Merry Christmas!

Hoping that you are enjoying some time with your friends and family, celebrating in the way that is perfect for you.

• Whether a large gathering or an intimate group
• Whether loud and boisterous or calm and quiet
• Whether fancy or simple
• Whether at home or away

Enjoy, my friends, and

Merry Christmas!

You Can Find Me Here Today...

I was one of several bloggers recently interviewed by a local mommy blog about being a mommy blogger.  You can check out the post right here. 
To say I was flattered to be interviewed is a huge understatement! 

Sibling competition

Oh, my goodness!  Our two kids are provoking each other tonight.  One tells a joke and messes up the punch line, and the other - in a very sassy tone - lets the other one know, "That's not funny."  And, just a few moments ago, Miss M revived the "One, One Hundred" argument.  It's been going on for well over a week now.  Miss M will ask, "What's one plus zero plus zero?"  Mister J, interpreting her question as a math problem, will say, "One."  And then she says, "No, it's one hundred."  (Get it? 1 and 0 and 0 is 100, as she's at the leaning-to-write stage, not the arithmetic stage.  So, a one followed by two zeros is 100.)  And they argue back and forth, and eventually come to one of us to referee.  Daily.  {bangs head on desk}

Also, on the way into Best Buy this evening, Mister J was proud that he could walk and do jumping jacks at the same time.  Which he proceeded to do across the parking lot.  And this was before we ate our Krispy Kreme doughnuts for dessert.  (Actually, it was about that time that we decided to save them until tomorrow...)

Have I mentioned that Christmas Break started this afternoon?  Come January, I'm gonna need a vacation to recover from their vacation....

Winner, Winner, Cake Square Dinner

Well, with 20 cake square coupons, you could certainly fill up!  (Though probably not recommended!)

I took nine slips of paper, wrote a name on them for every comment received, folded them up, then let my kids draw the names out of a basket (sorry, no photographic evidence...), and the winners of this giveaway are:

• Amanda (I'll bring yours to church!)
• Meredith (I know where to find you...)
• Sarah (please leave a comment here with your email address - name - at - email - dot - com style and I'll contact you for your mailing address)
• Rosalind (I have your mailing address already)
• Angela (email me your mailing address)

Don't feel left out, Patrice - I'm going to send you a little something, too! 

Thanks, y'all, for entering!

Overheard #40

It's a "snow day" here, and even though we've been hanging out inside today I made my kids go upstairs for rest time.  Miss M gets rest time every day at school, and she needs it.  Mister J needs it too, since we are supposed to be at a Christmas get-together tonight - weather and road conditions permitting.  Here's my most recent rest-related exchange with my mom-napper:

Mister J:  Mom, how much longer?
Me: Please go lay back down.  I'll come get you when rest time is over.

...time passes...

Mister J: Mom, when is rest time over?
Me: In a while. (This was about the 4th interruption by a child who was supposed to be resting...)
Mister J:  How long is a while?

Oh, dear. 

NEW SHOES - Take 2...

So, as it turns out, the Sauconys were contributing to some major calf pain (think "ice and rest").  I'll skip over all of the boring details, but the amazing folks at the local running store where I shop helped me find a(nother) new pair of running shoes.  And here they are...

ASICS GT-2160 in Carbon/White/Plum

I've already taken them out for a (quick, because it was in the 30s) run, and so far - so good.  NO calf pain after the run, and my feet (my typical problem area) felt great.  Can't wait to get out for my next run, but right now there's snow on the ground (oh, and it's 11:08pm).  Hopefully tomorrow will shape up to be a good - though cool - day for an afternoon run!

PS - Don't forget to enter my cake square giveaway!  Only four days left to enter!

Stocking Stuffers

I wasn't quite on-the-ball enough this year for us to participate in Operation Christmas Child, but we did choose another giving opportunity to benefit children.  Our local Chick-Fil-As also collect Salvation Army stockings, so we chose to stuff two for children close in age to Mister J and Miss M.

Armed with our lists, I let the kids select most of the items on their own.  When we still had money left over (I'd estimated what it would cost as I planned out budget for the week), I picked up a few more items and surprised the kids with them when it was time to stuff the stockings.  Here's what we ended up with:

Miss M's items for a 3- to 5-year-old girl

Socks, mittens, hat, headbands and ponytail holders, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a book, a puzzle, some lacing cards, flashcards, and a travel-size m@gna-doodle

It's nearly as big as she is!

Mister J's items for a 7ish-year-old boy

Socks, mittens, hat, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a book, three Hot Wh33ls cars, flashcards, hair brush, slinky, juggling beanbags, and bend@roos (truly fun for nearly any age)

That stocking is pretty heavy!

I was so proud of my kiddos for shopping their way down the lists to fill the stockings!  We had to be mindful of finding things that would fit into the stockings, and the kids also thought about some details that they felt would be important to the kids receiving these items: they selected the characters on the toothpaste, toothbrush, books, etc., and chose between different options for the toys, socks, at other items.  Oh, how much fun we had paying for the first round of items and finding we could bless the children with even more goodies!  And then, it was time to drop them off!

The bittersweet part of all of this is teaching our children that not everyone has as much as we have - tangible or intangible.  That there are people out there with few possessions - like warm clothing.  There were tears when we had a real-life example of people without enough food to eat.  We've talked about people who can't afford medical care or who are far from home because their child is very sick.  Thankfully, we are in a position to be able to do something to help - and I hope it's a lesson that lasts a lifetime.

Local Helping Hand {giveaway!}

I enjoy keeping up with local bloggers and tweeters - it's been a great way to learn more about the city we call home (since we didn't grow up here), and a way to make some fun local connections.  Not too long ago, I got connected to our local Ronald McDonald House (web, blog, twitter, Facebook) as they were celebrating a recent expansion.  Just a few days after I started following on twitter, I got the message that they were in need of some pantry items.  As it turned out, our entire family was in Costco at the time, so we added a few things to our cart and made plans to visit the House!

So glad to be here!

Getting ready to unload our goodies!

And now, the RMH has given me some goodies to share with you! 

Yes, those are coupons for free cake squares from Dewey's!  I've got five sets of twenty coupons each, and all you have to do is leave a comment!  I'll award a coupon book to each of  five winners!


To enter:  I'd love to hear ways that you try to teach your children about giving, but any old comment will do.
Extra entries (leave me a separate comment if you do 1, 2, or 3): 
1) Follow @RMHWinstonSalem on twitter
2) Subscribe to the RMH Winston-Salem blog
3) Like the Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem on Facebook
4) Send a friend over to leave a comment and enter the giveaway!  If they let me know that you sent them, you will get an extra entry!
The fine print: The coupons have no expiration date (yay!), but since Dewey's is a local business, this giveaway is open to local folks (or those willing to drive here to use them...). 


If you don't know me in real or bloggy life, be sure to leave a way for me to contact you (name at email dot com).  I'll draw the winners on Thursday, December 16th (or maybe use random.org, but I think my kids would have fun drawing the names), and try to contact you by the 17th for your mailing address.  I'll post the winners here, too - so if you didn't win, you know who you need to meet at Dewey's for coffee and cake squares!


By the way, if you don't win - or if one pack just isn't enough - these coupon books are also for sale at the Ronald McDonald House through Christmas.  The booklets are $5 each (remember: 20 coupons in each booklet) and all of the proceeds go to the RMH!  I sent them to school for my son's birthday (no cupcakes allowed at school, but these were a fun substitute!), and they would also make great teacher gifts or stocking stuffers!


Best of luck, readers - I'll be waiting for the comments to start rolling in!

More, More, More!

Just a brief post tonight - it's late, and it's been a busy day! 

We recently celebrated Mister J's birthday, so I owe you a post about that.  And I wrapped up my 5K training with a run on Saturday morning.  Yes, both of those happened in the same weekend.  Also, while planning for said Very Busy Weekend, I decided that the front room (formerly the kid office, and originally intended for a dining room), needed to be painted before we put up the Christmas tree.  Does the 'birthday and then paint a room' thing sound familiar?

I'm also planning to post about some neat things we've done with the kids during this 'season of giving' - things that I hope we will continue throughout the year.  And - there's a giveaway coming really soon!  (As excited as I want everyone to be, it's limited to locals only - sorry!  But it'll be part of a really neat post I have about something we did with the kids - so please read anyway!)  (ETA neat thing #1 and neat thing #2/giveaway)

And, besides the promised blog posts, what does this week hold?  Well, tonight we had to pick up the last boxes of Boy Scout Popcorn and go to the official "end of 5K training" celebration.  Tomorrow my boys will be going to a skating party with the Cub Scouts.  I'll also be shopping around for new light fixtures tomorrow and picking up a paint roller (as in purchasing, and as in using...).  Oh, and it's dance day for my sweet girl.  Wednesday - Christmas get-together.  Thursday - I'm going to the launch party for this cool blog!  And Mister J has a school project due on Friday.  After that - rest?  I'm committed to spending the weekend with my family.  Just the four of us, nothing scheduled.  It's COLD here this week, so maybe we'll just snuggle up on the couch and watch movies/nap.  That would be nice, eh?  Note to self: find a good crock-pot recipe before your next grocery run (which comes right after you clean out the fridge...).

Have a great week, everyone!

And you can mark that off of your list...

Whee!  Yippee!  Woohoo!  Today's run was the goal race for my 5K training It was 33 degrees when I left my house this morning, and I didn't even notice the cold.  I was crazy excited!  Also, there wind that we've had the last couple of days was gone, so it just didn't seem as cold.

My goal for the training was to run a 5K in 45 minutes.  Today's run results - 43:34 (14:02 pace) - which is pretty consistent with my results from the Thanksgiving 5K. I was thrilled to find these posted just a little while ago!

And here's me - even before I knew the results - celebrating with my running buddy!

So, a few things I've learned in the last twelve weeks:
1) I love to run
2) I'm tougher than I thought
3) Running with a friend is way more fun
4) I get a little crazy when the endorphins kick in
5) Running changes everything!

Pizza, Pudding, and Popcorn

This alliterative lunch theme was a hit with my kids, who helped me pick out the 3rd P item - popcorn.  We had pizza leftover from Sunday - we typically order pizza on big house-cleaning days (which is how we spent Sunday afternoon) - so the kids were excited to have leftovers today.  I suggested the pudding, and asked them what other "p" food I could include.  Perhaps not the most balanced meal, but certainly fun.  I think their lunchtime should be enjoyable, so I played along!  They did enjoy their lunches, and Mister J declared that I "make the best pudding ever!" 

A little bloggy help

I mentioned, through a blog comment earlier this evening, that I am currently looking for some new casual dinnerware.  I even went so far as to lay out my specs:  ivory with a pattern (but no extra color), non-rimmed bowls, mugs instead of cup/saucer.  Five hours later, what should I find in my inbox but a list of suggestions with links from my bloggy friend!  And?  She totally hit the mark.  I think I found my favorite - now I just have to start saving up! 

It's very similar in design to some dinnerware that I found earlier in the year at one of the big box stores - which I bought, brought home, then found that about half of the boxed items were flawed.  I have continued searching, however I'm not a big 'shopper' so it's been a slow process.  But now?  I just may have the answer!

Oh, you want to see the design?  It's Antique Bead from Ballard Designs. 

There were a couple of other suggestions, including this one, which I also like:

Primvere, also by Ballard Designs, and also at the top of my list. 

So, what's next?  Well, I'll run these photos by Big J, and see what he thinks.  If we find one that we both like, then we'll just start saving up.  Getting excited!!!

Thanksgiving Prayer

For the second year in a row, Miss M has volunteered to say the blessing at our family Thanksgiving meal (11 adults, 5 children, 4 generations).  Even her prayers are sweet, sweet scene-stealers....

"Thank God for our food, so we can grow up big and go to college, and have Thanksgiving with God."

Can I have an "AMEN!" ?

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

For the Record...

Yes, probably boring to anyone but me, but here are my race stats for the local Turkey Strut 5K this morning:


Place 453 (out of 913)
Rank 454
Mile 2 - 28:23
Rank - 443
Mile 3 - 14:20
Gun Time - 45:01 (one second over my training goal - and this includes 1:15 to get to the start)
Gun Pace - 14:30
Chip Time - 43:44
Chip Pace - 14:05

Definitely not speedy, but I'm very pleased with how it went.  I started out running solo, but caught up with a friend along the way.  Also, I forgot to charge my iPod, it was 43 degrees, and we even got rained on a bit.  BUT - it was a great run for me, and I'm looking forward to our end-of-training-run in just a few days!

Overheard #39

As Miss M was sitting down to write her Christmas List last evening:

"Mom, can you help me write my Christmas options?"

Love her!  It was a joy to help her spell out the things on her list, which were:
Box of Princess Dress Up - a box of dress-up clothes from Costco.  Unfortunately, I think they are sized too small for her.
Moving Chair with Flashing Lights - a massage chair, also at Costco.  This short description really doesn't do justice to the detail with which she originally described it, but we had to fit it all on one page!
Toy Story 3 - self-explanatory

5K Wrap-Up

I'm so glad I decided to do a practice 5K before my goal run next month!  I learned a few important lessons:

1) Running with a group of 200 people is not like running with 100 or so folks at my twice-weekly coached runs.  Especially with many of them are kids.
2) It is very difficult to anticipate which way another runner will move (if at all) when they hear you coming up from behind them.
3) Even on a closed race course, the sound of the police escort motorcycle right behind you will still unnerve you.
4) Running with earbuds in both ears is not necessarily a good plan for me.
5) It's hard to drink a cup of water without spillage - even when walking - so be prepared to wear some of it.  It was definitely worth it anyway.

And confirmed a few things I already knew:
1) It's so much more fun to run with a friend.
2) I really need to hold off on the base layer of long sleeves until the high temp is in the 40s.  I was a little too warm, especially since there was almost no shade on the course.

I'm so glad my husband and kids came along - I have some great photographs and had a great cheering squad!  I'm posting just a couple of photos - because many of them are close-up with photos of other folks I don't know, and because I'm still a bit self-conscious about how I look in my running gear :)

Attaching the timing chip to my shoe.  I was geeking out just a little bit....

Approximately one mile in the course.  Got to see my family again at the 1.5 mile mark - what a treat!

Come to think of it, the kids were using a second camera that morning.  I need to take a peek at the run from their perspective!  I'm sure they also took some shots of the bouncy house they were looking forward to enjoying post-race.  (Update: Lots of closeup self-portraits and photos of the ground [and most of those with Miss M's feet].  Some good shots of the family walking from starting line to mile one to the halfway point and back to the finish. No photos of bouncy house taken by the kids.)

I was really surprised to learn that the timing chip saved me 14 seconds on my time!  The group was large enough that it took me 14 seconds to get across the starting line once the race began.  I opted to start near the back, not knowing how my pace would compare to everyone else's.  I quickly realized that I was a little too far back, pace-wise, but that's just a part of the learning curve, I suppose.

The most exciting thing - besides crossing the finish line - was realizing that I finished nearly 4 minutes faster than my end-of-training goal!  It wasn't my best run - the music threw my pace off a bit, I think, and I got tired early on - but I still did well.  It was also a relatively flat course compared to what I usually run, which probably worked in my favor.  Nevertheless, it gives me a new goal to work towards!

For now, I'm looking forward to running with my running buddies again and sharing the lessons that I learned in my first 5K!

Overheard #38

This morning, upon coming downstairs and finding the kids not only awake, but playing Wii....

Mommy: "How long have you two been up?"

Miss M: "About an inch and a half..."

A) It's Saturday and B) that was funny, so I just didn't fuss about the whole playing-wii-without-actual-permission thing.  They have been waiting  for the weekend this week (they usually don't ask "When's the next no-school day?"  It's been a long, busy week...), so I'll let them play just a bit longer.

Exciting! Or, One Big Reason for the Blog Quiet Over Here

OK, maybe only exciting to me.... I'm running in my first timed event tomorrow! Whee! 

I'm ten weeks into my twelve-week training program, and I'm running a couple of 5Ks to help me prepare for the target run.  This run has around 250 runners (yep, I was a late registrant), so it'll be a good 'break-in' for the big race in two weeks. 

Ten weeks ago, I could barely run for one minute.  When I began training, we were running 1-minute run, 2-minute walk intervals and our 'long run' for the week was 1.25 miles.  Now the intervals are 4 minutes running and 1 minute walking (or more when/if you can), and our long run this week was 3.25 miles.  My 'short run' next week is 3 miles - so I'll be running a 5K on Thanksgiving Day! 

Have I mentioned that I'm excited?  Heck, I'm not just excited, I'm proud, too!

Technical Socks and NEW Shoes!

Last week, I realized it was time for new running shoes.  In fact, I'm close enough to my 5K that it was "now or never" time - to ensure enough time to break in the new kicks.  I can't tell you how exciting it was to realize that I'd worn out a pair of shoes by running!  So, this new pair should get me about 500 miles - which turnsout to be less than a year if I keep up this pace.  Want to see what I got?

It's the Pro-Grid Omni by Saucony.  I also added a pair of SuperFeet inserts - the green ones - and I can already feel some improvement over my previous pair of inserts.  I have to add, though, that there is definitely going to be an adjustment period for the new shoes.  Mondays are my longest run of the week, and I'm not sure I'll be wearing the new running shoes tonight.  (Plus, it might be raining - a really good reason to wear the old, dirty shoes!)

I also picked up a pair of technical socks for running.  I chose Feetures! Original No-Show with Tab.  I love that they wick moisture (just like my other technical apparel) and that they are very soft and seamless, but I'll have to get used to them being a little more 'slippery' in my shoe (which may work out somewhat over time, but is definitely expected with synthetic fibers).

I'm running my first "real" 5K this Saturday (by "real" I mean one that had an entry fee)!  It's not my target race, but I'm running this one as a practice for the target race next month.  Saturday's will be timed, and I don't think I'll be running with anyone that I know, so it should be interesting.  I may try to find/charge/load songs to my iPod shuffle if I can find some time this week.  It'll make the time go by more quickly, for sure!

Just as an FYI to my readers, I'm not compensated by any of the companies mentioned above.  I'm just sharing my personal experience with the items that I have purchased and used in pursuit of my own fitness goals.  

Silly Boy! (also... Overheard #37)

Last Saturday, upon realizing that the knees of his blue jeans were green:

"Oh, man - grass grease!"