Weekending: Cooper River Bridge 10K & Zoo

What a weekend! As far as stuff around the house - just about next to nothing got done. Saturday I had the Cooper River Bridge Run and then Sunday we went to the zoo. It was quite an on-the-go weekend and I am still exhausted {and in pain}.

My friend Anne and I ran the race...I even beat my 2012 time of 1:12 {not that it was a great time to begin with, but I had never run 6m straight before that day}. Below says 1:09-something, but it also was more than 6.2m. I estimate my actual 10K time was in the 1:07 range. I had not run 6m straight since before getting pregnant with Farrah, so I am feeling the pain now...during the run I felt like my pregnancy hips started coming back around the last couple of miles...it was uncomfortable to say the least, but I pushed through it.

Such a cool race to do though...I really do love it. It was a bit cold that morning and being in a t-shirt knowing I'd get hot while running, my arms were pretty much numb through the first mile and a half.

After we finished, Anne, a few of her friends and I all went to have some celebratory beers. It was really fun, but I learned quick I am no longer able to party like a rock star. I came home and crashed at about 5:30pm and pretty much slept straight through til 6:30 the next morning. Thank God for my wonderful husband who was on children duty that entire day.

That koozie couldn't be more true.

On Sunday, even though a few of my joints were questionable, we headed to Columbia, SC to take the kids to the zoo. We are members so we were able to treat our friends and their kids with our guest passes. It really is a nice deal to buy the membership! We had a really fun time and the weather ended up being pretty much perfect.

Farrah and I got our wonderful picture with a giraffe {you know that was a goal of mine}. I'll be framing it for her room.

We are going again in May with a couple of friends and their son...can't wait!

This morning I'm dealing with either a bone or a muscle that is sore on the outside of my foot and a little pain in my left knee {that had already been bothering me for a few weeks}. Going to give it a little rest and hope for the best. I mean, it's like sheesh! I only ran 6 miles, but I guess it makes a difference when your body is no longer used to that distance. I'll get there.

Linking up with: B Loved Boston

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Five on Friday

Happy Friday! Last weekend of March already???!! Wow. April, here we come. I love April though...warmer weather, the unofficial beginning of summer here in Charleston and MY BIRTHDAY month! Looking forward to some fun weekends ahead...hope you are too!

{one}

The Cooper River Bridge Run is tomorrow! I haven't run 6 miles straight since before I had Farrah, so it's going to be a doozie, but I'm glad I'm doing it. My friend Anne is joining me and I'm looking forward to it being a lot of fun.

{two}

Being a working mom is hard, but the hardest part of it is going in to pick up your baby from daycare and them telling you that she reached a milestone and YOU MISSED IT. Farrah apparently started pulling herself up yesterday...I was so proud of her, but so sad that I wasn't there to see it for the first time. Now I'm trying to find things around my house that are the same height as their little toy shelves so she can do it at home.

BUT...at least I get sweet moments like her falling asleep after her bedtime bottle and snoring in my arms...

{three}

Speaking of Farrah, I have tried to get ahead of the game on her party planning for her birthday in a month and a half and I have started getting some decor and goody bag stuff. I am so excited for the rainbow-themed party! I have always wanted to throw one.

{four}

I finally got some bottle cap labels for my essential oils...no more having to pick them up one by one to find the one I'm looking for {#firstworldproblems, I know.} I am already planning April's order...there are a few things I'm dying to try. I have a feeling my Pan-Away will come in very handy after tomorrow's 10K.

{five}

We are headed to the zoo on Sunday with a couple of our friends. We have the yearly membership to Riverbanks Zoo which is really an awesome deal because we get some free guest passes, so we are able to treat our friends and their kids to a day at the zoo. It will be cute to see Farrah's reactions to the animals now...she was only 5 months old when we took her the first time. And you know I'm going to get a picture of her with the giraffes!

Hope y'all have an awesome weekend!

Linking up with: Meet at the Barre / The Good Life / A. Liz Adventures / Carolina Charm / Hello! Happiness

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Weekending / Monday Musings

Happy Monday! I cannot believe it is pretty much the last week of March! I feel like March JUST started. This year is nearly 1/4 over. Anyway, we had a good weekend and I'm looking forward to a good, but busy week.

Friday night we had some friends over to try out my new karaoke machine. It was so fun...karaoke is always a good time. Saturday morning I babysat my friend's little girl, Charlie. She is 19 months old and it was sort of like Farrah's first playdate. She was so thrilled with her, it was darling to watch. Breckin was also a sweetheart, being their little entertainer.

Our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt that day, so I took the boys to that. It went smoothly and quickly and was a lot of fun for them. I loved how hassle-free it was compared to going to one of the bigger local ones. It's so funny the difference between Tanner's and Breckin's styles of egg-hunting. Tanner would try to pick up as many in one handful as possible and load up his basket, while Breckin was very thoughtful of his egg choices...picking up and shaking each one...even tossing some back if he didn't think what was inside was going to be worthwhile. They are the same way with lollipops - Tanner basically bites right into his and devours it while Breckin will savor every last lick.

We went out that night for dinner to celebrate both Jake's dad's and his mom's birthdays, then just came home and relaxed and put on another episode of our current Netflix addiction: Parenthood. We really love that show and it is so relate-able.

Sunday we attended our church service and then we came home to chores and projects. We had planned on going to the zoo with some friends, but have pushed that back to next Sunday due to the rain we had all day. It was a perfect day for house stuff. Jake painted all the bathroom cabinetry he is installing and the current vanity. We are just about done with this and I'm so ready to be back in my bathroom. He will just need to put the shoe-mold back down on the flooring, attach the cabinet doors and install the ones he built, re-hook up the sink and then we will need to repaint the entire room. I'm hoping we can knock all of that out this coming weekend.

I am looking forward to another successful week of clean eating. I'm down 2 lbs from last week! I knew it would just take a little extra focus and determination to get me where I need to be. I did all my food prep yesterday and here is the workout plan this week:

I've also got the Cooper River Bridge 10K on Saturday! I'm nervous as it's been a while since I've run that distance, but I know I can do it. I'd really love to beat my time from the last time I did the race.

Hope y'all have a great week!

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Thoughts for Thursday: Natural Mama & Other Things...

Over the last couple of months, I've made some changes toward the more natural, homeopathic way of life. I got introduced to Young Living essential oils in January and I pretty much dived right in. I now own like 20-something bottles of oil, I've bought roll-on bottles and dropper bottles to mix up regularly-used concoctions...and I'm literally searching Pinterest daily right now for new ways to use them...and any time some sort of ailment comes up for anyone in the family, they are the first thing I turn to. I've actually been witness to them working and it's a bit of relief knowing how much I invested in them! It's good to know that they are the real deal.

I'm turning into a fucking apothecary.

Haha, anyway...I think I may have shared in a post before some of my favorite uses for them so far, but I've gotten a few new oils since then and it's also been a little longer that I've used them, so I wanted to share again some things I am using them for - some may be repeats.

"FOCUS MOM" ROLL-ON (I call it that because I have a separate Focus blend for Tanner):
10 drops Peppermint
10 drops Citrus Fresh (or any citrus oil - lemon, orange, wild orange)
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

I have been bringing this one to work and I really just love the scent. I roll it on the back of my neck (brain stem) and also rub it into my temples. I do feel a bit uplifted with it and possibly more focused. I would say it mostly helps me not feel tired...I definitely get a boost of energy.

"FOCUS BLEND" (for Tanner)
15 drops Vetiver
15 drops Cedarwood
15 drops Lavender
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

Tanner puts this on the bottom of his big toes every night before bed - it aids in calming and helping him sleep better, which I think overall greatly affects his mood/behavior the following day. I also drop some on the back of his neck and rub it in...we do this before school. It is shown in studies to help hyperactive/ADD/autistic spectrum children to improve focus and quieter behavior. So far, I have noticed on the days I use it, he usually gets a good report. On days I've forgotten, I kid you not, those are the "bad" days. If I ended up running out of these oils and could only purchase one for the rest of my life, Vetiver would be it...just purely for what it's done and is doing for Tanner. It was the main reason I looking into EOs in the first place.

"STRESS AWAY" ROLL-ON
This is a pre-blended product from Young Living.

I can't say enough about the glorious scent of Stress Away. I love love love it and I really do feel more calm and peaceful after I put it on and breathe it in. I put it on my wrists and back of neck mostly.

"ALLERGY" ROLL-ON
10 drops Peppermint
10 drops Lemon
10 drops Lavender
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

Y'all, I live in Charleston and right now the pollen is out. I am usually a stuffy-nosed, sneezing mess by now. I have been using this one daily on the back of my neck and I haven't had one hay fever attack yet. Not even one Claritin has been taken.

"SLEEPY TIME" ROLL-ON
10 drops Lavender
10 drops Vetiver
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

I have been using this every night for a few weeks now and my sleep has been SOLID. I usually toss and turn and wake up to look at the clock a few times a night...I also tend to wake up tired. This stuff knocks me out within 20-30 min of putting it on. I roll it on the bottom of my feet and the back of my neck and it's sweet dreams for me. I also like to diffuse Vetiver and Lavender in the evenings because it calms the entire household down and we all go peacefully to bed.

FRANKINCENSE for the Face

I've been using a very small amount of coconut oil (a carrier oil) with a drop or two of Frankincense rubbed together and put on my face each night as my overnight moisturizer. My skin has never looked or felt so soft. I did find that I have to alternate days and use grapeseed oil instead of coconut because I tend to break out a little when using a lot of the thicker oils...I've found that this rotation resolves that so far. I do have to make sure to wash my hair the next morning or use dry shampoo since often the coconut gets into my hair around the roots by my forehead. The grapeseed doesn't usually do that. But I definitely see a difference in the lovely fine lines that appeared on my forehead like the minute I turned 30. They are definitely fading!

Anyway, those are just a few...I have so many other great uses to try and discover.

I have started getting some things in order for Farrah's 1st birthday party. I ordered the invitations yesterday and I'm super-stoked about them. Aren't they adorable? I am sooooo happy I get to do a rainbow-themed party!

Those black bars aren't really on the actual invites...just can't have all you stalkers all up in my business. ;-)

I ordered them from Delight Paperie on Etsy, should you be interested in some invites for your own event...she has a lot of cute ones.

In further interest of my obsession of rainbows, I have dressed her like this today:

One day she won't let me do what I want with her clothes and her parties...so I'm taking full advantage of my power while I have it.

I've been keeping good with my clean eating and workout plans this week and I feel great. I am starting to already feel less sugar cravings. I actually did my strength training at home every day this week so far instead of the gym, in interest of time specifically those days, but I will be back in the gym for leg/glute day tonight. My thing is, it doesn't matter where I workout as long as I'm able to do what I planned to do, which I have. My home gym is looking better and better, I added some more bars and weight plates.

I will share my clean eating plan with you soon. It's really not leaving me hungry at all, which is awesome.

Linking Up With: Home of Malones // East Coast Chic

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