True Love

I LOVE snuggling my sleeping little munchkin!

True Love = not caring that after sleeping in my arms for over an hour she peed on me in her sleep. 

It had been the perfect afternoon of wine tasting and snuggling my munchkin while she slept in my arms. At almost 4 years old she is so close to never sleeping in my arms again, I'll risk being peed on.

Aside from being slightly embarrassed about walking through the winery looking like I drank so much I peed myself it wasn't that big of a deal really. And, let's be honest we were able to sit in the sun, taste glass after glass of wine, and enjoy spending relaxing time with my Dad and his friend all in peace without having to worry about Sky getting bored. 

Yea it was worth being peed on.

I'll post more later...time to get back to real life and take care of things around the house. 

Thankful Thursday!

Things I'm Thankful For Today:

-Sky may not swim like a fish (her words) but she does swim...right into the next class. After 4 (or is it 5) sessions in the same class I'm thankful it sunk (actually there is no sinking going on!) in this time through. She's loving it, and learning self sufficiency and confidence in the water...very important!

She's excited to be moving on to the next class!

-For fun weekends with friends, and especially friends for Sky to adore!

Hit up the UPS Flea Market last weekend with the Beckhams...love the aprons from the pickle lady!

-To Jena and Brooks Running for Sky's new kicks, and my amazingly (blister free) new trail shoes! We are both now Running Happy! And, should sky go on to accomplish amazing things in her running life Jena and Brooks get credit for being her first official shoe sponsor! :)

She LOVES her Pureflo's...won't take em off! 

My new Puregrit trail shoes! I will do a review post after running in them a few more times!

Trail shoes & Mud, as it should be!

-Fresh, perfectly ripe strawberries!

-Long run for the week is already done and I have a massage this morning to help with recovery!

-For sunny, not rainy, group runs with the store! And, for busting out the rainbow, chevron bic band. It just makes me smile! 

-Morning coffee and Sky sleeping in. It's a toss of the dice is she'll get up at 5 am or 7 am. So any time I get a solid hour of coffee, email, blogging, reading my book time before she gets up is a great morning indeed! 

-It's been a busy life the last few weeks, but a good life. The fun continues this weekend and next. I'm thankful to have family and friends that are family to share the crazy fun with! 

-The opportunity to run another bucket list race this year! Rainier to Ruston Relay...here I come! So excited to run with with Elya and her team! 

-Spring Break next week, and I'm looking forward to having a more open schedule for Sky and I to have fun with. Hoping we have some good weather to work in some outdoor fun!

What Are You Thankful For Today?

I've Reconnected With an Old Flame

Mark is finding out about this the same time all of you are...sorry bout that babe! ;-)

Actually it's more like 5 old flames named Steven, Joe, Joey, Tom, and Brad otherwise known as Aerosmith.

It's been a sad almost 4 years with Sky riding around in my car. You see she loves music, all kinds of music really. We listen to everything from Swingers and Singers, Blues, Dance, Country, Top 40/Pop, and good old Rock n Roll. But, her love of music has not extended to Aersmith, my first and only TRUE music love.

This is the baby that during the first 6 months would only stop crying in the car if we played Eminem, which we gladly did. Anything to make the crying stop right?! But, every time I'd put Aerosmith on she'd cry and cry, and when she started talking would say "no music mommy, I don't like", and I would sadly turn it off.

I've been diligent though and every few weeks sneak a CD in and give it a try. I am determined that she is going to accept Aerosmith into her life!

 Just a few from my collection...there are a lot more!

My plan has worked, we now have Aerosmith in regular rotation in the car, along with some of her faves like Bruno Mars and JT. 

It's about time! This may make me sound old, but I'm so over most of the music being played today. It's hard to flip through the stations and not hear about bringing booty back, falling in love with a stripper (oh yes I have major issues with Ushers new single), chains, rides, clubs, and many, many, many less than ideal ways to refer to women. 

Let me be clear, some of the music/artists I actually like, but I'm an adult with a firm grasp on my self worth, self esteem, and am comfortable with the perfectly imperfect body I'm working with. Sky, isn't though, and I feel like I'm fighting a battle on multiple fronts when it comes to limiting the types of body messages she's hearing. 

Raising Sky aside...Frankly, a lot of the music sounds the same, and listening to the radio isn't all that exciting any more. A lot of it, just isn't that great. If it were not for the magic created in a studio there are a lot of artists that wouldn't even exist. But, thanks to this over perfected and produced society we live in it doesn't take much talent these days. 

Anyway back to my Old Love of Aerosmith. It feels good to have them back in rotation in my life. And, yes I'm aware that a lot of their songs contain less than ideal messages for an almost 4 year old, but we all have our lines I guess. I'd rather she hear some of the swear words and sex/rock n roll related songs from Aerosmith than hear from Usher to go make it rain while shaking your big booty on the pole. Or hear about how some guy is going to make her is wifey and buy her Louboutin's, a mansion with 5 pools (she may like the pools actually) and a Rolls. 

It's hard to pick favorites because each album and song has emotions and memories tied to it for me, but this may be my favorite Aerosmith album. They do the Blues very well!

This is the album we listen to the most. I was scared when it came out that it wouldn't be Aerosmith worthy, but it's good. Really, really good. It's them with a fresh new twist, but still classic Aerosmith all the way. Love it! 

Music choice is personal, as are parenting decisions...this is my thing that I'm choosing to take a stand on...I couldn't care less if others don't think it's a big deal. No judgment here...just sharing what's on my mind today. 

P.S. It may sound like I have an issue with booty, since I've mentioned it several times. I get that some feel like they have validation now that Meghan Trainer is All About That Bass. The flip side of that is there are girls/women that don't have booty to sing about or show off, and what does that song do to their self image? Not to mention she refers to skinny girls without booty as bitches. She says it's a joke in the next line but how old will Sky be before she can understand that sort of humor? 

It's a darn catchy song and I tend to not realize it's even on until it's almost over, but until I know Sky is comfortable with her body, looks, hair, intelligence etc that song, and many others are not on our hit list. 

P.P.S. I'm also well aware that this is something Mark and I play a huge part in every day in the things we say, how we interact with each other and her, and how I present myself as a woman to the world. Like I said it's a battle being fought on many fronts.

The Numbers Game

I have a love hate relationship with numbers. Math has never been my thing so numbers have always been a bit vexing to me. Yet, as an avid home chef I use numbers every single day when cooking. To get the results I want I have to nail the numbers (measurements/cooking temp & time/timing of when each dish is finished so they hit the table at the same time). Don't even get me started on the numbers game runners play!

A lot of life is measured by numbers. Everything from how many minutes a day of play your tot needs, how many days of vacation you have, square footage of your home, how quickly your car goes from 0 to 60, how much is in the 401K, to what size jeans you wear.

Numbers, numbers everywhere.

(Numbers on the track)! Michelle and I hit the track to do a portion of our Saturday long run. I don't love track running, but I have to admit it felt really good on my body. I may be a convert. 

I've been blogging/reading blogs for a long time and a when it comes to fashion and running blogs in particular numbers are a big deal. It's how you convey the progress of your training plans and if you reached your goals or not (something readers feel invested in if they have been following for a while). It's also how you give people a reference point for knowing what size they should order if they like the fashion you are posting links to.

Numbers can be an important tool, and provide helpful information. Except when they don't.

I'm pretty confident and comfortable with who I am, and what sort of runner I am. But, I'm not going to lie it gets hard reading blog posts from (non professional) runners talking about how they had a bad race, and had to run so slow that they almost DNF'd (did not finish) because what was the point. 9 times out of 10 they are running my pace, or a pace that is fast for me. Most of the time I skim right over that part and don't care, but after years and years of reading blogs it gets old.

After a while it's hard not to think "man I wish I ran like so and so"..."I wish I was this or that like so and so"..."I wish I could wear that size"...you get the idea.

The Pilates group I'm part of has a self care theme every month and this month it's "Be Kind to Yourself". Strive for a state of grace, not perfection...and for sure don't strive for another persons idea of perfection, or in this case numbers.

While I'm not arrogant enough to think anyone reads my blog or posts to try and be like me, or strive for the "numbers" I post, more and more I've been struggling with contributing to the numbers game on social media. While I can't be held responsible for others personal struggles/issues, I also don't want to contribute to them.

I can't change the numbers driven world, but I can change how numbers driven my part of the world is. To that end I will no longer be posting here/ FB/IG, my running stats. The numbers don't matter, they just don't. I may mention the distance here or there, but specifics about pace, finish times etc. will go unmentioned.

Instead I am going to try and share photos from runs (like the track photo above from Satruday's, wet, cold, windy long run), the highlights, and not highlights of a run, but the numbers of the run will be left out. I'm not ashamed of my numbers at all, and if anyone wants to know email/message me and I'll share.

I just don't want to be caught up in measuring my life or worth in numbers. And, I don't want to contribute to others doing so either.

Trail run Sunday with my munchkin.

It's all about how much fun I have along the run, not how long it took me to finish. :) 

Total side note, Sky is the wrong person to run with when the training plan calls for a slow, easy run. We'd be running along and all of a sudden she yells "run faster" and takes off. Then 10 second later, "run slower", then "walk" over and over and over. Intervals are not my idea of a slow easy run!

If you need an interval coach she takes payment in princess dresses and pixie dust. 

P.S. This is not criticism or judgment towards those that do share such info on blogs/social media. I totally get the why behind it, and sometimes numbers are the only way to share the reference points...I get it! Keep doing your thing, and I'll keep doing mine, and we can all be happy together! :)

 

Thankful Thursday!

Things I'm Thankful For Today: 

-Finding a parking spot outside my old office building and visiting with former co-workers. I miss them a lot, not the job, but the people...I miss the people!

-Salmon burger, good GF buns (Franz), home made dressing & fry sauce, french fry's, and cold, crisp, white wine. Hit's. The. Spot.

There is a salmon patty under all that cabbage!

-Eleanor at Embellish Salon...Sky was so excited to get her hair cut, had an opinion about what needed to happen with the style and color (yes, she asked for color), and had a blast the entire time. 

 Bottom R - getting her hair washed (I love those big eyes gazing up at Eleanor!), Bottom L - she is so sassy and pleased with herself (Sky that is), Top R - Elanor asked her to look down at her shoe, she brought it up to her face instead, Top L - getting Neon Yellow temporary color in her hair...so fun! 

-I got to see how adorable these two are together. Sky's teachers and Jonah's Mom keep telling me how infatuated he is with her...I mean how cute is this?! 

I think we can official call him her first boyfriend...I mean they hugged (that's a very safe hug on the left Sky...good girl!), that's a big deal! ;-)

-Field trip to the Fire Station. The timing could not have been more perfect. Sky has been really scared of fire, fire trucks, and fire men of late. Her fear showed itself a few times today, but the firemen were so awesome and she did a complete 180 by the end of the field trip. Sitting on the motorcycle helped a ton, she was ready to ride and even asked if she could put on the helmet and drive it. 

By the time the class pic rolled around she was over done and not having it. Stinker.

-Glow in the dark stars on her ceiling. She stopped taking naps a long time ago, but those stars have resulted in her laying on her bed for an hour or more in the middle of the day star gazing. "They are so pretty and sparkly mommy"!

 There are a ton of stars across the entire ceiling...it's was really hard to get any sort of good picture of them though. 

-For blue sky's and beautiful weather for our speed workout last night. I prefer cooler weather, but have to admit sunny blue sky was sure nice. 

-Getting to see the hubby this afternoon. Sky and I don't make our way downtown very often, so it's always a treat when we get to see him in the middle of the work day. 

-This amazing stay at home mommy life I have. Visiting my former coworkers today, and hearing over and over again how lucky I am things worked out the way they did was a good reminder. Even on the frustrating days I'm so thankful, but it's nice to be reminded from those who knew me in my professional life.

-March Madness...one of my favorite times of year! Go Duke!

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What are you Thankful For today?!

Success at the Dentist

I am so proud of Sky and her visit to the dentist yesterday! (Great way to spend St. P Day right?!). The last two yeas have been rough, in fact it went so poorly last year that I called Mark on the way home and said never again. I will never take her by myself again. 

Our plan this year was to book all 3 of appointments back to back. She would be able to watch one of us go first, have her appointment with both of us there to help, and then go have fun while the last appointment took place.

I don't know if it was because Mark was there, she got to watch him go first, she's a year older, the hygienist was awesome with her, they covered teeth health in school or what. But she did amazing! She was literally trying to kick Mark out of the chair to have her turn! 

Ready to go and waiting for the hygienist.

Holding Daddy's hand helped, and they let her pick her treasure before the appointment so she had a tiny little toy camera to hold onto as well. She had a choice of raspberry or orange polish and went with orange, and she loved having the sucker think in her mouth sucking out all the water. 

The last few months she has grown up so much from mastering the "big kid" toys at the park, graduating to a real bike (with training wheels), swimming like it ain't no thing, to being brave at the dentist. 

At home I can get frustrated with her do it herself'ness, her conviction that she's right and knows exactly what should be happening at any given time, her ability to turn time out into the greatest game ever. But, you know what...all those things are serving her well in the "real" world. She still needs direction, encouragement, and a hand to hold sometimes, but this strong, sassy, self assured little girl is taking on her world and shinning. 

Rather than be sad that she doesn't even look my direction at the pool any more for thumbs up, and doesn't shout at me to watch her I'm just really happy that she's brave enough to be her own person in her own little part of the world. Parenting is all about getting them ready to function in the world in a way we can be proud of, and seeing her make her way into her part of the world (as it is right now with school/swimming/making new friends etc), and become her own little person is just amazing. I know it's not "job well done" yet...there is a long, and sometimes bumpy, road ahead still...but I'm enjoying it right now! 

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After the dentist I joined asics for the Fleet Feet Tacoma Tuesday night group run! I found a leprechaun and beer at the end of the run! 

Beer at the end of a run is way better than a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! :) 

 Me & Yannick!

I didn't run in my socks...I test ran some asics and had not put my shoes back on yet.

 

 

Catching Up On Life

I had no idea 4 runs a week would be so much harder to work into the schedule than 3 would be. With 3 if one had to shift it was no big deal, but with 4 if one shifts it shifts all the others, especially with the way this training program is set up. The runs are in a specific order for a reason and it doesn't work well to jumble it all up. 

Add in that I'm trying really hard to only bust out the laptop in the morning before Sky's up, and leave after her bedtime laptop free, as much as possible, so Mark and I have our evenings together. Something had to give last week and it was the blog. 

Sticking to the training plan is paying off though. Michelle and I ran Tacoma's St. P Day race Saturday morning (5K) and it was our best time on that course. A course neither one of us cares for, but we managed to stay at or below goal race pace (for SB Half) and finished fast enough to earn a coveted finishers pint glass. I actually dislike this course so much that I only run this race every other year. It takes that long to get over how much I despise the course. We had fun though, and it felt good mentally to run a race again, push the pace, push up the hills, even if it didn't feel super great physically. My legs just don't have it back yet, but they are getting there. 

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Non running stuff we've been up to since the last post.....

Bruno Mars turns a sleepover into a dance party!

 My fave Hefe!

 It's a picture of her school picture...I think it's just lovely! 

 The things Silas puts up with. 

 Seriously missing the string of sunny days we had. She wants to run and ride, and given her progress at swimming she may just be a triathlete in the making! 

 Crashed out after something we were doing, which I can't remember now. Mostly I love that she picks this hat to wear!

 I love any drink that has ginger in it...I love that pop of flavor. This was kale, ginger, pear, and pineapple and was really yummy!

 This girl has more wheels than anyone I know! Her newest bike accessory...she loves it! 

 That face again...it's her determined face!

Now, back to rainy PNW weather, and real life. Sky is fascinated with work. What daddy does, what my work is (I tell her it's taking care of her, the house, daddy, and cooking), and what her work is. Today it's swimming and we spend our drive time talking about what work she will do in the pool. Same goes for school mornings, school is her work for the day and we talk about what she will do at work. 

Trying to get her to make the connection between daddy working, and making money, and her being able to get the new dress and pants we found for her yesterday. She's all about paying and money...pretty big concepts for an almost 4 year old. But, the earlier she learns the more apt she will be to be responsible with her own money some day. 

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Who's ready for March Madness?! I am...have my bracket filled out and a fun friends group set up for others to join. Since being a SAHM I have filled out a bracket, but missed being part of a group, so this year I changed it up a bit. Nothing but bragging rights at stake, but that's enough for me! 

TGIF!

It's a sunny Friday and that makes me happy! No school or lessons today, Friday is sort of our free day to play or just do whatever. It's nice to have one day a week open to whatever pops up, it's even better that's it's beautiful in the PNW right now. And, even better that two of my favorite people sent texts asking for fun time today!

TGIF indeed...it's always nice to kick off the weekend with some wine!

It's hard to believe that I'll be drinking wine in SB in about 2 months! Until then I got this yummy bottle of Riesling at Trader Joe's for $4.99! That's a great deal for a nice Riesling. We are not huge white wine fans, but this one is good without being too sweet, so it get's my stamp of approval!

Oh, and I'll be running a 1/2 in SB as well, I guess it's not all about the wine even though it's a wine half marathon.

Traveling to run a half = running away I think. This training cycle is starting out rough so I'm super thankful I have an awesome trip to SB, with my BF, I'll get to visit my sis in law and her boys, and I get to run what is going to be a mostly flat/downhill race through beautiful vineyards. Seriously thinking about how awesome the reward will be is the only thing keeping me going. If this were a local race I would probably scrap the whole darn thing.

I don't even know how to convey how hard this silly little 5 miles at that pace felt. It's hard to not let it get to me mentally. Those numbers are so far from where I was after the last half I ran. I keep telling myself that I have to let that go. There's been injury and illness since that last race and this is a comeback. To be running at all is an accomplishment. I'm trying really hard to trust the training, stick the plan (only .5 miles off from the total miles for the week, so I'm catching up quicker than I thought after being sick), and believe that I will be ready for race distance and pace when the gun goes off.

Have to keep the big picture in mind!

Something funny on my run yesterday...

There was a plunger in the outhouse. I don't even understand how that would work, or why it would be needed. I don't think I want to understand actually. I'm predicting that is the least used plunger in the state. I mean, why, just why would you need a plunger in an outhouse?!

I'm going to try to photograph and odd or funny thing every run...maybe that will help keep my mind off of how hard it feels right now.

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Cute Sky Pic....

She loves that yellow Steelers dress and picks it out for school at least once a week. Her teachers get a kick out of it. She also loves tromping around the house in Mark's work boots. So silly.

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Anyone have fun Friday or weekend plans?

Who's running this weekend?

6 mile training run Sat am and a 2.5 easy shake out Sunday for me.

Thankful Thursday

Things I'm Thankful For Today:

-Running...it's happening. Slowly, but surly it's happening and not causing accident related flare up's, and the little accident I had the other day that resulted in losing part of a toenail hurts, but not enough to stop the running. Finally, feels like Santa Barbara training is really and truly happening!

-How 2 Wear It is a fashion blog I stumbled upon one day and was an instant fan. Mostly because it's "normal" every day fashion from places like Old Navy, or more affordable lines at Nordstrom. Don't get me wrong I follow a few HIGH end fashion blogs with beautiful images of stuff I'll never be able to afford, and even if I could afford it wouldn't choose to. It's fun to look though. It's just really nice to find a blogger styling pieces that I actually own, or can go get easily!

Outfits above and below were items I owned already and were styled on How 2 Wear It! 

-Boyfriend jeans, really thankful for boyfriend jeans! Above jeans are Kut From The Kloth and fit perfectly if you size down two sizes. Still get the loos feel/benefit of a boyfriend jean, but not baggy.

-New Stella & Dot Bling! I'm loving the rebel pendant I got at Michelle's party, and am currently deciding which pieces I'm going to add to my collection using Host Benefits from the party I held. So much pretty stuff! I like how it ads a bit of edge to what could be an otherwise boring (ish) outfit.

-Sward fighting on the walk home from the park...totally normal around here!

-Freshly ground coffee every morning...it makes me feel spoiled.

-Jose Cuervo makes a pretty decent pre-mixed margarita for those lazy days when I don't want to make it from scratch myself.

-That I have the best pilates partner ever. We have so much fun, and in turn I get a double workout (plank with an extra 37 lbs on my back is way harder!).

What are you thankful for today?

Living The Sky Life - Photo Dump

I have random photos that I want to share but none of which are an entire blog post worthy. So today you get the random photos of Sky phone photo dump. I guess 4 photos isn't all that much, but my phone is so problematic that I can't store very many photos on it or it crashes. I'm on a post to the blog and then delete mission the rest of the week! Or maybe just delete a lot of them mission. :)

 Keeping her buddy Woody handy in her back pocket while she climbs the ladder to nothing.

 Can I do potties (Pilates) with you mommy? I'm doing it mommy, I'm doing it!

 I am so proud of how much progress she's made swimming! She's gone from needing tons of help to "do it by self" in a short amount of time. Now she's making progress every week. She was stuck for a LONG time but all of a sudden it clicked!

That look of determination while she balances, climbs, or takes on a challenging new task. 

I love that face, and I love the huge smile that comes after she's accomplished whatever it is she's trying to accomplish. This balance beam is on bungee cords and another kiddo kept bouncing it while Sky was trying to cross. Rather than get mad she just kept getting back on and starting over until she made it across bouncing and all. 

That determination is going to take her places!