I am a huge fan of buying local. I shop at the farmer's market when I can get there, we used to buy a share of a steer from a (as local as you can get to Washington, DC) farm, and I'd much rather eat at a local restaurant or brewpub than a chain. So, when The District Club reached out to me about reviewing their service, I was totally on board. What's The District Club? The District Club is a subscription-based service that will allow members in D.C., Maryland and Virginia to sample a variety of treats from local, small businesses. I love this idea in theory. I never know what new things have come out locally, unless it's beer related. (What? My husband isn't called Beer Geek for nothing.) And I'm often looking for ideas for gifts … [Read more...]
A tale of many surfaces – Altra Lone Peak Review
Do you have some running items that you love so much you'd buy them again? Or maybe you actually bought more than one because you were afraid that they'd stop making it. (Or like me, you bought more than one because you couldn't find the one you had.) That's our topic for Tuesdays on the Run this week: Oldies but Goodies. I have a few items like that - my Skirt Sports Happy Girl skirts, my Brooks Essential Run Nightlife Jacket (I actually regularly consider buying another color of this), my Amphipod handheld water bottle (I have actually replaced this 3 times and now have 2 of them...) But instead I need to rave about a new item I received recently: the Altra Lone Peak NeoShell shoes. Source: Altra Lone Peak NeoShell I'm not a … [Read more...]
Dunkin’ Donuts Chicken Apple Sausage Breakfast Sandwich
Dunkin' Donuts sponsored this post, but my love of their coffee and all opinions are 100% my own. Confession: I love Dunkin' Donuts. In fact, I can pretty much trace my addiction to our Ragnar Cape Cod race where we stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for coffee and snacks after almost every leg. I completely lost track of how many breakfast sandwiches I ate (at all times of the day) and I'm pretty sure all of my runs were fueled by Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Just sayin'. If only I'd had the DD Perks App then! (I've since fixed that mistake.) So, it didn't take much arm twisting for me to agree to try the Chicken Apple Sausage Breakfast Sandwich that Dunkin' Donuts has brought back to the menu. Egg, chicken sausage, and cheese on an English … [Read more...]
Brooks Nightlife Essential Run Jacket review
You may have noticed a bright yellow jacket in many of my race pictures over the last two years. My Brooks Nightlife Essential Run Jacket is perhaps my most frequently used piece of running gear. I first encountered this jacket when my mom lent me hers at the last minute for the trip to the Dust Bowl Series. I was not planning to take a jacket, but the weather predictions indicated cooler weather than I was expecting, plus, umm, the Dust Bowl was named because of the huge windy dust storms in the 30s. So, yeah, cool to cold and windy. … [Read more...]
Petz Beach for Nintendo 3DS Review
My kids are pretty understanding about all the time I spend running and blogging, so when I got the opportunity to let one of my kids try out a cool new Petz game for the Nintendo 3DS called Petz Beach, I jumped on it. When I told Shoo he was getting to do his first blog review, he was pretty excited and immediately jumped on the game (hey, mom's letting him play during non-electronics time, of course he was all about the game.) Although we have other Petz games, I was a little worried that perhaps he'd outgrown these types of games. I was oh so wrong. He loved it (and I may have caught the teenager checking it out too...) About Petz Beach Petz Beach is a cool new Petz game, now for the Nintendo 3DS! Petz fans will … [Read more...]
Popsugar June Must Have Box
I like surprises. Ok, let me rephrase that. I like to be surprised by good things. (Finding out how expensive the little scrape on my new car is going to be? Not a good surprise.) POPSUGAR offering to send me their June Must Have Box? That's definitely a good surprise! So, what is the "Must Have Box"? It's a box of goodies that you can get each month with POPSUGAR's selection of awesome things. It's a fun combination of beauty, food, fitness, and home products. Items are full-sized and shipping is included in the $39.95 monthly charge. (Cost is less if you get a subscription for more than a month, but there are no options to "pause" a subscription.) The June box did not disappoint! Here are the cool items that were … [Read more...]
Scott James Jewelry Review
This spring was kind of a big deal for me. I knew I wanted to buy myself something to commemorate the completion of 13 half marathons in 79 days. I don't expect to do anything quite that big again for a while, so I knew I wanted something special but had no idea what. Enter Scott James Jewelry. (Disclaimer: they ended up giving me the jewelry, but I was prepared to purchase it. Their website is the source of all of my photos except the bottom one.) I first saw their jewelry at the Expo for ZOOMA because they were a sponsor. In fact, they had created a few special charms for ZOOMA. While I love those charms, I didn't want to commemorate that race specifically (my medal, the charm on the medal, and the clothing I bought took … [Read more...]
Yaktrax Review
Virginia is a Southern state. We don't get a huge amount of snow each year, but most years we get *some* snow. (Some years we get walloped, but that's a topic for another post...) I have an older pair of Yaktrax Run that I think was sent to me to review. Maybe. Probably. Who knows... Anyways, I've had them for a couple of years and every time I need them, I'm so happy to have them. 'Cause, even with a treadmill in the basement, sometimes I just need to run outside. (Yes, I realize it wasn't that long ago when I stated I wasn't bada$$ enough to run outside in the cold weather. Sometimes you just have to.) According to the company: The Yaktrax Run is an ice traction device anatomically designed for use with running shoes. … [Read more...]
Wii Fit U + Fit Meter Review
Confession: We love our electronics around here. Confession #2: We are fond of Nintendo products. While we do have limits on how much time our children can be interfacing with screens (unless they are reading on the kindle), we do own quite a few options for the time that they are allowed. Both boys have DS handhelds and we've had a Wii for years. I'm not much of a game player, but even I've had a rockin' good time with the Wii. So, when Nintendo offered to send me the Wii Fit U and the Fit Meter to review, I was all over it. I've always wanted to try out the balance board and I'm definitely looking for new ways to help my one child burn off excess energy and to get the other child moving. Takeaways: the Wii Fit U game … [Read more...]
Designer Whey and Smari review
Remember how I was searching for a way to get more protein into Jones' life? I bought a number of different protein powders for baking. Guess what happened to them? Trash. I couldn't stand the taste. But I kept seeing mention of whey proteins and decided that would be a great next one to try. Then I got lucky. Designer Whey offered me the chance to try out a bunch of their products. As an added bonus, they sent me some coupons to try Icelandic yogurt from their partner, Smari. Double win! When I got the delivery, I was surprised by all the different products they sent! And more than a little nervous as I tend not to like most drinks. I very seldom drink much besides water, coffee, and nuun (and beer, ahem.) Honestly, I … [Read more...]
Revolve DC Indoor Cycling Review
Recently, Revolve DC approached me and offered me a free class. I was really excited to try it, but the only time of day that works for me is 10:00am. With only a few of those classes each week, it took me a few weeks to finally get in. (There are plans to increase the number of daytime classes.) I'm so glad I did! It was a great workout! I took an extended Body Ride class with Grant Hill. Here's their description: Cardio...Strength...Flexibility...Everything you need in one complete class. This all-encompassing workout allows you to maximize the time you have to work-out in one place. Start out strong. The ride is cardio-intense and gets the heart rate up and keeps it there. Stay moving while you strengthen and tone the upper … [Read more...]
Cleaning up my diet
You know how "they" say you can't out-exercise a bad diet? Well, I'm here to tell you it's true. I managed to gain a whole lot of fluff while I was running crazy miles for the five halves in five days. I've managed to keep it on, despite working out more intensely and actually using weights. The problem is not my fitness habits. The problem is what I'm eating: both too much and poor choices. "Hi, I'm MCM Mama and I'm addicted to bread." There. Now you know. While I'm also a big fan of chocolate (and the chocolate stout cake I made this weekend rocked.my.socks.off), bread is the food I have no self control around. It's time to stop the madness. I don't really care what the scale says (although the number is UGLY right now), … [Read more...]
