From One Mom to Another: Tips on Disney, Races and Kids

I turned 40 just after Christmas last year and you would assume by this point in my life I would have stopped caring about what other people think long ago. Well, as with most things in my life, I do and I don’t.  Last Sunday, I decided to get in my car and drive to the foot of Mount Sentinel and run up the trail for three miles.  It is about a five minute drive from my house and I have lived near this mountain for a sum total of 30 plus years of my life.  I love to hike and I love to trail run.  Why was this such an event for me?  Well you see, I don’t like doing most things alone.  I still feel very self-conscious about doing certain things by myself.  I run alone on a regular basis but it is running to and from my house and to and from my office.  The idea of driving somewhere that is very popular and busy to run alone was just foreign to me.  In many ways I am the definition of codependent.  Here is a non-inclusive quick list of thin...

There are very few days that I go to bed feeling like I was the best person I could have been, today was one of those days.  What made today perfect?   A couple things:  1.  I got to spend quality time with each of my kids.  2. Each kid made an impact on our family. 3. I did something for myself. 4. The day ended with everyone smiling.   My morning started with a little bit of sleeping in while my husband played video games.  Of course my preschooler doesn't believe in sleeping in and she wanted to play barbies.  So I got up and had coffee and barbies.   I go grocery shopping on the weekends, every weekend.  This is one of those chores that can go either way.  Today was nice because my eldest daughter joined me.  It was just the two of us.  She is fun and was in a good mood.   When we got back it was time to clean up the yard.  Cleaning up after three dogs may not seem like an activity that makes for a perfect da...

Today, I walked into a local sportswear store to check for a sale on winter coats for my little one.  As I looked at sale jackets in the children's the clerk asked me if I was interested in anything for me.   "Sure, do you have any shorts in an XL?" "Yes, a couple pairs." She handed me two pairs.  The first pair was a size 10 and the second was a 12.  I looked slightly confused and then she apologized.  She didn't apologize for bringing me the wrong size, she apologized because they didn't carry anything 'big' enough for me.  Right, because I'm plus sized (I wear a size 16) and you won't find many brand name of athletic clothes in anything bigger than a size 14.  But this was crazy, a size 10 is not an extra large, in my memory that was medium.  I've always been a bigger girl, but still athletic.  I run, not fast but I still run.  I run at least 1 1/2 marathon every year and average about 10-15 miles per week.  I lift weights, I rid...