just recently moved to a new city and so many new things I know it will be a challenge but I can’t wait to share my journey with you!

Blacklight Run – Tampa Recap

Healthy Living
“The colors will wash away, but the memories never fade”
… (excerpt from Blacklight Run 2015 Youtube Video.)

Registration
Ever since my sisters watched my husband and I complete the Goofy Challenge  they have wanted to get into running, and have sent me a few runs to consider doing with them. When we saw a local fun run for only 20.00, we thought it’d be great!

My husband and my sisters husband agreed to watch the girls (3 of them… all under 2 years old) so we could do it – SO we registered.

Training
I didn’t train.

My sisters did, I did not.

Packet Pick up

This run almost required you to pick up your packet the day before. Actually, if you didn’t pick it up, there was a fee of 5.00 to pick it up at the race… seriously? What’s up with that?

Thankfully my sister picked mine up for me, so I was able to save 5.00.

Pre-Race Communication

I received several emails prior to the event asking me to download a specific app to participate for a chance to win prizes. but no emails with instructions for parking etc… only in an initial email that it would be 10.00 to park, and so car pooling is recommended.

I didn’t download the app, my sister did and said it was just like instagram.

Traffic & Parking Direction

It took us over an hour to get less than 2 miles, and when we actually got too the gate it was only 6.00 to park (not the 10.00 as stated) and there were only 2 people directing traffic.

2 people for something like 10,000 people? – I’m not actually sure how many people were registered.

Signs & Lighting

Okay, we’ve arrived and parked. (Hallelujah)

We had trouble locating the starting line, and really anything because there were NO lights. … Typically for a night run, you can find the start line because it’s well lit, not this one.

In fact, the finish line didn’t have a single light at it either!

The Course

We were in a wave that started around 9:15 p.m., I’m not sure how many waves went before us but when we finally got to the start line and went, the cones were all over the place, there was no direction, limited lighting, pot holes EVERYWHERE, only a few random poles with a blacklight at the top and tons of people crowded around it trying to take a picture… (of what, i’m not sure because the color stations didn’t have any powder…)

It was hard to run because of the crowds, and lack of proper safety necessities (such as lights and volunteers or employees)

There was a water station (in the dark) with no one staffing it, just a table with bottles of water.

When we arrived at the finish line, there wasn’t anything. No lights, no water, no volunteers or any visible staff …

Additionally, there was only one ambulance and maybe two medics about half way through the course…

Bottom Line.

I was disappointed in the way Youtube portrayed the run, because when you watch the youtube promos you see lots of glow stations, color and fun… when you arrive, it is NOTHING like i’d seen on the Youtube videos.

I hope to NEVER participate in this athletic event again. We probably would have had more fun spending our 20.00 at dinner or a movie than the Blacklight Run in Tampa.

Question of the day: What’s the most disappointing run you’ve participated in?

I am in no way affiliated with the Blacklight Run, I registered and paid for this run with my own money. I always try to find the positive in things, and give honest feedback. However, I felt that this athletic event is not worth the time, I was extremely disappointed in the organization of this event. 

Tips from Jeff Galloway – The *new* Run/Walk/Run

Healthy Living Run Disney

As you know, I am a Jeff Galloway blogger and as such I receive tips from Jeff to share with all of you. The latest tip introduces a new way to complete the Run-Walk-Run method. When I was pregnant, and Marathon Training I used 1 minute ratios.

See the latest from Jeff on the best ratio for increasing speed below.

Jeff Introduces a New Run/Walk Strategy
 The 30-second Walk Break

Jeff Galloway‘s Run/Walk/Run method was revolutionary for three reasons: 
1 – Run/Walk/Runners felt better throughout the long run.
2 – Run/Walk/Runners recovered faster and got injured less often.
3 – Run/Walk/Runners went faster with the breaks than without. 
Since his introduction of walk breaks in 1974, Jeff he has received feedback from hundreds of thousands of runners, allowing him to fine tune Run/Walk/Run to keep people feeling better, staying healthy, and running faster. 
The greatest benefit of the walk break comes in the first 30 sec. 
Our heart rates come down, the running muscles relax, we catch our breaths, and the fatigue melts away. 
After 30 seconds of walking, we tend to slow down. 
Here is a typical example of what happens with a 1-minute walk break: 
A run/walk/runner averaging 10-minute pace in a marathon using 3 min/1min might walk at a 15-minute mile pace for the first part of the race.
As fatigue sets in, that walk gets slower, and by halfway, the runner may be walking at 18 min/mi. 
This means faster running is needed to stay on pace, which creates more fatigue at the end of each running segment, so the walk will get slower, and so goes the downward spiral at the end of the race. 
Avoiding the Slow-down 
Compared to running constantly, the 1-minute walk break still results in runners feeling better, staying healthier, and going faster, but it can get even better! Limiting walk breaks to 30 seconds, or in some cases even less, while cutting the run time accordingly, gives all the same benefits, with even less fatigue and even faster times. 
The Bottom Line 
If you are in already using a 30-second walk break or less, you don’t need to adjust. If you are using an interval that takes a 1-minute walk break, keep the same ratio but cut your walk and run times in half. For example, a 1-minute/1-minute interval now becomes a 30-sec./30-sec. interval. It’s that simple.

Do you run-walk-run, what’s your preferred ratio?

First Run After Baby # 2

Healthy Living Mom Life

June 3, 2015

National Running Day. 
It was the day I’d chosen to make my way back into the running world after my little break during pregnancy. 
It was going to be perfect, I was going to feel fast and graceful. I’d be like a beautiful gazelle running in the sunshine. 
Yeah. 
That didn’t happen. 
That first run felt awkward… It was like my insides were jiggling from my throat to my my toes and then settling somewhere inbetween during walk breaks and did I mention my skin? It may have been slapping me in the face… Well maybe not – but I’m sure it was flapping. 
I wish I’d remembered these feelings from the first run after my oldest was born, but I didn’t. 

I put this photo as my profile picture on Facebook as a reminder that I… 
– trained for a marathon with an infant at home 
– trained and ran that marathon (goofy challenge) 6 months pregnant.
– that mouse (man) next to me believes in me
– I will get my groove back someday
Question: how was your first run after a break?  

Fort Myers Life with Two under Two

Mom Life
Friends, we have officially been in our new city as a family of four for 3 weeks. Somewhere between unpacking the boxes, finding a rhythm and attempting to keep food on the table and lunch in my husbands lunch box every day my babies started to grow up.


My 16 month old started a consistent nap and bed time (for the first time in her life) and my newborn packed on three pounds and two inches.

I stand at my counter typing this post gazing at my toddler playing in the (extremely messy) living room and my newborn watching closely from the swing and ask I myself the same question I get over and over again.

“How do you do it?”

I no longer plan anything more than meals, naps and bedtime.  The diaper changes, snacks, story times, play times and all over daily activities are unscripted.  We simply go with the flow… if we want to read an extra story, or pull out every last toy, or have a little dance party – we do. 



Why? 

  • Because if I stop and think about the stressful things going on,
  • my husband starting a new job
  • selling our first home – the one we worked SO hard to get…
  • our A/C dying (forcing my husband to leave me alone in the hospital with our newborn)
  • Our car randomly smoking – like CRAZY  due to a loose oil cap.. (the oil cap that just doesn’t seem to stay put)
  • resigning from my job (I did that in January, but still…)
  • moving to a new city with my husband and 15 month old as my only support for this new life
  • etc… etc.. etc.. 

    I’d miss the precious tender moments with my girls. I might have missed our newborns first social smile, I might have failed to hear my toddler exclaim “Good Job” to her sister during tummy time and I might have neglected to sit and listen to my husband when he came home from his first few weeks of work. 


    So, how am I doing it? 


    He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less.  Jn. 3:30 (The Living Bible)

    Until you realize that God is way bigger than all those little things (that build up into big things) you’re going to miss out – and I don’t want to miss a moment with the three most important people in my life. 


    As long as I remember that my God is bigger, and able to supply my needs we’re going to be okay. 

    And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19 (New Living Translation)

    Until next time… 


    Running with Friends – The Galloway Training Group

    Healthy Living Run Disney

    Do you run with a group, or do you prefer the time all alone? I’ve only ever run with my husband and on occasion my sister and her friend. However, I’m so curious to see what training and running with a group is like.

    Jeff Galloway has several training groups all over the U.S.  sadly, there isn’t one in my area but maybe there is one in yours!

    THE POWER OF THE GROUP

    The fun of running with a group pulled me into the sport 57 years ago.  Running and training with my friends Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter Bill Rodgers, brought out the best of running in me—while we became good friends, and Olympians.  As I travel the US this season, for our Galloway training program kickoffs, I see the same fun, support and friendship development.  I hope to see many of you at our free clinics.  Here are the ways I’ve observed runners of all abilities improve more and have more fun when in the right group.
    1. Great friendships
    2. The miles go by quicker—telling stories, sharing life experiences
    3. Guidance in running with the right group for you, with the appropriate run walk run strategy
    4. Because the group is waiting for you, you will stay motivated and get out there more often
    5. You’ll learn about some interesting races, places to run, fun running experiences
    6. On the really tough workouts and races, the group will pull you through
    7. Access to tools for management of nutrition, fluids, motivation, aches/pains
    8. The right group leadership can fine-tune the pace of each workout, avoiding injury/exhaustion
    9. Helping others who are struggling bestows an amazing sense of achievement
    10. Sharing the empowerment of finishing a long run can change your life
    Most groups, like our Galloway programs allow runners to try them out for free.  Together we can celebrate fitness and inspire others to improve the quality of their lives.

    Highlights of this year’s Galloway Training Programs:

    • Discount on the Jeff Galloway 13.1 and Barb’s 5K LINK
    • 50% discount of Jeff Galloway’s Running Schools and Blue MT Beach Retreats
    • Discounts on Phidippides products – Jeff’s store and the original running specialty store LINK
    • Discounts on ElliptiGO, my favorite way to cross train outside
    • Discounts on Pacific Health Products Accelerade & Endurox
    • Discounts on Cooper Complete vitaminsLink
    • Galloway Alumni hat available just for those who have been a part of our team before
    • Newly redesigned Galloway Training medal to celebrate completion of this year’s program

     

    Question: Would you consider training with a group? 

    Family Announcement: We moved to Fort Myers, FL

    Mom Life

    I can hardly believe we are creeping up on the half way point for 2015!

    What??? 
    I have so much to share, but some of it I’m not exactly sure how to share so for now… Here are some of the happenings from the first part of our year! 
    – resigned from my job to stay home with my babies. 
    – ran a Marathon (actually, the goofy challenge at Disney)
    – said bye bye to our doggies (they are “on vacation” at Abuelas) 
    – had a baby
    – got our condo ready to sell
    – moved to Ft. Myers (husband got a new job) 
    There are lots of other little things, but those are the biggest and the crazy part is… The last three all happened between March and April… 
    So, how am I doing? I’m exhausted. I miss my home, I miss having my mother in law drop by with  fresh (warm) banana bread, I miss my church, I miss so many things… 

    In fact

    I’ve cried so hard at times my chest hurt.
    But… When I see my husband walk in the door from work, and he’s happy, Genuinely happy to be working in a field he worked so hard to be a part of, and when we sit around the table as a family of four to eat dinner, I know we are right where God led us to be. 
    From the moment he scheduled the interview, I felt God telling me it would all be okay. 
    Yes, I’ve cried a fair amount of tears in the last few weeks. 
    Yes, I miss our home and life in Miami. 
    The answer is yes. 
    But when I stop and think about it, the four most important people in my life are here. 
    And it is alright! 
    So, here’s to the rest of 2015 and our new adventure in Fort Myers. 

    Photo Credit: Vincent Hogan, The League of Extraordinary Artists 

    An Earth Day Birthday and the Famous Lily

    Mom Life

    Introducing Robyn Zuzu

    As you know from our first daughter, we spend a lot of time thinking, talking, and praying about a name for our children. Naming a child is a huge blessing and responsibility, and we are always sure to take our time.

    Once we pick the name, we save it. We pray daily for our baby by name and spend the rest of our pregnancy bonding with our baby.  Now that we have two babies it was a little harder. We’d decided after our first that we wanted to do two things with our children’s names.

    1. We want them to start with the letter “R”
    2. We want to incorporate Christmas into the middle name.

    Christmas is a very special time of year, especially for our family as we got married at Christmas time  sooooo, why not?

    Zuzu.

    I first came across the name while looking online at lists of Christmas names and when I realized that Zuzu came from It’s a Wonderful Life, I was in love.

    Literally in love.

    It’s a Wonderful Life has a special place in my husbands heart, and a growing place in mine.

    So, the research started and here is what I found out.
    1. Our Zuzu is not the only one, in fact one Zuzu was a popular Brazilian fashion designer.
    2. It is a form of the name Susan (actually Zuzu is a nickname for “Susan” in It’s a Wonderful Life)
    3. It means Lily in Slavonic

    Zuzu is not only fun to say, but it has personality and as each day passed, I couldn’t imagine our baby to be named anything different.

    She was Zuzu.

    We struggled with the “R” name for a while, but when we started looking at meanings, everything was clear and the name Robyn Zuzu was hers.

    Robyn, which means “famous” and Zuzu which means “Lily” reminds us of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

    So, when you meet our Zuzu, may not only your heart be warmed by memories of Christmas, and how wonderful life is but you think about our Lord and Savior.

    The Lily of the Valley, Charles W. Fry.

    I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,

    He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
    The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
    All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
    In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
    He tells me every care on Him to roll. 

    Refrain:
    He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
    He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. 

    2 He all my grief has taken, and all my sorrows borne;
    In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tow’r;
    I have all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
    From my heart and now He keeps me by His pow’r.
    Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,
    Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal. [Refrain]

    3 He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
    While I live by faith and do His blessed will;
    A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
    From His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.
    Then sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,
    Where rivers of delight shall ever roll. [Refrain]

    Four Ways To Energize Your Day and Clear Your Brain

    Healthy Living Mom Life

    Good Morning Friends,

    Happy Marathon Monday!!! I’m so excited for all those running in the Boston Marathon today. It’s such an accomplishment to train for a Marathon, and the 26.2 miles is part of the celebration!
    So, congratulations to everyone who lines up at the starting line!!

    As you know, I am a Jeff Galloway Blogger. As such, I am given the opportunity to share tips and articles written by Olympian Jeff Galloway. Here is the latest article, hope you enjoy!

    Four Ways To Energize Your Day and Clear Your Brain
    by, Olympian Jeff Galloway
    runinjuryfree.com

    It’s natural to become focused on the big things in life, and worry about outside forces, building stress.  A few simple lifestyle adjustments can result in greater control over attitude and energy, while reducing stress and fatigue.  Yes, you can exert more control over your life, produce positive attitude hormones, and blend together body, mind and spirit by planning and taking action.
     

    1. Walk or run, one day and a walk (or cross train) the next.  While the exertion will wake up the muscles, you’re away from the phone, allowing the mind a little freedom.  Most who start with a blank mental state, finish their exercise session with the day planned, and a few new ways to deal with problems.  Others like to walk/run during lunch hour, while munching on an energy bar.  This can clear out morning stress and prepare mind-body for the challenges of the afternoon.  Many evening exercisers believe that the weight of the day’s stress is erased or contained with the after-work workout.  Scheduling these outings gives you control over your existence.
    2. Don’t sit–walk!.  The addition of a few extra short walks, throughout the day, will energize the body and activate the mind.  Park farther away from work, the food store, the transit station, etc.  Many of my clients use a step counter for motivation and calorie counting.  It helps to find one that is consistent and reliable (usually @ $30).  Shoot for 10,000 steps a day.  You are rewarded for  getting out of your chair (or  the couch) more often.  These short walks burn fat, which adds up (up to 30 pounds a year!).  The best reward is the head clearing effect, which can power you through the mid morning or mid afternoon energy crises.  Even a 3-4 minute “recess” walk at work, can result in clearer thinking, more energy, and greater self-confidence.   
    3. Eat more frequently.  Each time you eat, even a small snack, you’ll boost your energy level. The longer you wait to eat, the more likely your metabolism will slump into drowsiness and laziness.  This also means that you’re not burning many calories.  If you divide up your daily calorie budget into 6-9 snacks a day you’ll burn more fat (up to 10 pounds a year).  Eat a snack every 2-3 hours, and you can feel better all day.  It helps to choose foods that have (percentage of calories vs total calories) about 20% protein, about 15% fat and the rest in complex carbohydrate.  This combination will leave you satisfied longer with fewer calories consumed.  To experience a fat loss, consumption can be managed through websites or journals.  For more information, see A WOMAN’S GUIDE TO FAT BURNING by Jeff and Barbara Galloway.
    4. Help someone exercise. The psychological benefits are significant when you help someone improve the quality of their life.  Offer to walk (run, hike) with your spouse, parent, friend co-worker, child—or all of the above.  My books WALKING & GETTING STARTED have proven programs with motivation which can lead you  and your “coach-ee” through the training. 
    Question of the Day: Do you need to focus on any of these tips? Which one (or ones)?

    Why do we get injured? – Jeff Galloway Tips for Running

    Healthy Living Run Disney

    I hope you’ve been enjoying all these tips on running from Jeff Galloway, I know that I have.

    Motivational Tips.  More Tips.

    On Injury. 

    When following a training plan its important to know your body. Here are a couple tips from Jeff Galloway on just why we get injured.

    1. Be aware of the irritation of weak links.

    The key weak links are body parts where my runners tend to experience injuries are these:

    • knees
    • feet
    • calf
    • achilles
    • hip
    • glute
    The body parts that YOU need to be aware of are the sites where you are injured or suffer more aches and pains. 
    So, if you’re sensitive to the first indication or irritation in these areas and take immediate action its possible to avoid injury. 
    2. Stress build up due to the way we train. 
    • Training schedule is too intense-not enough rest between stress. 
    • Adverse training components – speed is too fast or has too much, too soon. 
    • Running form – too long a stride, forward lean, bouncing too high off the ground. 
    So staying focused on the way one runs and following these guidelines, can often allow runners to maintain a manageable increase without injury. 
    _ _ _ 
    Top 5 Ways to avoid Stress Buildup and avoid injuries
    1. Take walk breaks more frequently and run shorter run segments
    2. Form: shorter stride, feet low to the ground
    3. Slower long runs, with more walk breaks
    4. Avoid Stretching
    5. Be careful when running speed sessions 

    Jimenez Family Zoo Tour – Jacksonville Zoo

    Family fun
    All about that bump…
    34 weeks! 

    Our third and final Zoo for the tour was the Jacksonville Zoo. We woke up a little later than we wanted, BUT our little lady was SO exhausted so it was nice to get some extra sleep.

    When we arrived at the Jacksonville Zoo I was so excited, it was really big and organized, and pretty!   To be honest, it felt like we were standing in line to go to Busch Gardens.  It was also exciting to watch our Little Lady excitedly run into the zoo. By the time we made it to this zoo, she was a pro!

    She would run from exhibit to exhibit to and shout “Dadda, Dadda” and point. I LOVED it! Chris and I love to go to the zoo, we love to walk around and see the animals and just enjoy a relaxing day together. There is nothing more magical than seeing your daughter enjoy the same things that you love.

    “Dadda, Dadda!”
    Showing Dadda the ducks.
    Elephants!
    Mommy’s favorite exhibit at the Zoo.
    The Giraffe Exhibit
    Snack Break! 

    We spent about 7 hours at the zoo, and just barely made it through all the exhibits before the zoo closed. Thankfully the zoo was well organized with one main road through the center with several loops of animals to look at.

    Some of our favorite exhibits included:

    • Giraffes
    • Elephants
    • Aviary (not my favorite, because I’m scared of birds)
    • Leopard 
    • Zebra
    Planning our next stop! 
    Petting Zoo!

    She LOVED petting the “dogs” at the Zoo. 
    One tired little lady! 

      Our Honeymoon
      St. Augustine
      December 2008
      After Jacksonville we realized we were only about an hour from St. Augustine and… we had a rental car…so it wasn’t miles on our car…and Little Lady would LOVE the Fort… 
      Okay, really… she was asleep in the car and we really didn’t want to just go back to the hotel at 5 p.m., so we decided to go soak in some more vacation in St. Augustine. We went there on our Honeymoon and just love the city, so we decided to go enjoy the evening together. 

      The Gates of the City, St. Augustine
      #awkwardfamilyphoto

      It was great, we loved spending the evening together and with our daughter. I can hardly believe that that will be our last get-away adventure as a family of three before our love bug arrives! I’m excited for our family and looking forward to the arrival of our Love Bug in just a few weeks! 

      Question: What’s one of your favorite places to visit? 

      Jimenez Family Zoo Tour – Santa Fe Zoo

      Family fun

      Next up on our Zoo Tour was the Santa Fe Teaching Zoo in Gainesville, Florida. This Zoo is affiliated with Santa Fe College, and is a place for zoo students to get real life experience during school. It only took us a few hours to see the whole zoo (at a slow pace), and we really enjoyed being shaded by the lush trees, and intimate atmosphere.

      Some of our favorite exhibits included the Gibbons, the Ocelot and of course the Otters!

      There is no splash pad at this zoo, but there is a nice play ground for the kids to enjoy, and a large picnic area out side of the zoo.

      After the Zoo we went to visit my family for the afternoon.

      Jimenez Family Zoo Tour – Central Florida Zoo

      Family fun

      Family Vacation Day 1.

      We over slept. 
      Yes, completely slept through our alarms and woke up around 7 a.m.. By 8:00ish we were loaded into our rental car and on our way to the Central Florida Zoo. 
      We decided to stop at Starbucks for some coffee and breakfast (yum) but while we were there my daughters diaper leaked ALL over me (gross) and Starbucks doesn’t have any changing stations (what’s up with that Starbucks, aren’t moms your biggest consumer? – anyway!). Right next to the Starbucks was a Wal-Mart, SO… we went there to clean up the baby and buy me a new shirt to wear (I’d only packed 1 shirt per day of vacation). 
      On the way into Wal-Mart morning sickness got the best of me, AND… I threw up in the plants outside of Wal-Mart. 

      I went to the restroom, cleaned myself up now and headed to the ladies department looking for a new shirt. 
      Back on the road, my husband announces that at a certain location we are going to stop for gas. I was playing Frozen Free Fall on my phone. I had no idea I was supposed to watch for the exit (oops). So, we passed it. 
      Yep. 
      Our car had been telling us we had 0 miles to go until we were stuck on the side of the road, and our GPS was telling us it was 14 miles until the next gas station. 
      On a prayer (and fumes) we made it to the gas station. Thankfully little lady slept through the whole thing! 
      We got some gas, changed a diaper & gave our little lady a snack and headed to the zoo. 

      By the time we made it to the Zoo, we were exhausted. I still didn’t feel well, but we were determined to have a good time and build memories with our little lady. 

      My thoughts on the Zoo.

      Things I liked: 
      • Nice Playground near a snack bar
      • LARGE Splash pad for the kids (also next to a snack bar)
      • Animals were easy to see
      • The Giraffes were active
      • Big play zone outside the zoo (for older kids – ropes course)
      • The boardwalks and trails
      • Lots of parking
      Things I’d have like to see differently: 
      • Consider adding more boardwalk areas 
      • More shade around splash pad 
      • The bees around the splash pad should be re-located 
      • Add changing table to the regular bathroom (near splash zone) for guests not using the splash zone. 
      Question: What’s your favorite animal to see at the Zoo?

      Tips from Jeff Galloway on Injury

      Healthy Living Run Disney

      I’m back from our family zoo tour, and am excited to re-cap our adventures for all of you. BUT! Before I do that, I wanted to bring you some tips about injury from Jeff Galloway.

      From Jeff Galloway

      • Most injuries experienced by my runners are due to 1) pacing long runs too fast, 2) increasing the weekly mileage too quickly, 3) lengthening stride and 4) stretching. 
      • The principal in staying injuring free is to balance gentle stress with the right recovery periods – allowing for rebuilding. – Check out the book Running Injuries by Jeff Galloway for more info. 
      • Finding the right Run Walk Run strategy from the beginning of a run has been the best way I’ve found to stay injury free, come back from an injury and in some cases, continue to run while the injury heels. 
      I agree with finding the right Run Walk Run strategy at the beginning, when I ran my first Marathon at 25 weeks pregnant, I knew I could keep up with the Disney Pacing requirements if I just stuck with 1 minute of running and 1 minute of walking for all 26.2 miles. That pace and strategy helped me to focus on the moment, and not the mile – it carried me to the finish line! 
      More from Jeff Galloway
      • Are you concerned that running will damage joints, and other body parts? I was told this regularly, from my first week of running over 50 years ago but the research shows the opposite result: Runners have healthier joins, etc. than non runners as the decades go by. 
      • While researching for my book RUNNING UNTIL YOU ARE 100, I have reviewed dozens of studies and could not find one showing that running harms legs, feet, joints, etc. 
      • It may surprise you to know that many studies show runners have fewer orthopedic issues compared with non-runnersas the years go by. 
      • A respectful and large population study out of Stanford following thousands of runners over 50 who had run for more than 20 years concluded that runners had less than 25% of orthopedic issues compared to runners of the same age. 
      As long as you stay below the threshold of irritation you can often continue to run while the injury heels – Jeff Galloway 

      Question: Have you ever considered what it’d be like to run at 100? 

      WDW Marathon Weekend – Half Marathon Race Recap

      Run Disney

      Welcome to part 2 of my WDW Marathon Weekend Recaps!!

      In case you missed part one, here’s a link!  WDW Marathon Weekend – Kids Races & Expo

      Now, onto the WDW Half Marathon Recap!!!

      The night before the race we had a dinner at Chef Mickey’s,  and spent some time organizing our outfits and getting ready. I was pretty nervous, but I was in good company. My husband also had a little bit of nerves to deal with.  I hadn’t really thought about the distance we were going to be running over the next two days, I was just focused on finishing.

      The alarm went off bright and early at 2:40 a.m., and suddenly… our daughter began to cry.  Not a simple sleepy whimper, but .. like actual giant tears. My husband and I took turns getting ready and holding her, trying to soothe her tears – but her diaper had leaked so we had to get her cleaned up and back into some dry clothes. As you can imagine, she was NOT impressed.

      My husband takes over the diaper duty while I go grab a bottle of milk, hoping a little milk will save the day (nope, I was wrong). About the time I was going to grab milk my Mother in Law knocked on our door and offered to take her. So, while little lady was screaming we continued to get ready for Part 1 of the Goofy Challenge.

      Oh, is it here that I should mention I was well aware of my pregnancy as Braxton Hicks joined the party?

      goodness – what a morning!

      I drank some water, took some deep breathes and we made it out the door and loaded onto the bus around 3:15 a.m.

      Still dealing with nerves and Braxton Hicks my husband and I took some photos and skipped out on the meet ups with various RunDisney fan groups. Around 4:20 we started the long walk to the corrals, and there we sat for about 2 hours until our turn to start.

      I had packed a pair of old sweats to wear until the start and then toss, but it was SO cold that I ended up wearing them the entire race. – This was new for me, I’ve NEVER in my life run in sweats, in fact… I even had on two layers of shirts and I never once felt the desire to take one off. 40’s is much colder than I’m used too..

      In the corral there was a LOT of complaining around me. People whining about the weather, and whining about the announcers, and this and that and … basically everything. So, I put on my headphones and got myself into “the zone”.

      So, around 6:30 a.m. it was finally our turn to start and I was ready!  I popped out my headphones to soak in the fireworks, and then…we were off.

      My fingers were FROZEN. It was so bad I looked around on the ground for a pair of gloves. I couldn’t believe how cold I was – even though we were running!!! Anyway…

      Since I was 25 weeks pregnant, it was a big deal to keep myself fed, hydrated and my heart rate stable. It’s important to remember that whatever your heart rate is, the baby’s is faster. So, with that in mind I’d trained with a 1:00 / 1:00 ratio of running and walking.  It was how I trained and I was ready to go all 39.3 miles that way. Determined to finish!

      The first 5 miles seemed to fly by! I was surprised because our time didn’t indicate that at all. I blame the long lines for the porta-potties.

      **Sigh** Preggo Problems, always have to pee…

      We approached Cinderella’s Castle and were greeted by Elsa, Anna and Kristoff. I was hoping this would be our chance to actually RUN through the castle… but… nope. Every single person decided to STOP and WALK SLOWLY through the castle and down the ramp.

      *Tear*

      It was so annoying.

      We were finally able to get running again and I still felt pretty strong.

      The next miles were also a blur, I was focused on my 1:00/ 1:00 run-walk so I don’t really remember much about it. When we approached Epcot my heart began to leap for joy.

      We were almost done with Part 1 of the goofy challenge, and did NOT get swept by the “balloon ladies”

      Since we were IN the park and not going to be swept, we stopped to say hey to our good friends Phinea’s and Ferb, Of course we asked “Whatcha doin’??” snapped a photo and continued on our way.

      Hooray, the finish line!! We did it!!!!

      Time: 3:17:35

      Question: Do you ever get so focused on your run that you lose sight of how far you’ve gone, or how much you have left to run?

      Motivation & Tips from Jeff Galloway!

      Healthy Living Run Disney

      If you missed my first post, you can read it here. I was selected to be a part of the Jeff Galloway blogger program! So,  stay turned to my Facebook page & blog for tips and motivation from Jeff Galloway!

      As always, you can check out Jeff Galloway’s tips and motivation on his page www.runinjuryfree.com.

      When I was training for my first Marathon, I used the Run Walk Run method. I really felt that it helped me avoid the “exhaustion wall” because I knew it was an interval and it helped me focus and stay in the moment!

      In researching my book MENTAL TRAINING I discovered that running turns on brain circuits for a better attitude more vitality and empowerment better than other activities studied – Jeff Galloway.

      Yes. So much yes!

      In college, I went to the gym a lot – I never seemed to lose weight (and keep it off) and I never got that “feel good” buzz from working out. Finding running was truly a game-changer for me.

      How about you, does running improve your attitude more than just working out?

      7 Training & Motivational Tips from Jeff Galloway

      Healthy Living Run Disney

      I am SO excited to announce that I have been selected to participate in Jeff Galloway’s blogger program. I was first introduced to Jeff during the WDW Everest Challenge at Disney. It was my first 5K, and I loosely followed one of his training plans. 

      I then followed his training plan to complete my first ever Half Marathon in February of 2013 (Princess Half) Of course, when it was time to train for the WDW Goofy Challenge, Jeff Galloway was my go-to-guy for training plans! (You can read about it here)

      Now that I’ve established, I’m pretty much the number 1 fan. You might still be wondering WHO IS JEFF GALLOWAY??? 

      1972 U.S. Olympian, Jeff Galloway can be referred to as “America’s Coach”, he has helped thousands of people (just like me) train and accomplish running goals with his proven Run-Walk-Run method. Check out his website for additional information. 

      On a personal note, he and his wife were among the first two people to know about Baby #2 (sorry mom!) My husband and I were at the Expo for Disney’s Tower of Terror 10-miler, and we happened to see the Jeff was there talking to runners, giving tips, taking photos, etc… So, we stopped by, said hello and then got to talking about training for the Goofy Challenge. Our conversation was just started when I mentioned I’d be running the Goofy Challenge at 25 weeks pregnant and would LOVE any tips. Immediately he referred me to his (totally adorable) wife, and we talked for a good 20+ minutes about running pregnant, and following the run/walk method. 

      So, I’m VERY excited to be a part of the Jeff Galloway blogger program. Not only because his run/walk method has gotten me to the finish line with a smile on my face EVERY single time I’ve used it, but because I truly believe his advice is helpful and want to share it with all of you! 

      So, here we go! 

      7 Tips for Jeff Galloway himself! 

      • When paced correctly, running delivers the best attitude boost you can get. Sustain this by pacing yourself gently during the first mile or three.
      • A well-paced run enhances vitality for the rest of the day.  Start each run at least 30 seconds a mile slower than you will run at the end.
      • If you have a Run Walk Run strategy that is right for you on that day, it’s possible to feel good after every run-even the marathon.
      • Running is the best stress reliever I’ve found. Research shows that running tends to activate the conscious brain which over-rides the emotional subconscious brain and manages the negative and anxiety hormones during and after the run.
      • Research shows that as runners get faster, their stride length shortens.  A quicker cadence is the mechanical key to faster running.
      • The finishing of a run that is longer than you’ve run in the last 3 weeks can bestow a sense of achievement that is unique and empowering-due to positive brain circuits that are turned on.
      • You can’t run a long run too slowly or take too many walk breaks.  You’ll get the same endurance based upon the distance covered.

      Why Goofy During Pregnancy?

      Healthy Living Run Disney

      If you are new to my blog, and only reading about my Marathon Weekend Adventures (Parts 1, 2, & 3) You might think I’m a little crazy and you know what, that’s okay.

      So, here I am. Answering the question that I’ve gotten already a few times, and if someone has actually asked me – chances are there are people who are thinking it, but not asking.

      So, why goofy?  Why accept the challenge to run 39.3 miles at 25 weeks pregnant?

      Medical Clearance.
      Let’s start here. My Doctor said I could… Now, I am NOT a medical professional, I am a mom-blogger who loves to run. My doctor cleared me to continue training and to run the Goofy Challenge. I reviewed all my fuels with her, my run/walk intervals and I promised that if at any time I were to get a cramp, felt weak, dizzy or any other symptoms of an injury or dehydration I would stop.   I was very open and honest with my doctor about my training – and very grateful for her support.

      January 2013
      Take a walk down memory lane with me for a moment. It was here that I first decided to run the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World. I’d successfully made it through an entire year of changing my lifestyle and getting healthy, I was AT Disney World during Marathon Weekend, surrounded by hundreds (or thousands) of people who LOVED running and many of them were about to complete the Goofy Challenge themselves.

      I was so inspired.

      I was set to run my first half Marathon in about a month (the Princess Half) and completely hooked on running. I’d decided that in 2014, I WOULD run the Goofy Challenge, and I WOULD have a blast doing so.

      April came along, and we registered. Around the time we registered, or a little before… I even posted about how we would be training for the next 9 months and compared it to another 9 month life changing experience … (post here)

      Isn’t it ironic that instead of the 9 months of Marathon Training I thought I was going to have, I ended up spending the next 9 months preparing for motherhood? … Crazy – I know.

      Our family was growing, and I was due the weekend after Marathon Weekend. Goofy would have to wait… I was able to run until 38 weeks pregnant (all with medical clearance from my doctor), and continued to eat healthy and make plans for crossing the finish line for the Goofy Challenge.

      January 2014, we welcomed Little Lady into our lives, and it was beautiful. Our little family of 2 had now grown to 3 and honestly… I hardly remember life without her (that’s a lie, we slept more).

      In late February i’d received medical clearance to run and resume all forms of exercise. I actually didn’t start much more than walking until March of 2014.

      From March – June I focused on my core doing yoga and programs such as PIYO, with the intent to begin training for the Goofy Challenge on July 1.

      July 1 – day one of training.

      YAY!!!! I’m finally training for the Goofy Challenge, it was AWESOME!! Our little lady was big enough to handle being in a jogger, and we were ready to train.

      Around September I found myself in bed (or hugging a toilet) for 3 days. I thought I had been over training, or perhaps doing too much. I had recently returned to work, I was still trying to breastfeed, I was not sleeping more than about 5-6 hours a night and honestly I just thought I was tired.

      On day 3 of not holding anything down, feeling weak and overly emotional I called my husband at work and asked him to take me to urgent care. I just wanted to feel better, I wanted to feel better so I could start running again. I HAD to cross that finish line…

      While at Urgent Care they asked my permission to test for pregnancy. I honestly didn’t think much of it and when the doctor came in evaluated me and told me he wasn’t sure what was wrong other than severe dehydration i’d gone back to my original thought that I was over-doing it – and there was not a baby on the way.

      When he ran back in and told me he “solved the mystery” I was a little stunned (mostly at how excited he was) – he says “You’re pregnant!”

      I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe it… Pregnant,… again? Will I ever get to Run the Goofy Challenge? He put me on an IV with fluids, gave me some anti-nausea medication and told me to take a nap.

      So, I napped.

      When I got home, I called my OB and scheduled an appointment.

      During my first appointment she sent me right away to have an ultrasound to see how far along I was and when I came back, her first question “Are we Marathon Training again?”

      … she knows me so well.

      Since I was only 7 weeks along, and at the time of the Goofy Challenge I’d still be in my second trimester, she agreed to let me train with the intent of running the challenge. We had many long conversations about fueling, and hydrating and hydrating, and hydrating… and through all the crazy morning sickness (that I still have) I was able to maintain 16 minute miles (with bathroom breaks etc…) so I felt confident I could complete the challenge.

      It was an honor to run with my husband and my bump. I was very focused during the challenge. I was focused on hydrating, and staying in-tune with my body. I made sure I knew what type of turf we were running on so not to trip. I made sure I kept my blood sugars stable by eating constantly, and I made sure to stay away from the middle of the course so that there would be less chance of being in the way of a runner.

      Final thoughts.

      Training for a Marathon with an infant, a pregnancy (with crazy morning sickness), a full time job and a husband was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. BUT – my husband was also committed, and we have such a supportive family that knew of our commitment so it was totally doable.

      Would I do it again?

      Yes.

      Would I do it again pregnant?

      I’d have to review the situation, it totally depends on the pregnancy.

      Question of the Day: Who is in your circle of support for training, or big life commitments?

      WDW Marathon Weekend: Kids Races and Expo Fun!

      Healthy Living Run Disney

      Welcome to Recap 1 of one of the most exciting weekends EVER!!

      My husband and I started our health Journey in January of 2012. We began by simply tracking our calories on MyFitnessPal , walking and drinking more water. I started running one morning when I was embarrassed that an older larger man could run and I couldn’t. So, I took off and ran too. Surprisingly… I didn’t hate it!

      So excited about my new found form of exercise I told a co-worker who then encouraged me to run the Everest Challenge!  We ran the challenge in May of 2012 and from the moment we were hooked on running   crossing finish lines.

      January 2013 we attended the WDW Marathon Weekend (ran the 5K). Marathon Weekend is so inspiring, I hadn’t even run a 1/2 Marathon yet and I told my husband (and announced on Social Media) that in 2014 I was going to run the Goofy Challenge.

      Obviously, the Lord had other plans and instead of running the Goofy Challenge in January of 2014, I was deferring the challenge to welcome our Little Lady into the World.

      So, here we are… Two years later. Recapping the weekend I’ve been thinking about since the last time I was in Disney for Marathon Weekend!

      Thursday, January 8
      3:20 a.m. – The alarm goes off, and our daughter begins to go into hysterics. … A bottle of milk saves the day and we make it out the door by around 3:45ish. Head over to CVS to pick up some last minute items and make it to my husband’s parents house by 4:15.

      Everything gets loaded into the car and we are on our way by 5:00 a.m.

      Around 9:30 we make it to O-town and stop for Breakfast at Cracker Barrel!

      10:30 it’s EXPO time!!!


      I’d done a bit of planning so I knew exactly what building we needed to go to in order to grab Little Lady’s packet. There was NO line for her bib OR our Goofy Bib’s so we went ahead and grabbed the bibs, snapped our “goofy challenge” picture and headed out to the field for Little Lady’s race.

      Unfortunately, it was about 40 degrees with a windchill so our little Miami lady was NOT willing to leave our arms for the race. We put her in about 3 different heats of the Diaper Dash and she flat out refused to move for either one.

      **sigh**

      Oh well,… another time.

      After the kids races we went back through the Expo to pick up our shirts and check out the Merchandise. I was pleasantly surprised at how much official merchandise there was and how smooth everything seemed to be flowing at the Expo.

      I purchased an “I did it” shirt for the Goofy Challenge and the Marathon, and promptly put them at the bottom of my drawer in the hotel. I was NOT going to even THINK about them as part of my wardrobe until I’d actually accomplished the Goofy Challenge!

      Other than the official merchandise, we really didn’t spend too much time at the Expo looking around. I was quite tired and getting hungry so we opted to head over to our hotel to check in and have some lunch.

      It was great to run into my friend Lena from The Beginners Runner Blog and catch up.

      My First Daughter’s Birth Story

      Mom Life

      I wrote this post a year ago, and wasn’t sure if I would post it. BUT, as we celebrate one year with our Little Lady, I felt ready to share our story of induction.  Recaps from my Marathon will begin either late this week or over the weekend, but for now.. enjoy.

      January 10th, 
      This is the day that I was “supposed” to be giving birth. Due to a Policy enforcement from the Hospital, my OB was not able to induce me before 39 weeks. Since, I was 39 weeks on Sunday I had to wait. … 
      Not really a big deal except my OB was going to be out of the office during my 39th week. Therefore, the baby would be delivered by a different doctor. 
      When I got the news of this Wednesday evening, I cried. I’d spent my whole pregnancy going over EVERY detail with my OB. I was comfortable with her, and was just ready to bring Baby Jimenez into the world with her help. 
      I nervously waited to meet the new doctor, and was pleasantly surprised when I actually felt a sense of peace upon meeting him. He was nice, competent and very respectful that I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the last minute change in plans. 
      The Weekend
      The weekend was exhausting. Since we were supposed to have already given birth, we had quite a bit of inquiries as to why I was still pregnant. It was exhausting, but we survived and Monday finally came! 
      Monday, January 13th 
      My only plans for the day were to get my nails done and sleep. Of course my phone charger had broken, and we realized we had several last minute things to do – so Chris took me to the nail salon for a manicure and pedicure while he ran all over town. 
      8:30 p.m. – Time to leave. 
      We excitedly left the house and drove to the hospital. I was so giddy with excitement, even though I’d been warned that inductions take time, I was just so excited and in my mind Riley was going to be here in a matter of hours. 
      By 9:30 we were taken to our delivery room, and we began the exams, IV’s, blood pressure … etc, etc.. 
      11:00 p.m. –  First dose of medication. 
      11:20 p.m. – A visit from my parents. They visited for a while and then headed to our house to get some sleep. 
      3:00 a.m.  – 1 CM dilated. 
      8:20 a.m. – 1 CM dilated 
      10:45 a.m. – The Doctor stopped by, told me not to stress. Sometimes inductions take time, but we were going to have the baby and we were not even considering a c-section. 
      12:05 p.m. – Let the Pitocin begin. (p.s., still only 1 CM after 3 doses of the first medication) This was very frustrating for me because my contractions were getting ridiculously harder but nothing was happening! 
      2:30 p.m. – Still only 1 CM, the contractions were out of control. I had just been told that another woman was in the same boat as me (only 1 CM after 3 doses of medication and pitocin) and she just came out from a c-section. I guess that they were trying to comfort me… but all it did was freak me out. When the Doctor told me I was still only 1 CM, I broke down in tears and begged for the Epidural. 
      I’d had several conversations with the Doctor about the Epidural, and although I was nervous, he assured me that the Epidural would help me to relax and allow my body to progress.

      So, the Epidural came. I (of course) cried through the whole thing. My nurse held my hand and told me it was going to be okay, I kept asking why I couldn’t feel my legs, and if I was going to be able to walk again.  I think I might have been less stressed if the girl prepping me for the Epidural wasn’t singing “I do what I want, what I want with my body…” But, it was a memory. I also kept looking over at Chris, and thinking “why is he still in here? – I hope he doesn’t pass out”. Chris didn’t pass out and after my nurse assured me about 900 times that I would be able to walk again, I finally relaxed. 

      By 3:30 I was still only 1 CM and was in no pain, so we allowed some family to come visit. It was fun watching all our family members inspect the room. Of course the medical family members wanted to look at the print out of the babies heart rate, and the non-medical people would explore all of the stuff prepped for Baby’s arrival.
      Around 4:30, my nurse came in and I told her that “I peed on myself”. She laughed at me and said there is no way I peed on myself and I’m just feeling the effects of the epidural. Still feeling like I was sitting in a pool of water (gross, I know) I accepted it. 
      Around 5:30 I still felt like I had peed on myself so I told her again. The nurse said she’d test my glucose levels and then check, but there was no way I could have peed on myself.  
      Turns out … my water had broken! 
      What an answer to prayer! At 6:00 p.m., if I still wasn’t progressing, the doctor was going to manually break my water (something I was quite nervous about) 
      Doctor came in, the nurse explained the situation – we all got a good laugh about my description of my water breaking and I was now 4 or 5 CM dilated! 
      I was told to take a nap because baby would probably be here around 11:00 p.m. Then, the doctor went off to have dinner and the nurse went to re-chart everything from when I “peed on myself”.
      Chris came over, gave me a kiss and I started to go to sleep, while he pulled up netflix on the Kindle. 
      6:37 p.m. – The nurse RUNS in and says “I need to check you RIGHT NOW!, something strange happened” Now, I’m nervous. … all I could think was something was wrong with Baby! 
      I’d felt a strange urge to push about the time she ran in – but was now too scared to move. 
      Chris was on my left side and the nurse shouts out “Oh my God, Oh my God! – I gotta call the doctor right now!” As she takes off her gloves she manages to say “9.5 CM!, get ready baby is coming!” 
      Pause. 
      The shift changes at 7:00 p.m., it’s now about 6:40. 
      The next few minutes felt like an eternity. 
      • I can hear the the chaos outside my room as they are trying to get ahold of my doctor.
      • I can hear the chaos of them trying to see if my evening nurse was in yet. 
      • I can hear the nurses laughing. 
      • I can see Chris pacing… 
      We made the decision not to text the family that she was coming. To be honest, there wasn’t time. Chris had to clean up our stuff, put the couch back together and then it happened. 
      The doctor arrived. It was now about 7:10 p.m.. He and the day shift nurse prepped Chris to assist with the Birth of Riley while the evening nurse got herself settled.  
      The doctor had given Chris instructions, and asked him to go over to the couch if he at any time felt nauseated. The doctor then performed an exam to see how I was progressing and said “Look Daddy, she’s blonde like her Mom”.
      Now, I’m no doctor. … in fact, medical stuff grosses me out. But … doesn’t that mean that I’m crowning? 
      Yes. Riley was indeed ready to come. 
      In the room is still only Chris, 1 nurse and the Doctor. Due to the change of shift, they were still trying to get everyone in place. 
      With Chris on one side, and a nurse (who I still at this point don’t even know her name) the doctor asks 
      “Erin, Did you take a birth class” 
      “yes”

      “What do you remember, about pushing?”

      In a very frighten, shaken voice I shout “NOTHING” 

      “Don’t worry, that’s very common! We will help you through this” 

      5 sets of pushing later, at 7:30 p.m. Ms. Riley Noelle was in our arms. A 6 pound, 3 ounce healthy little girl, full of energy!
      As she was being born, the other nurses, and neonatologist arrived and began to introduce themselves to me. 
      My birth experience was not how I could have ever imagined it, but it was perfect. The Lord blessed me with a quick and safe delivery of our baby girl. 

      Family Announcement, Stay at Home Home

      Mom Life

      2015 is here!!

      As 2015 approaches, here a couple things I am looking forward to this year. 
      Completing the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World. That’s right, I want to complete the 39.3 mile challenge, and claim that beautiful bling and join the ranks of a select group on people who have completed a Marathon (all while being pregnant – because I’m slightly crazy GOOFY!)
      I’m looking forward to welcoming Baby 2 this April! I’ve been working on pulling out all the tiny baby girl stuff, and organizing it – anything to help get ready for baby girl, and also keep my mind busy. Every time I have a spare minute I start to panic about the Goofy Challenge… yikes! 
      I’m also looking forward too…
      • Reading more books with Little Lady
      • Sleeping less (wait? not really!)
      • More home cooked meals 
      • More Yoga pants / less heels 
      • Potty Training 
      • Weaning a baby off of a pacifier
      • More laughing

      and most of all, … I’m looking forward to transitioning into the role of Stay at HOME Mom!!!!