Lately and Running Essentials

Howdy and happy fall y'all! See? I'm back and it didn't take months :)

I just wanted to share a little of what we've been up to lately.  I'm also working on some "Finally Fall Favorites" posts for both food and fashion so look out for those in the next week!

Things are really great.  Basically, I just really feel like I'm starting to hit my stride as a mommy of two.  Yeah.  It took me more than a year.  But hey I'm just being honest!  Phillip is a little spit fire these days.  He argues and bargains constantly, but he is also so much fun!  One of the things I looked forward to the most about being a mom was reading my kids the books that I loved as a child and I was so excited when Phillip and I headed to the library this week and picked up Charlotte's Web.  When I was a kid, my mom would read us books like that, maybe a chapter or two a day each afternoon and I loved it.  I was a little worried that it might be too soon but so far it's been great.  He actually has a great attention span for it and seems to be enjoying the story.

Little Natalie is as busy as ever and (I can't believe I'm actually typing this) STILL not sleeping through the night.  She was for a while when she was much younger but she hasn't been for about the last 5 months.  I think I am going to have to let her cry it out, which breaks my heart, but I really need to get some sleep!

Phillip is in school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings so the other days we usually try to head out of the house and do something fun.  The last couple of weeks we have gone to the Children's Museum.  They both LOVE it and are finally at ages where they can kind of do the same things.  Both of them are obsessed with all things ball related so we do a lot of that.  We usually pack a lunch and eat there so that when we get home right at nap time, everyone is fed and ready to rest!

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I have been running a lot lately and it feels so great!  I am by no means a serious runner but I do consider myself a runner since I get out there and move by butt at a quickish pace for at least three miles a few times a week.  Right now I'm training to do the Rock n' Roll half marathon in November just like I did last year.  I'm not too worried about finishing in a certain time, but I do think I will run it a bit faster this year since I'm not just a few months post partum. 

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite running accessories for any of you fellow runners or those hoping to start running!   P.S. I'm not making money off of any these, just sharing because I love them!

Here's a little awkward post-run selfie that, incidentally, shows you how messy my closet is!  It shows you some of these running faves though!  And check out that awesome shorts tan...

 

 

Moving Comfort Juno Running Bra

This puppy is amazing.  If you have C cup or larger breasts you MUST get it.  It is not cheap, but it will hold your breasts in place like nothing else.  It's even comfortable for me when I'm super big in the early days of nursing.  I love the adjustable straps and hook closure in the back.  It comes in cute colors I think, but I just have black and white. 

 

 

Nike LunarGlide Running Shoes in Grey/Pink (as with most running shoes, I size up .5)

I don't have really sensitive feet, but I like these and the cuteness doesn't hurt!

 

 

 

Lululemon Run: Speed Short (these run very small - I'm a 4)

I used to be a total Nike Tempo devotee, but I really like these better.  The Tempos tend to be a bit long on me and I feel like the shortness of these elongates my squaty short legs.  Bonus: the waist band is very soft and doesn't pinch your muffin top!

 

 

 

Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS Watch

Like I said above, I'm not a super serious runner, but this watch is great.  Hubs surprised me with it and I couldn't be more thrilled to have it. I've never wanted to invest in a GPS watch before, but this one is relatively inexpensive and is very light weight.  I love being able to just set out on a run now without worrying about making a route before I go.  Plus, looking at all my past runs is really motivating for me. 

 

 

 

BOB Revolution Duallie Stroller in Navy

I have a treadmill too, so that should probably be on this list as well.  If it wasn't for the treadmill and this stroller, I would never be able to workout.  But seriously y'all this stroller is so wonderful!  It is big and heavy, but surprisingly easy to maneuver and great to run with.  I can push it one handed most of the time.  The kids are very comfy in it and it has great oversized sunshades. 

 



Ok, that's all I have for today!  I'd love to hear any running essentials y'all have.  I'm always looking for new ideas :)

Thursday Thoughts

I woke up in such a funk this morning. Does that ever happen to you? I just get like that every once in a while and I have no idea why. Usually I like to try to blame it on hormones, but I really don't think that's at play here. I was so short with Brian and impatient with the children. Thank goodness Phillip managed to be funny at just the right moment and we both started laughing. I managed to snap out of it.

In other news, I'm so jealous of all you ladies out there starting the new year off right "eating clean."  I'm seriously impressed.  I pretty much can't even think about dieting without instantly craving every carb in sight and gaining 5 pounds.  Sadly, I really wish I could because I'd really like to do something about this bit of jiggle on my stomach.  I do work out, but I'm pretty sure that a layer of fat can only be taken care of by losing weight :(

Enjoying a mid-morning moose munch crunch snack... motherhood at its best. #perhapsthisiswhyicantlosethepooch

Enough of the pity party!!  I finally finished the amazing book I was reading: Deliberate Motherhood: 12 Key Powers of Peace, Purpose, Order & Joy.  The book is sort of a compilation of essays by different mothers, some of whom are my favorite mom bloggers such as Sarah who blogs over at Memories on Clover Lane and Shawni who blogs at 71 Toes.  These are the mothers that I aspire to be and its wonderful to not only hear that they've struggled with the same things that I (and I'm sure most other mothers) have and also how they've dealt with them.  I've actually found myself highlighting and rereading portions, which says a lot... I just don't do that sort of thing when I read.  I know I'll be going back to this book time and again and I plan to give it to every new mother I know.

I'll be back tomorrow with some OOTD's and some home "fashion."  For now, I'm off to get a shower, hooray!

The Rock 'n' Roll 1/2

Happy Tuesday everyone! I told y'all I would be up to something a little crazy this weekend and that something was running my first ever 1/2 marathon.  I've run on and off for the last several years but never really had the desire to run so far.  My brother was a huge runner though and competed in many marathons.  He even qualified for the Boston Marathon!  The San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon was one of his favorites so my Dad recently suggested we run it in his memory.  Since I just gave birth to the B not quite 4 months ago and hadn't run in over a year, I felt the 1/2 was about all I could handle.

My sister and I ran the entire thing together and did all of our "training" in about 6 weeks so I'm pretty proud that we were able to run 10 miles before taking a walk break and only walked for a mile and a half. 

It was grueling, but I actually enjoyed most of it.  Towards the end, when it was getting really hard, I just kept picturing my brother running in front of me and I could almost hear him telling me to push through. 

Perhaps as amazing as my feat of running 13.1 miles, was the fact that my little baby girl was a perfect angel despite having to wait four and a half hours to eat!  She does not take a bottle and it took us quite a while to make our way back to the hotel, but she hung in there and didn't cry one bit.  Here are just a few pics of the day:

Mrs. K = Sore

I fully realize that it's February now, and as a result, maybe I'm just a teeny bit behind on my New Year's Resolution.  That being said, I feel like it's never too late for self-improvement.  I'm almost ashamed to tell y'all about my resolution because it's such a cliche!  Nevertheless, I will put it out here in hopes that it will help me stick to it.

So here it is; I've lost all the baby weight and then some (cheers!!!), but I have worked out probably about 20 times since the peanut was born (boo!!!).  He's almost 10 months old people.  Do the math - that's about twice a month.  seriously. pathetic.

I am busy.  I work, go to law school, have a baby, a husband, a dog... but really, what mom's not busy these days?  It really no excuse to not make the time for something this important.  I really need to get back on the working out bandwagon for so many reasons:

1. It will make me feel better.  I know this.  I've worked out regularly in the past and I always had so much more energy.  And yet, always "being exhausted" is probably my number one reason for not exercising.   

2. Like I said, I've lost the baby weight, but I have not lost the baby jiggle.  Bathing suit season (at least here in Houston) is really just around the corner and I frankly think my stomach could use some work.

3. I want to be a good example for my son.  I realize I'm young and it sounds silly to say this, but when I was a kid we just moved more than kids do these days!  We spent whole days outside playing and exploring.  Sure we watched TV, but days went by during the Summer when we never even turned it on.  I want him to realize that being active is fun.

So, on that vein, I jumped back on the working out this weekend and I may have overdone the abs just a little bit because I am in pain!  You never realize how much you use your abs until they are unbelievably sore, wow.  Hopefully, I'll be feeling better tomorrow and I can keep it up!  I think if I'm able to meet my initial goal of working out at least three times per week, I will reward myself with a new outfit from the adorable Lululemon.  I figure, if I'm going to be working out and I don't have time to change I need to have some cute/presentable work out clothes to run around in.  Here are a few of my favorite items:

Wish me luck!