Tag: running

hard and soft

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When I got out of bed this morning all I could think about was crawling back into bed after I got the kids dropped off at school.

As I made the kids their hot chocolate, breakfast, and lunches I tried to justify crawling back into bed.

I could use the rest.

I will exercise tomorrow.

My allergies are really bugging me.

It’s raining.

I also thought about how my body has been feeling soft and my heart has been feeling hard.

I want my body to feel hard and my heart to feel soft.

I want to be in better physical shape and be kind, loving, and forgiving on the inside.

I reminded myself that the best way to change that is to do something about it.

I put on my running clothes.

I dropped the kids off at school.

I grabbed my running partner, Odyssey.

I did what I know will help my body become hard and my heart become soft.

I did something about it.

I spent an hour with a good friend.

I communed with nature.

I got rained on.

I saw a baby duckling.

I added an extra loop to my route.

I sang Pharrel, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Cee Lo, Robin Thicke, Daft Punk, Taio Cruz, Jay-Z, and Macklemore songs out loud.

When I got home, I put fresh sheets on my bed…and made it.

home is…hard and soft.

 

 

 

a good groove

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hello monday!

i think we can get into a rythmn this week…a good groove.

last week we got derailed by colds and strep. reece and lorelai were home from school all week. by thursday we found out that reece had strep and got him onto antibiotics. seeing my kiddos sick is always hard. i feel so blessed to be able to make the decision to keep them home with me on the days they are not feeling well…so thankful for how hard ryan works so that it can be that way.

today we are back to our “normal” routine.

we walked to school as a family today…the fresh air felt so good.

it made me so happy to see reece smiling again with his friends at school.

here are a few photos from this past week…

october 1

we were able to take care of some yard clean up after some heavy rain…preparing for late fall and winter.

october 2

odyssey and i have taken a break from running the last couple of weeks…he got “fixed” so he had to take it easy for 10-14 days…we’ll get back to it this week!

october 3

when the sun shines after the rain everything glistens.

october 8

i did some crafting and minimal fall decorating while the kids were home last week.

october 6

a happy room.

october 5

the neighborhood horses eating green grass in the sun over the weekend.

october 9

pacific northwest fall color.

home is…a good groove.

{inspired} you are strong

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I’ve been inspired by some recent posts about running from some of my favorite bloggers out there…

Meg wrote about running her first half marathon.

Nici wrote a guest post over at  Kelle’s blog about battling an eating disorder and running.

Maggie wrote about her relationship with running.

In addition, a local momma who used to push me to my limits in her Stroller Strides classes wrote about her experience at the Boston Marathon and shared her story with her facebook friends…she was right near the finish line as the bombs went off…and, luckily, is home safe.

my running story

The past two springs were tough on my health for one reason or another, so my exercise and running routines got set on the back burner.

I found plenty of other things to fill my time (thrifting, etsy, decorating our home, sewing, creating)…and my belly. Almost 10 pounds heavier, I’ve decided it’s time to get back into shape.

So, I’ve started running again.

run 3

When I can, I run a quick route down to the park with Odyssey. He loves it. I love it. And, it does both of us a lot of good.

This week I had missed my runs with Odyssey with kids being home from school sick, and Ryan out of town. The weather today was much too beautiful to run on a treadmill indoors, but I was itching to go for a run.

Not just itching, CRAVING it.

I NEEDED to go for a run.

I thought about Nici’s post and I pulled the BOB dualie out of the back of the car (where it’s been riding around for months) and pumped up the tires.

Lorelai hopped in and off we went!

run 2

Long story short, I ran farther and longer than I have in a LONG time.

An older woman running the older direction said, “Wow! You are strong!”

And, I crossed paths with another momma friend, who is also a runner, and has put together a fundraising race in the very park we were running in…go check out the foundation website and the race facebook page…and sign up to run with me (I will be running the 10K).

run 1

I run because I like to.

It feels good physically (when I run…maybe not so much afterwards).

It feels good emotionally.

I can do it alone.

I can share it with friends.

I can share it with my dog.

I can share it with my little girl.

And, it doesn’t hurt to hear people say, “Wow! You are strong!”

my very first running inspiration

You know who it is?

My sister.

She was always faster than me.

A better athlete than me.

It was like she didn’t even have to try and she learned to do hard things…like back flips.

She never took gymnastics.

When we were in college she worked at a running shoe store.

She ran 1/2 marathons before I had any idea what a 1/2 marathon was.

She ran in the snow.

She ran in the rain.

She ran to places in Boulder I didn’t know existed!

I had no interest in running.

She asked me to go, but I rarely did.

One of these days, I hope that my sister and I can run a race together.

I’m not into running for more than 1 hour at a time, so I like 10k’s, but I might run a 1/2 marathon if she would run one with me!

and a winner…

Thank you all so much for leaving a comment. So fun to read what you would or would not change. Seems that most of us were happy with our special day! Life is good!

The winner of the $50 minted.com credit is tara (@etsetara)!

Please send me an e-mail at homeis{at}stephanytaddeo{dot}com so I can get you your prize!

home is…running inspiration.

spring fever

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I’ve got a bit of Spring Fever in the middle of winter.

spring fever 4

I posted this photo in my Instagram feed yesterday and a few people asked how I made it.

I originally wrote a post about it here…May 2011.

may flowers

{when i looked at the post i couldn’t believe that there were Instagram photos on it…i guess i was an early adopter}

I used a tutorial for a ruffle wreath from Jones Design Company.

Her tutorial for rolled paper flowers is basically the same technique for how I made the felt roses.

Anyway, that wreath has been around for a while and has held up pretty well.

I may even make a few more…maybe even put a couple in the shop.

routine

Otherwise, I’m just trying to figure out a routine around here with the kids back in school.

spring fever 11

For the last 3+ years I have had housecleaners come every other week. While it was a sanity saver when the kids were babies, I decided it was time to give up that luxury this year. I have found a great sense of accomplishment, and even joy, in keeping my house clean. I want it clean ALL THE TIME now, instead of just one day. In fact, I think I’m becoming a bit obsessed with cleaning…that’s not a bad thing, though. I am even making my own natural cleaning products to use and I will eventually share what’s working with you here.

That being said, I am trying to find time for all of the things I enjoy…creating, running, thrifting, blogging, learning.

As you all know it’s a juggling act, but it’s fun to learn how to keep all the balls in the air.

“snow” days

In the last week the kids have had two “snow” days due to ice on the roads. They really weren’t snow days as the ice was caused by freezing fog, but we took advantage of them by making morning fires in the fireplace and doing some crafting and Valentine’s Day decorating.

spring fever 10

spring fever 12

spring fever 7

spring fever 5

I used Emily’s rolled paper flower tutorial to make these Valentine’s Day roses last year.

spring fever 3

This paper garland was another Valentine’s Day craft from last year (similar to the Christmas paper garland from Christmas 2011)…I did make some more this year with patterned paper and larger hearts that I will share on another post.

sunshine

Some recent sunshine and longer days has us dreaming about spending more time in the yard.

spring fever 2

spring fever 1

Odyssey misses sharing coffee with me every morning.

light at the end of the tunnel

spring fever 8

I always manage to fit in a bit of thrifting…this week we found some vintage fisher price.

spring fever 6

home is…sunny days ahead.

get moving…

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…it’s Monday!

45:56

That’s how long it took me to run the Shamrock 8k.

9:15 pace.

In the rain.

I love setting goals and achieving them!

My goal was to run the 4.9 miles in less than 50 minutes.

Done!

By the way, I came across this online article about setting and achieving goals. Are you a goal setter? Do you get a thrill from the action of setting, doing and achieving your goals?

home is…being a junkie for goal achievement.