I'm a librarian. I no longer work full time as one, but once a librarian, always a librarian. While I would never turn down a massage, my favorite way to pamper myself is to hide away from all my responsibilities with a good book. In fact, in recent years, my patience for lines and waiting has improved immensely now that I can open my Kindle App and read a book while I wait. It's like a mini vacation in the middle of chaos. So, for the Friday Five 2.0 "pampering" link up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness, here are five books that are currently on my (virtual) nightstand or my library hold list. (I'm a librarian. I pretty much only buy books if I can't borrow them. All Amazon links below are affiliate links. The more you … [Read more...]
Tips for road tripping alone with kids
Our spring break adventure is drawing to a close. We've had a fabulous time checking out some fun stuff in Ohio and Missouri and we have just a couple more fun stops planned for the trip home. I've traveled with the boys alone before, but never for this amount of time and never with this much driving. I'm happy to say that thus far we've had a great time (I've probably just jinxed our drive home.) Want to know how I survived? (Rule number 1 - don't forget the beer!) OK, here are the real tips... Be flexible. I had a list of possible places to stop on the drive, as well as back up hotel options. (Make sure you know your cancellation times.) I was able to push the boys a little farther one day, but barely made it to the first hotel … [Read more...]
Spring Break Road Trip: From DC to???
Saturday morning the boys and I loaded up the family truckster, I mean, Honda Pilot and hit the road. It's spring break and Beer Geek has to work, so the boys and I decided to take a road trip and see the the sights America has to offer. The first day we hit the Good Zoo in Wheeling, WV. The Good Zoo is a small part of the Oglebay Resort which includes a couple of museums, the zoo, a golf course, and gorgeous views. It's surrounded by mansions on huge estates, but for some reason, my GPS took us the back way on barely more two lane roads through the holler. Apparently that was faster??? The boys loved the zoo and the museums and it was a nice break in the driving. It was also prom night, so we were surrounded by tons of kids … [Read more...]
Wrapping up a busy week
Welcome, April! March was a rough month and I don't mind seeing it in the rear view mirror! Despite all the crazy things (car problems, sick cat, sick kids, snow day), I was happy to hit 100 miles (103 to be exact) for the fourth month in a row. I ran three races in March, but it was questionable if I was going to complete my goal miles due to a camping trip on the last two days of the month. On Thursday, Shoo and I headed out with his class for the 5th grade camping trip. I did this four years ago with Jones, so I knew what to expect. Which is to say, I knew I'd have fun, but that I'd be exhausted when I got home. The weather for the first day was supposed to be in the 50s, but the second day called for 40s and rain. I packed … [Read more...]
Five foods I’ve been obsessed with lately
Confession: This week I'm most excited about Sunday, not Friday. This has been a rough week with me having a minor stomach bug at the beginning of the week and Shoo coming down with it yesterday. Add in a cat who is having stomach issues again with the added bonus of either a UTI or bladder stone and I'm exhausted. I'm looking forward to running 17.75 on Saturday because it's a great race, but I'm not excited about the 0'dark 30 wake up time in order to get to the parking (an hour away) by 5:30 am. So Sunday is my highlight this week. I can actually sleep in! Unfortunately, when I'm stressed and tired, I become and eating machine. And this has been a stressful spring. Yeah. Awesome. So since the topic for today's Friday 2.0 with Running … [Read more...]
Thinking Out Loud Thursday
It's Thursday. It's time to Think Out Loud, so I'm linking up with Amanda at Running with Spoons. It's cold here today - 30* this morning. I swear we had spring in February and winter in March. My body can't seem to keep up with the changes. I have to admit - I'll be hitting the treadmill later today. (I'm going to blame it on a sick kid and not wanting to leave him rather than admitting to being a wuss. Yeah, that's the reason.) Saturday is the Marine Corps 17.75 race. For the first time since it became the "race to register", we have a warm temperatures advisory. When I ran it two years ago, I had to wear all.the.layers and last year was a perfect amount of chilly. Luckily, I'm not racing per se. I just want to finish … [Read more...]
Black Friday Runfessions
Today is Friday, right? I've been so confused about the day all week because Jones was out of town until Monday night, Shoo did not have his usual soccer practice, and neither boy had school on Wednesday. Somehow it feels like it should be Monday, but I still have three days off. Sweet! Since it's the last Friday of the month, it's time for a little runfession. I'm linking up with Marcia over at Marcia's Healthy Slice and Friday Five 2.0 with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness. I'm trying to meet a goal of 85 miles this month and it's coming down to the wire. I have 26.9 miles to go. Don't think it didn't cross my mind to just run a marathon and get most of it done. Beer Geek won his age group at the local turkey trot … [Read more...]
Five things I’m loving this fall
Happy Friday! This week has been, umm, interesting. This was the first Presidential election where one of my kids was old enough to really be interested and invested, even if he isn't quite old enough to vote. This led to some great conversations and bonding time, but it sure cut into my sleep time. And we all know I'm sleep deprived normally, so you can only imagine how much sense I'm making these days. So, for Friday Five today, I'm going light and easy: 5 things that I'm loving right now as fall arrives. Before that, I want to say thank you to all of our Veterans for all that you do and all that you have done. It's because of you that we even have the opportunity to experience election night. And check out this awesome picture of … [Read more...]
You’ve come a long way, baby!
No, I'm not talking about the election. Yes, I realize this was used as a cigarette slogan that targeted women. But, somehow, it seems to fit. What am I talking about? The Tuesdays on the Run topic, of course! Today we want to know how you've change since you started blogging or maybe you've stayed the same. Maybe your blogging style has changed or your running goals or your work status... Join Marcia, Patty, and me as we discuss how we've changed. It's hard to believe, but I've been blogging for 8.5 years. I started on Blogger when I began training for my first marathon. Beer Geek was tired of hearing about my training runs, so he suggested I start a blog and even suggested the name MCM Mama. And boom, a blog was born. About as … [Read more...]
Fending off the marathon taper crazies
I'm really good at tapering. I mean, like expert level. I love the added free time, the extra sleep, the reduced mileage. I try to eat healthy but I don't stress about it. (Even when my current diet seems to consist of all carbs all the time.) I'm busy with all of the important things... Like stressing about whether my new Altra One 2.5's will arrive in time (Spoiler: they did. Now I need to actually run in them.) And ordering Crazy Compression socks to wear on race day... And a Headsweats hat... I don't get crazy about imagined injuries or sicknesses. I know any symptoms are all in my head during taper time. Except when I wake up congested. Then it's immediately into panic mode and worry about whether I'll get … [Read more...]
5 Reasons I’m trying a Bullet Journal
Like most moms, I juggle a lot of balls. I have my work, my blog, my running, two kids with activities, social activities, the house, the cat (who is on every other day meds), and a gecko (who also gets fed about every other day, but is inconsistent). I've tried coschedule for blogging, I maintain multiple Google Calendars, and I have lists all over the damned house. And yet, somehow I recently forgot to fill out an important form, I almost missed a meeting I needed to attend, and my house desperately needs organizing. I keep hearing about this whole Bullet Journal thing and honestly, it reminds me of the heavy use of day planners that I used to do back when I worked full time. (And yes, I actually do still have them in a box in the … [Read more...]
Good eating in Wisconsin!
The kids and I are on our annual vacation in Wisconsin. Ever since Jones joined us 14 years ago, I've spent part of the summer at my parents' house. In fact, when both boys were really young, I'd bring them home for a two week trip in the beginning and another trip at the end of the summer. Now that they are older and we have more going on, we only make one trip, but we still make it. Obviously the main reason we visit is seeing my family - a large percentage of my extended family lives within a few hours of my parents' hometown. But I also come for the food. And I don't mean the State Fair food. (This year they are deep frying fruit and olives. No, I'm not kidding.) Nope, I'm here for the yummy summer produce. I've only been here for … [Read more...]
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