Marathoning Part 1 - The Decision

I came across this post recently, and was inspired and intrigued to learn more. Luckily for me, my friend Deb at Stilettos to Sneakers is a marathoner, and she graciously agreed to write a guest series on marathoning for us! Are you inspired to run a marathon? Just looking to find your inner runner? She has tips for all of us. I have always wondered what prompts someone to set such a lofty goal. This first post is about the decision, and reasons you might want to run a marathon. Please show her a warm welcome and lots of comment luv!

I have been running for a very long time - at least 26 years qualifies as a long time in my mind. I was 14 when I made that first run around my neighborhood, and running soon became an addiction of sorts. It felt so good to get out in the crisp air and move my body. I continued running even when I became an exchange student in Japan - then through college, multiple moves, a divorce and a marriage. In fact the only time since then that running hasn't been a part of my life was when I was pregnant with twins.

I often get asked the question, "Why a marathon? Why run 26.2 miles?" My answer is always twofold: first, that it feels good to accomplish something as physically and mentally difficult as completing a marathon, and second, that having an endgame or goal keeps me training.

My first marathon coincided with my 30th year. I was ready for an accomplishment in my life. I was a bit unsure of where I was in life, where my career was going, whom I was dating - you name it - it was a very confusing time of my life.

With encouragement from a friend, I started training for a spring marathon. Crossing that finish line was one of the best feelings I've ever had in my life. (right behind holding my children for the first time, falling in love with my husband and eating chocolate!) The feeling of accomplishment when I finally put my foot over the finish line was euphoric.

Another comment I often get is, "Oh I could never run a marathon!" My answer to that is, "No, with that attitude, you never could..." You have to reach down and find your I-can-do-anything attitude. You have to believe in yourself. With the right training, anyone can run a marathon. It may sound a little inspirational-poster-y, but it's completely true.

If you think you might be interested in running a marathon, here is my top ten list for why you should consider it!
Ten Reasons to Run a Marathon:
1. To achieve a goal and to obtain a sense of physical accomplishment in your life
2. To get in shape and lose weight
3. If you can run a marathon, you can do anything
4. To make friends - there is a big marathoning community
5. Run for a cause
6. Get the very cool finisher's medal
7. Get the goodie bag
8. After long training runs, to be able to eat anything you want
9. It's a great resume builder
10. A great way to commit to lifelong fitness

This week's homework: Think about whether marathoning is for you. Is it a goal you would like to accomplish in your life? Would you like that sense of accomplishment? Are you ready to say, "Yes, I can!"?

Questions? Feel free to comment on my site or email me at mommy2twinkies@yahoo.com

A little more about Deb: As a former banker, From Stilettos to Sneakers describes my life. My closet is full of beautiful shoes that I still wear, even though they are not appropriate for my current job: stay-at-home Mommy of my beautiful twins, Angel and Little Man and CEO of our household. My 'sneaers' or running shoes are part of my daily life as a crazy runner! In addition to running, I'm a bit of a foodie and love to cook, love wine (somewhat trained), and speak French and Japanese. I also love to travel.

Get your Holiday ePlanner!

Are you a planner? A list maker? I am definitely a list maker, especially when things get busy and hectic. Lists keep me focused and on track, they help reduce the likelihood that I'll wander off task and waste time on something that isn't a goal for the day.

Somewhere between all my lists and my goals, I need a plan. I tend to struggle organizing the plan, and I'm always on the lookout for a tool to help me turn my dreams into reality. One of my "dreams" for this holiday season is to be organized and relaxed, to help my daughter begin to understand the magic of the holiday, to start creating some fantastic holiday memories.

With this goal in mind, I was super excited to get to review ListPlanIt's Holiday e-Planner. This planner was just what I needed, bringing some organization to my many lists, a kick in the pants to start a notebook for my holiday plans, and oodles of planning pages for me to work with!

There are pages to help you organize cards, gifts and wish lists, and recipes. There are pages to help you plan parties (an excellent resource year round) and budget your resources. One of my favorite items is a page to help document your holiday memories. Here you can jot down what worked and just as importantly what didn't, so when next year rolls around you don't have to scratch your head and try to remember. There is even a list full of fantastic activities for the holidays, perfect for supplementing my Christmas activity list.

This planner is a real bargain at $4.95, I highly recommend you click over and download yours today! And while you're thinking of your holiday plans, check out Jen's other great site, 100 days to Christmas! Each day she suggests a small task to help keep your plans moving and to keep things from getting hectic as the holidays approach.

Menu Plan Monday - Back on the wagon

Last week I fell off the menu planning bandwagon...sort of. EmDee was on second shift and I was effectively the single parent as we were only in the house together while everyone was asleep. Luckily for me, my sweet husband planned and cooked the week's meals (he just didn't tell me what they were going to be in advance) and kept up on the dishes to help a mama out. Thanks, SHMILY!!

This week we're back to our "normal" routine. Here's what we're planning to eat this week:

Monday: Beef and Noodles, rolls and a green salad
Tuesday: Hashbrown Casserole and green beans
Wednesday: Lettuce wraps and noodle salad
Thursday: Bachelor Beef on noodles and a green salad
Friday: Breakfast - pumpkin banana pancakes and maple sausage

Apparently the lettuce wraps and noodle salad are addictive, because I've been craving them on a regular basis! Luckily they are also cheap and easy...see my last MPM for more details if you're interested. Breakfast for dinner on Fridays is becoming a fun tradition here, one I hope to keep going!

For more menu ideas, visit OrgJunkie

Motrin vs. Moms?

In honor of International Babywearing Week, Motrin apparently decided to take on babywearing in general and babywearing moms everywhere. If you'd like to see the ad, at the time of this post it was still on the front page of their website, here. I think this takes first honors in the "What were they thinking" category this week. In a true showing of the power of marketing to moms (or in this case, not so much) check out the sheer size of the group of mothers talking about Motrin right now by visiting this site.

If you are upset by this ad, what can you do? Join the discussions - there are plenty to be found - and email Motrin to let them know you are upset.

Here is the email I sent them this morning:

I am appalled by the babywearing ad on your front page - did you not talk to any mothers before publishing such an offensive ad? And during international babywearing week no less, was that on purpose? The benefits of babywearing are well documented, and most moms who wear their babies are fiercely loyal to the idea that it's beneficial. Not only that, but if done correctly it doesn't hurt, and is less tiring than holding a baby normally. There are so many legitimate reasons a mom has headaches, couldn't you have picked one of them?

What do you think of this topic, and the ad specifically? I'd love to hear your feedback!

The season of thanks - so grateful!

*An unexpected weekday off to spend together*

*Quiet morning curled up on the couch catching up on reading and sipping coffee*

*Thousands of birds, dancing back and forth across the sky each night on my drive home, starting the flight south for the winter*

*Cold, rainy Sunday spent relaxing warm and toasty at home*

*new friends*

*a healthy family*

*a husband who loves to cook*

*Saturday spent with grandma*

What are you grateful for this week?

We have a Winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Babylegs giveaway!

Random.org says the winners are Lori and Annette. Ladies, I will be contacting you by email today. Thanks again, and look for another fun giveaway coming soon...{{giddy}}

Tip List - A speedy morning routine

Do you have trouble getting out the door in the morning? Each day I feel like I enter a time warp, where no matter what I do, we exit at the same time each morning...so maybe I'm not qualified to speak on the subject {blushing} but here are some tips that DO help things run more smoothly in the morning.

1. Make a list of all the things that need to be done before you walk out the door each day, down to the little details. Assign as many of the things on your to do list to a list called "Before Bed" and do them the night before. The remaining "Morning List" should only have the minimum amount of things required to get out the door successfully on it. Keep these lists handy so you can refer to them.
2. On hectic or hurried mornings, stick to the Morning List. This is my biggest problem, I get sucked into things that don't HAVE to be done that morning, and we end up being late.
3. Do what you can in parallel to save time. I have my coffee brewing while I'm taking a shower. If you have an older child who is capable of doing a lot of his morning routine without supervision, wake him up at the right time so you are ready to assist as needed when he's finished what he can do alone.
4. If you have to have that first cup of coffee before anything else, program it to be ready and waiting when your alarm goes off.
5. If you and your family shower in the morning, see if you can't make your showers 5 minutes or less. To help kids learn how to do that and make things fun, bring in a timer over the weekend and let them "race" the clock to see how fast they can get done (making sure they are getting adequately cleaned). If your family enjoys competition, keep track of everyone's time and declare a winner.
6. Know your hairstyle and what it needs each day to work for you. Can you leave it up in a towel to help it dry while you're doing other things? Do you have to blow it dry, or can it air dry? I tell my hairdresser that I won't be doing anything to it on weekdays, and ask for her to cut it accordingly. I wear it in a towel for a few minutes, comb it out and let it dry while I'm getting ready. Before I walk out the door I brush it once and I'm ready to go. Most days it looks pretty good in spite of what I'm not doing!
7. Consider your makeup essentials. While in college, I mastered the art of reducing my morning makeup routine to a minimum. Any extra time I could eek out were allotted to extra sleep, which interestingly enough has become like gold again to me, now that I'm a mom. During the week I put on foundation and bronzer and that's it. In the evenings or on a weekend when I want a little extra oomph, I pull out the extras.
8. Consider your children's schedule - do you wake them in the morning? If so, determine what time works best with your schedule and wake them accordingly. (if Sweetpea doesn't wake on her own, I wake her about 10 minutes before I'm ready to go out the door) If your child wakes predictably at a certain time, structure your morning routine accordingly. I find that as long as I have showered, it doesn't matter if Sweetpea wakes up before I've done the other things on my list. If I haven't showered yet, things go terribly wrong...so I shower first thing, and in well under 5 minutes!

What are your tricks for a smooth morning routine? Do you have a structured morning or are you more laid back? I'd love to hear your thoughts!