The Purse

So...after reading all of the comments on my last post, I realized that I was not clear about the outcome of the bet with my husband. Since I rode the ride, I did in fact get the bag! After we finished up at the park we went out to dinner and then over to the outlets. My wonderful hubby stayed in the cars with the kids (Bubby was sleeping) and I ran into Coach and picked out my bag. Here she is, in all of her glory:

I think it was worth it. :)

Our Sweet Vacation

You all guessed right...we went to Hershey Park! We were there in 2005 and 2007, so we figured it was time to head back. We went for 3 days and had such fun! It seems that the older the kids get, the more we are able to do.

We all LOVED Chocolate World....the factory tour ride is FREE and you get FREE chocolate at the end...what's not to love?? Here are the kids pretending they are factory workers:







Of course, while we were there...I had to stop at the Hershey outlets!!






We stayed at the Hershey Lodge...which is wonderful. They have character visits in the lobby and my kids were thrilled to see the peanut butter cup. The Lodge is a bit pricey...but we only stayed 2 nights and it is our only vacation this year...so that is how I justified it. :)




Our first night there we ordered room service! What fun! We got mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, cheesecake and a big chocolate chip cookie. The tray arrived with cloth napkins and a little vase with a flower...Bubby took one look at it and said "That is gorgeous."...very true.

O.k...there is a story for this ride. My wonderful hubby knows I don't like heights. We were standing next to this ride while the kids rode a kiddie ride and hubby bet me some money that I wouldn't ride it. Normally I would have turned him down....but I knew that there was a Coach outlet right next door and then money would let me get a purse...guilt free. So...I got on the ride, put my head back and closed my eyes. I mentally went to my "happy place"...the Coach outlet. Hubby, kids and my mom were shocked I did it...but one should never doubt what a girl might do when near a Coach outlet!

Both kids LOVED the Frog Hopper. Bubby laughed the whole time, which made MissyMiss laugh the whole time...they rode it 3 times. I got on it once with them...I did not laugh. I was happy to have an empty stomach.

Every time we go I take a pic of the kids by the height chart used to classify what rides they can and cannot ride. This year Bubby was a Hershey Kiss and MissyMiss was a peanut butter cup. It is fun to look at previous years height pics. MissyMiss went for the first time when she was 2 and only a wee-little Hershey miniature.

Well...there you have our family vacation. I am happy to report I actually lost a few ounces on vacation. I replaced meals with chocolate..not very healthy, but very delicious!

Where in the world is Running Mama?

I have been so behind on my blogging..it has just been a crazy summer here.



We took a quick family trip 2 weeks ago and I will be posting some of my favorite pics. I went here as a child and now have been enjoying taking my own kids. It is a few hours away from me and a very delicious place to me.


Here is a pic I took from the car when we first got to town. (Sorry for the awful quality)


So...who can guess where in the world Running Mama is???

Race Report

So, here is my race report from 2 weekends ago. (I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog...between a vacation and a houseguest, things have been busy here!!)

I ran this race last year and placed 3rd in my age group, which was a complete shock. So...I was looking forward to running it again.

The race was about 45 min away, so I had to be out the door by 7:45...early for this night owl. I got to the race, grabbed my number and did my normal walking warm-up.

I noticed that there were a lot of 20-somethings and 40-somethings, but once again the 30-somethings were lacking in number....so I was hopeful to maybe place again.

I lined up at the starting line and noticed a girl wearing regular workout clothes...not fancy running gear. Normally I root for these girls...I was there not too long ago. I have also gotten my butt kicked by girls in cotton. But...here is the thing...her shorts were white...and short...and see-through and she was obviously wearing a thong!! I couldn't help but notice...I think that everyone noticed, I was determined, then and there, that no matter what my time was, I would not be beaten by thong girl...no way, no how. There was no way she would finish ahead of me and my mom-panties.

The gun went off and I started out fast...too fast! I ran the whole first mile with a 7-year-old about 20 feet in front of me. There was a man running beside me that reminded me of one of my running forum buddies (shout out to Mike!). We were joking about how much it hurt to be behind such a little guy.

I caught up to the little guy around mile 2 and ran that mile with him. I was starting to feel the heat and humidity and struggling to keep up with my target pace of 8:45.

By 2.5 I was hurting...I kept telling myself "Go big or go home". I had passed the little guy and also some girls that looked to be in my age group. I knew that if I slowed down the girls would pass me and kill my chances of a medal. It was an out and back course, so I knew that the girls in front of me looked to be older or younger.

I finished with a time of 27:02 and came in first in my age group...I was psyched! The 7-year-old finished just 4 seconds behind me and 3 girls in my age group finished within a minute of me, so it is a good thing that I maintained my pace at the end.

I came home and put on my medal and my kids were so thrilled with it. It was a great race!

The other good news....thong girl didn't stand a chance. I beat her from the start. :)

Some updates...

First of all, thank you so much to everyone for all of the kind thoughts and good suggestions regarding the death of my daughter's hamster. Hampy was buried in our backyard. My daughter wanted a stone to mark the grave, so she chose an angel garden statue. She was really sad for a few days, but is doing much better now. Thanks again to everyone for your sweet comments.





I had another 5K today and I will get to posting a race report at some point. Things are crazy here for the next few days. A few things I shall mention now:


- I saw a girl at the starting line wearing teeny, tiny white see-through shorts and a thong underneath. I was determined that, if nothing else, I must beat "thong girl"...I did.

- Running in the heat and humidity just downright stinks.

- I came close to a PR, but missed by about 10 seconds. But...I placed first in my age group. Here is the proof:

I have no idea why MissyMiss isn't smiling in this pic. She was thrilled for me. She even made me a pretend cake and sang "Happy Medal Day" to me. :)

We have been busy! The kids and I went blueberry picking this week and had a great time! The blueberries were great this year! As soon as we got home we made Blueberry cobbler. It is such an easy and healthy recipe...I promise I will post it as soon as things settle down.

Lastly, I had a FUN trip to the quilt shop last weekend and have LOTS of projects planned. I just finished a twirly skirt for MissyMiss and will post a pic as soon as I get one of her wearing it. Next on my list is a wall hanging for the dining room and then starting some Christmas stuff.

Definitely lastly, I was in Home Goods (my fav!) the other day and they are already starting to put out fall decor....my heart skipped a beat when I saw it! Fall is my favorite season! But...even better....my favorite holiday is Christmas and my local radio station did Christmas in July this weeked. So...they played Christmas songs all weekend! Any other Christmas freaks out there?

R.I.P. Hampy

It has been a sad day here. My daughter's beloved hamster, "Hampy", had died. She is so very heartbroken. She loved that hamster and took such good care of it. It is our first experience with a pet dying and it is just so sad. We will bury Hampy in the yard and MissyMiss has requested that we get a special stone or statue to place on the spot so she will know where it is. Anyone have any good tips for helping a 6 year old deal with losing a pet?

Give Me the Simple Life

Some find it pleasant dining on pheasant.

Those things roll off my knife;

Just serve me tomatoes; and mashed potatoes;

Give me the simple life.

Now that school is out we have been able to slow down a bit around here. I purposely did not schedule much for this summer...some swim lessons, a 3 day vacation, and a 1 week morning camp for MissyMiss...that is about it. It has given us a great chance to enjoy the simple things in life, and the kids and myself are loving it.

Here are some of my favorite simple things:

- a good book and the porch rocking chair

- meatloaf and mashed potatoes

- the slip-and-slide on the front lawn

- a long walk on a breezy night

- the swings at the park

- soft serve ice cream

- a long run on a gorgeous day

- a beautiful drive to my favorite quilt shop

- garden fresh tomatoes

- backyard bonfires

- hometown parades

- strawberry picking

- hiking

- watching the kids splash in the pool

- hot dogs on the grill

- smores

We are all about the simple life over here. What are your favorite simple things?