Friday, March 28, 2014

Where Will We Find The Time

I mentioned before how I have a list of things I want to do this summer.  That list keeps growing.  A lot.  I have projects listed, places I want to go, things I want to do, races I want to run and the list is most likely beyond what we are actually able to do.

I have our vacation planned.  We are heading down to Virginia at the beginning of June, this means the kids are going to miss their last day of school.  We are going down for a wedding then the day after the wedding, we are heading over to the coast to spend three nights in Ocean City, MD.  Even while we are there, there are a few things I'd like to do and take the kids to see.  I really want them to see the wild horses since it is close by.  They will get to experience the boardwalk for the first time although we are not staying right in the area of the boardwalk.  I wanted to opt for a quieter section of the beach so we are very close to the MD and DE border.  The kids have only ever been to a quiet beach in the Outer Banks....the boardwalk in summer will be exciting for them.

I would like to do a few camping weekends, a lot of weekend hiking trips, some home improvement or yard improvement projects, a trip to the amusement park, days at the park having a picnic and playing, days at the lake to go fishing and generally, a lot of family time where we aren't running here or there at certain times to do certain things.  I am hoping for a carefree summer of fun.

I can try to plan as much as I want but I know that things don't always pan out the way we want so I won't hold the schedule too much.  We may just wake up one day and decide to do something fun, we are spontaneous like that. I'm so glad our kids are at the ages that we can do that!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Training and Fundraising....Well, Trying To Do Both

I am training for the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay event that is taking place in Pittsburgh on Sunday, May 4th. I am part of a five member team of ladies that I know.  We aren't out to win any medals or prize purses but we are in it to prove that we are able and we can finish this event.  We are made up of all fitness levels, some that are just starting out, some that are in the middle of the fitness rainbow and one that owns a fitness studio.
Part of the great thing with the Pittsburgh Marathon is that you can sign up to do a fundraiser as you train for your running events.  I signed up through CrowdRise to fundraise for my town's lake.  A few years ago, they drained our lake because the dam needed fixed and there wasn't any money to do that.  This beloved lake that had been around for generations of families where they would canoe, fish, hike and have picnics.  Gone.

My own kids had only been there a handful of times before they drained it but I can envision all the missed times we could have gone and sat by the lake and shared memories.

Restore Glade Run Lake is my charity of choice and if you would be so kind as to make a donation, thousands of local families and generations to come would be forever grateful.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Reaching a Milestone of My Own

The other day, I was able to watch my friend's two month old baby for awhile and oh did it feel good to hold a little baby again.  I was at work at the gym nursery and it isn't often that babies are there for me to watch.  It has been a few months since the last time a baby was in.

I was telling one of the moms that I loved holding and snuggling the baby.  I also told her how several of my friends just had babies and there was a pretty big baby boom.  She asked me how I felt about that.  I thought it was a strange question but I also knew what she meant.   I know that she was asking if it made me wish that I was having another baby. 

I have reached a milestone.  I have reached that point in my life when I realize that I don't have any desire to have anymore children.  There was quite a few years when I wasn't so sure if I was done, even though I had been telling everyone that I was done.  It isn't easy to come to that conclusion.  I love babies, I enjoy being pregnant and I think that I am a pretty good mom.  There is always room in my heart for more kids but I am just done. 

I am thankful for the kids that I have, I enjoy being around other kids and I love being around my friends' babies.  That means that I can get those baby snuggles and get my baby fix but hand them back over when I've had enough.

I know that most probably wouldn't consider this a milestone but I think it is.  It is a point in life when you know that you've turned a corner.  Of course, nothing at this point is permanent which is kind of scary but thankfully, we haven't had that experience of a surprise and I'm going to make sure we don't have that in the future.


Friday, March 14, 2014

Restless Moments

The warmer weather is coming and I am becoming more and more restless.  I love the sunshine and warmth, it makes me want to be outside as much as possible.  If you add in the fact that my kids have outdoor sports this spring, I want to be outside even more to watch them as they compete in their sports.

This is an issue every year and I get restless. I get restless in my job, in my life, in everything.  I tend to start looking for ways that I can be outside more, at work less, with my family more, in the office less.  It sucks.

In a lot of ways, I have been frustrated at work, for reasons that I don't really want to get into on my blog but I can say that I have been browsing the job listings just to see what is out there.  There are certainly a lot of things that I do like about the job like the fact that I have a 5 minute commute, the boss is pretty flexible with my schedule and some of the people are good people.

The whole issue of my not being able to be there for all my kids' sporting events, kills me though.  I posted about it on Facebook, the fact that mom guilt creeps up on me so quickly when I can't be there for all their track meets. I will be there for all their lacrosse games, thank goodness.  However, when my kid asks if I will be there for their first home meet and I have to say no, it breaks my heart. I may see what I can do to make it though.  I may try to work extra hours on other days to see if I can leave early, not sure yet though.

I am getting restless with the house and the outside of the house.  I want to upgrade, fix up, paint and build all the things. My list for this summer is insane but I really am getting tired of how everything looks.  We've lived here for four years so it's about time we change a few things.  We've been a bit reluctant to do some of the things but we need to do it.

We want to:
paint the kitchen
change the bathroom floor
paint the living room
put in tile backsplash in kitchen
drywall the basement stairwell (it's old, wall studs)
do something with steps going upstairs (they are deep and steep)
put recess lighting in living room

Yeah, we are definitely restless after such a long winter!  Hopefully the sun and warmth comes soon so I won't be feeling this way much longer.  Too much time spent indoors has gotten me here.

Monday, March 10, 2014

When There Is More Light Than Dark

The clocks have been changed to rise earlier. We are gaining an hour of daylight and I couldn't be happier about that.  The sun was shining yesterday and we will have higher temperatures for a few days.  It is just what I need.  I need more sunshine and warmer temps to get me through the next few months.  They are busy, they are hectic and I will be tired but warmth seems to bring my heart to a better place.

As time marches forward, we make plans for all the things we want to do to make the most of the time we have and I am no different.  I want to do a lot. I always do ha!

Here is my list of things that I want to accomplish this spring/summer:


  • Install a new front walkway to the front porch (there isn't one at all right now, I hate walking through mud)
  • Create a nice patio/backyard area where we can sit and relax (it's lacking a lot right now)
  • I need to figure out what type of gardening I want to do, how big, where, what to plant, etc.
  • Take the kids on a few camping trips/weekend getaways
  • We are going to Virginia for a wedding and hopefully extending that out for a few days at the beach! Yay, more sunshine and warmth for me!!
  • Go away with my husband for our 15th wedding anniversary, not sure where just yet.
  • Run outdoors at least 3-4 days a week, this works out when the kids have sports practices and I can have something to do for that timeframe. Plus, Chuck said he wants to start running with me (most excited about that.)


There are other things going on with our family that create a lot of unknowns and I cannot disclose those things right now but all these things can help be a distraction for us.  The sun could not choose a better time to make an appearance than now. We need the sun and light to shine on all of us as we embark in unknown territory.


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Twigtale Review and A Discount For You!!

I love personalized gifts.  They are sweet, thoughtful and well, who wouldn't want something that someone obviously put a lot of thought and effort into?

I was contacted by Twigtale to review their product and I immediately said yes.  Twigtale offers their customers a great way to give your child, grandchild or any child you love, a personalized book for moments in life when they may need it the most.   Twigtale is not only a source for personalized books that show special memories page by page, they offer books that help children understand difficult life situations such as: emotional development, anxiety and fears, family changes and more.

I had the chance to make my youngest son a book to show him all the special people in his life that love him. I chose the book, "Who Loves Me?"  It is full of pictures of family members that love Lincoln and areas with text for each page.



I was able to easily choose pictures for each page and move them, crop them and finalize each page.  The process was simple and fun to do.



The books would make a wonderful gift to any child regardless of the situation they may be in. Kids love personalized books and Lincoln loves his.  He was thrilled to see all of his favorite people in one book that he can read and look at when he wants to.

I personally think that this would make a great Easter or birthday gift so you should head on over to Twigtale, take a look around and create your special gift soon.   Just because you are one of my readers, you can use a special discount code to get 10% off your book + shipping (US only)!  At checkout, use code TWIG10 for your discount.  Discount expires June 30, 2014.  So go on, stock up on these great books and give them to those you love.  They will love it!

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for this post. Twigtale provided me with a code to receive a free book in exchange for my honest opinion of their product. The opinions and pictures are my own and I was not scripted for my post.