I rock at parenting, part 2

If you read some "mommy blogs" you might think that they are perfect parents who always have organic hummus and bell pepper strips for their toddler's snacks and make sure their kid's day is chock full of enrichment. I'm either a worse parent than them, or more honest about the realities of life with a toddler dictator.

Faith woke up this morning in a cranky, cranky mood. I think the tantrum counter was at 5 before 8am, which means the day is off to a great start. Since she was already so fussy inside the house with freedom and toys, I knew the stroller run was going to be rough. On days like that, I'm grateful for the BOB stroller's 5 point harness and my iPod.

How dare you strap me in here like an animal!

If you're imagining a poor suffering child being forced to sit in the stroller for hours, that's not exactly how this works. We only go for 4 miles, so I just need her to sit in there for 35ish minutes and I bring a ton of snacks and toys. Lately, despite all of this she still fusses and whines. I assume it's a phase.

Replace "drink" with "turns up the volume on headphones"

I'm an advocate of "picking my battles" in terms of parenting and getting her to sit in the stroller is one of those battles that I'm picking. No stroller runs means I only get to run outside on the weekends and that's just unacceptable. Also, the dog would suffer greatly.

Once I was done torturing both my child and neighbors with my need to run outside on a 60 degree day in January, it was finally my favorite time of the day: nap time. Any parent who denies this is either a paragon or a liar.

She took a long nap and during that time I ran 4.5 more miles and then ate half a pizza. See? Nap time is the best time. After she woke up, I took her to the playground in the hope that it would tire her out and make my evening easier...oh wait, I mean I took her to the playground so she could enjoy herself. Yeah.

You aren't fooling me Mommy

We ended up staying at the park a little longer than I had planned, so instead of rushing home and preparing a healthy, balanced meal for Faith, we stopped by this lovely establishment:

You know you crave this on Sundays

She ate almost every last bite of her kid's meal, which is more than I can say about my home cooked dinners. I think the key is the waffle fries and chocolate milk. It seemed strange to me that the kid's meal toy was a CD of a computer game. Kids these days...

If I hadn't already achieved "Awesome Parent" status for the day, earlier today I made her scrub the floors Cinderella style.




Yes, she's using a slipper as a "mop bucket". I really need to give her some cleaning supplies instead of just a dry napkin. I just need some confidence that she won't try to drink the cleaning fluid...

Someone recently asked me how I have time to be a good mother if I run so much (210 miles in January). I should just refer them to this post. Step one: Train the toddler to clean the house. There is no Step two.

Part one of how I rock at parenting

Muffins and Pigtails

My weekend didn't only consist of running one of the nation's only 12 mile half marathons (very exclusive). I also attended a fun breakfast for my running club's yearly awards! Since the running club is full of crazy runners, most people came about an hour early to run before breakfast. The party was at a club house in a neighborhood with nice bike lanes, so I brought Faith and the stroller with me. I didn't think we'd make it for the whole hour of running, but I knew she'd enjoy the breakfast after.

We only made it 2 miles before she started really fussing and since I figured I could help set up breakfast, we called it a day at that point. This was my contribution to the breakfast party:

Apple cinnamon whole grain muffins...they didn't even taste like cardboard!

Runners bring great food to events! I knew once I saw doughnuts that it was going to be a good meal. Faith ate a ton of food and she made sure to make her rounds and socialize with everyone. Normally she's a little shy in crowds, but the sweaty odors and running shoes must have made her feel at home.

Ok Mommy, let me show you how to clap

She barely even sat with me and preferred to go chat about running with other club members:

I don't even warm up until mile 30...

I'm out of fluid. I need more hydration.

So then this other baby said I couldn't place in our AG and I said "Eat my dust!"

Other than pretending that my kid discusses running, I have been obsessed with trying to style her hair. I have been waiting for a long time for her to have enough hair to put in a ponytail, so I may be a little over excited about it. Also, I don't really do my own hair, so I'm not very good at it. With practice I'll get better, but that will be easy to do because it is so fun. If it's wrong to laugh at your kid's unicorn ponytail, I don't want to be right.

Mommy, you really suck at this hair styling thing

Do I have to do EVERYTHING around here?

I thought the teeny ponytail and headband combo was hilarious, but then this morning I discovered that I could manage two teeny tiny pig tails. This picture pretty much says it all.

Words can't explain how much joy this picture gives me

I really never thought I could have so much fun with a box of little hair ties.

The muffins were a Duncan Hines mix, so if you want the recipe I suggest the baking aisle at Target. :) 

High Cloud Snapple Half Marathon 2012 Recap

Yeah, shorts in January. I'm a badass

Here I am in all my mud soaked glory after another lovely morning doing a race with two of my favorite running buddies:

There are Milkbones at the aid stations, right?

Alyssa is thinking "I can't believe I'm in a car with a smelly dog"

We had to get to the race almost 2 hours early because parking was an issue, even though it was just a 400 person race, so after we got our packet and chip we hung out in the warm car.

The dog really enjoyed rocking out to Lady Gaga and group photos

The race had waved starts and we lined up for the second group (for people hoping to finish between 1:41-1:59). A lot of people seemed surprised that a dog was going to run a half marathon, but I explained that I had emailed the race director and got permission for her to race and that she is very fit. Peanut was on her best behavior for the race and didn't even poke anyone in the butt as we were waiting to start.

Before we even lined up to start, I knew I was having stomach issues. I had to make an emergency Wawa stop on my drive to the race and they were sold out of Immodium! I had to get Pepto Bismol instead, which in case you were wondering, does absolutely jack shit. I tried to "take care" of the issue before the race start, but I had that rumbling feeling in my gut that didn't make me feel confident.

The race start was really crowded and it took about 2 miles to open up. During that crowded period I had one very angry woman demand "Is that dog allowed?" and she said the word "dog" like I would say "crack pipe" in reference to a kindergarten classroom. I told her "Yep!" and she was like "I doubt it!". Ok, lady. Don't be mad that my dog beat you at running and she's prettier too.

The vast majority of people at this race were really nice and friendly, but we managed to find not just one asshole, but two. We were coming up behind an older guy and he was slowing down and we passed him. As soon as we did that, he started cursing at us and sprinted ahead of us. I guess that sure showed us...for passing him in a race? Maybe he really didn't want to lose to a dog?

Alyssa was having problems with her asthma and I was having the GI issues, so we had to take 2 breaks: one for her inhaler and one for me to dash into a bathroom. At that point we knew a PR for Alyssa was out of the question (since her PR is like 1:50) so we decided to just cruise it in and enjoy the scenery. We did see some chick almost fall into the canal because she was trying to avoid getting her feet wet in a puddle, so that's the kind of scenery that needs enjoyment.

At the turn around point, we noticed that it was short, but we assumed that we'd make up the mileage later on in the course. As we were running, we noticed that the mile markers were really off...like a mile off. Then just before mile 12, we saw a large group of people ahead of us that weren't running. To our shock, it was the finish line! This was even a USTAF certified course, so my half marathon time was 1:47! It's too bad I can't pretend that 12.12 miles = 13.1 miles.

This was a volunteer-run event and there was a mistake setting up the turn around point (obviously), but they apologized profusely and offered a discount on a future event. If I had been running a better race, I might be upset about it, but since I was just running an "ok" race I just thought it was funny. I bet the course next year will be 13.1 exactly!

Peanut is thinking "You bitches owe me a mile at race pace"

Peanut did a a great job at the race and even behaved for Alyssa when I had to duck into the bathroom. Alyssa hates dogs, so I was afraid that Peanut would make her hate them even more, but it hasn't happened yet. We did have some issues with other dogs on the trail (not affiliated with the race) and not one, but two dogs went after Peanut. I tried yelling at the owner, but she was either deaf or didn't speak English. The other dog was an really aggressive boxer on a retractable leash. I freaking hate retractable leashes, especially when a stupid person is holding the handle end. Peanut wasn't hurt, so that's all that matters.

It took a long time for my stomach to feel better after the race, but by 3pm I was able to eat lunch without any issues. Note to self: always keep Immodium in the car!

As it stands, I'm not going to use this race as a half marathon PR, which means I'm still stuck with my 2:16 PR. The half marathon doesn't seem to be my lucky distance!

My unicorn ponytail is lucky

Suicide pace

I haven't mentioned this yet, but I'm running a half marathon on Sunday. Obviously I haven't been following any specific training plan for it, but I still think I'll be able to just wing it with my mileage base. Most half marathon training plans call for less weekly mileage than I normally do anyway. I'm planning on running a little less tomorrow and Saturday and calling that a "taper" and that's as fancy as I'm getting for this race.

I've only ever run one half marathon before and that was over 2 years ago. I managed to time getting pregnant with Faith perfectly so I was slightly queasy for the race, but didn't know I was pregnant, so it was a really peachy keen race experience. It was also VA Beach on Labor Day weekend, so it was really hot and there was no shade, so I assumed I was sick due to the heat. My time from that race was 2:16, which is pretty slow for me. I run at a faster pace now than I did pre-Faith, so it's time for a redemption race.

Jessica asked me what my goal pace is for the half marathon and I laughed and said "Um...as fast as I can?" and that's my plan. I'm running this race with Alyssa and this will be like our 6th or 7th race together and every one of them has been fun, so I'm sure we can get a great time and have fun doing it. Look how happy we are after getting a sub-4 marathon at Baltimore Marathon:

3 hours and 54 minutes later, we were still on speaking terms

This race is on the canal path (gravel and dirt path) which is nice and flat and there are a few wooden bridges to cross. The weather is predicted to be sunny and a high of 48, which is perfect racing conditions. Last year the race course had 6 inches of snow and ice on it and I ended up not making the drive up there, but this year I have no excuses.

A few days ago, I sent this to Alyssa and told her that this is our motto for the race on Sunday:

Let's just hope that my race recap isn't title "That time I threw up on Alyssa..."

Other than the race, my plans for the weekend include a fun sushi date night tomorrow night with my husband (my mom is coming for the weekend and she'll be with Faith) and a running club awards breakfast on Saturday morning. There is a group run before the potluck breakfast and then awards. I didn't win anything, but going to a breakfast potluck is like winning an award in my book. I'm taking Faith with me, so hopefully she will behave and not embarrass me too much.

Hold on Mommy. I think I blinked.

Do you like attending pot lucks? What's your go-to dish? I'm bringing muffins because I don't have to worry about them getting cold while I'm running before the breakfast!

So many questions, so little time

You may have noticed a trend of "11 things" going around the blog world and I have been tagged twice by Terzah and Amber. It has complicated rules, but I'm not going to follow them at all because that's just how I roll. Instead of coming up with 11 things about myself, I'll just answer an assortment of their questions.


1. If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be? 

Qaddafi of course. I'd like to go over my 100 page master's thesis with him and see if he has any notes to add. Also, I think we'd have a good laugh over the YouTube videos of his capture. I feel like he'd have a sense of humor about it.

Also, he'd be the young hot Qaddafi, not the old skeevy one obsessed with Condi

2. Are you a fan of motivational posters?

Not unless they are Demotivational posters. Those make me giggle.

3. What is your favorite thing about being a "grown up"?

Not eating vegetables unless I want to and eating in front of the TV. Man, I'm wild.


4. If you could pick a totem animal, what would it be and why?

Beaver. Hands down, beaver. Do I need to explain?

5. Do you have any tattoos?

Yep, I have two. I'd have 3 if my husband was more hip and not such a stick in the mud.


6. What's your best piece of parenting advice?

Well, I'm obviously an expert because I've been a parent for over a year and a half, so it's hard to narrow it down to just one piece of advice. I think I'd go with "Pick your battles", which is also just good life advice. I had a boss once who always asked "Is this the hill you want to die on?" when things got crazy at work and now I say it and get funny looks.



7. Why did you start blogging?

I have read blogs for a long time, but when I was working full time and working out, I didn't even consider trying to create a blog myself. Once I had Faith, I thought it would be fun, but it wasn't until she was 7 months old that I felt that I had enough of a handle on her schedule and her health (we had a lot of problems with her and a milk protein allergy) to start blogging.


8. What's the scariest thing you've ever done?

I asked my husband "Hey, what's the scariest thing I've ever done?" and he responded "What about that time you squeezed the little munchkin out of your hoo-hoo?" and I can't really top that. Hoo-hoo? Yes, I married that man, he's taken ladies.

Epidurals are magical

Ok, I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want, pick any of these questions and tell me your answer in the comments!

The Joy of Running

Ever have one of those days when you don't want to stop running because you feel great? It only happens once in a blue moon, but I had one of those days today. Today was beautiful and not only did the sun come out for the first time in days, but it was also in the 50s. I wasn't the only one who wanted to run today, Faith also wanted to go! I tried to get a good video of her taking off, but in this clip she got distracted by the grass and stopped soon after starting. Normally she just keeps going, but  not today when I had the camera with me (typical).




I did get a great action shot of her running. Check out that form!

Ok Mommy, hand me my Gu

I felt great on the 4 mile stroller run this morning and came back home feeling like I could run further than my standard 8 miles for the day. I had about 30 minutes to feed the kid her lunch and put her down for her nap for the urge to end, but I still felt pumped up and energetic. I hopped on the treadmill and ended up running 8.5 miles, making the total for the day 12.5 (for the math challenged who didn't want to do the addition). I feel like those runs that feel great and you don't want it to end are rare and should be savored!

I'm not saying that I don't normally enjoy my runs, but every runner knows that every run isn't, as I've said before, unicorn farts and rainbows. Sometimes it feels like work, but you do it because the result is worth it and sometimes it feels like misery, but you do it because race day might feel that way too. I usually have my best runs the day after a full rest day (like yesterday) and I didn't do a long run over the weekend and I think that's why my legs felt so great today.

Speaking of runs that feel like you are being showered in unicorn tears, our running club photographer took some fun pictures of our trail race last Saturday.

Here is a picture that shows how much Peanut hates the rain:

Why am I standing in the rain? WHY??

The trail that we ran on was really pretty, but I didn't get to appreciate much because I was trying to run quickly and not die, so it's great that our photographer also runs the course and takes pictures as she goes:

Avoid the icy wood planks!

Like a stream crossing that never ends

The only running action shot was this one of us running back out to the trails after the race was over to collect the flag markers and signs:

Peanut is mid-shake, she doesn't normally look THAT stupid.

That picture reminded me of how Peanut wouldn't stop trying to stop and shake herself off, even though I tried to explain that it was pointless when were outside in the pouring rain. Dogs and logic don't really mix.


Bold statement: As soon as someone runs because they like it, they are a "runner", regardless of mileage or race experience, but people who do it for other reasons (like calorie burn) but don't like it aren't runners.

Agree or disagree?

Raised by a Mutt

Alternate titles for this post:


Dog Whisperer: Toddler Edition


Life is Ruff for Faith


A Toddler's Guide to Life: Guh dog

I am the first to acknowledge that my kid is not well socialized with other kids her age. Up until recently (like a week or so ago), her nap time conflicted with most toddler activities in the area and she's too young for any Mother's Day Out programs. I take her to the playground, but she just watches the other kids (who are usually older) and doesn't interact with them. The vast majority of her interaction is with me or my husband...or the dog. 


Since her nap time has shifted to noon, we were finally able to attend the toddler story time at the library this morning. I was picturing it to be sort of lame with like one other kid and an old librarian reading "Cat in the Hat". It was actually about 15 toddlers all in a special room and the two librarians alternating reading a story with singing a song or having the kids play a game. 


At first, Faith was like a deer in the headlights about the whole thing, especially the "Ring around the Rosey" game. She wanted NO part in falling down. I don't really blame her, it's a freaking strange song. 

I didn't bring my camera, but this is close enough

The story time lasted for 30 minutes, which is like 2 hours for a toddler. After the second story, Faith just wanted to go play with the buckets that were used for one of the games. One of the other toddlers had the same idea and wanted to play with the laminated teddy bears in the bucket. Faith took one and held it out for the other kid and then snatched it away at the last second and ran. I realized that this is the game she was playing:

Can't catch me!

This is a game that Peanut taught Faith and now Faith was trying to get the other toddler to play along and the kid was just staring at her like "What's your malfunction?". 


Faith was fascinated by this taller toddler girl with curly hair and keep inching closer to her and to my dismay, started PETTING her. Like, full out petting the other kid (in the stomach/chest area because that was at her eye level). I asked her "What are you doing?" and she looked right at me as she was petting and said "Guh dog". I am SO lucky that she's not really understandable to other people because that kid's mom was right there and I really didn't want to have explain that it wasn't personal, it's just that my kid thinks your kid is a hairless dog. 


We stayed after the story time ended because she was still playing and then one of the librarians busted out bubbles and it was like shit just got real. I've never seen so many toddlers run to one spot in a room and stand with identical looks of wonder. 

Toddlers are like little stoners

Most of the moms seemed to already know each other and hopefully if my kid doesn't keep calling their kids dogs then I can make some friends and set up play dates. Maybe a month or two of play dates and story hour will help Faith come out of her Mowgli phase.

But I LIKE being raised by wolves!

Until then, if anyone needs someone who really understands dogs to help them out with anything, this is your girl:

Guh dog!

You're never the craziest person out there

One of the best parts about running is that no matter how crazy or dedicated you are to the sport, there is someone out there taking it to the next level. Someone might think my level of running is crazy, and then there are people who I think are crazy (and so on). Regardless of your sanity level, it's fun to have a group of people who are willing to show up for a trail race on a rainy 33 degree Saturday morning.

When I woke up yesterday, this is what I saw outside:

This would be enough for a 2 hour delay here

It was pretty icy outside, so I thought the race might be canceled. Nope! I had spent a couple of hours baking muffins and cookies on Friday for the race and I had promised to help set up and register and those two things really helped propel me outside in the pouring rain.

I didn't take my camera (pouring rain doesn't mix well with electronics), but I wish I had so I could have taken a picture of the ice coated wooden bridges and water logged trails. I normally run on the edges of puddles, but these puddles were the whole width of the trail in parts, so before long my feet were soaked with icy water. It didn't really matter since my whole body was already soaked from the cold rain. I still can't believe 20 people showed up to run (and some people came just to volunteer!). See? You are never alone in your insanity if you're a runner.

I brought the dog with me, even though she hates the rain, because she was dying to run with me The excitement of the trail run helped her forget how much she hates getting wet and she splashed through all the puddles with gusto. It poured rain for the entire race, but it wasn't so bad in the woods.

The trails for this race were really fun with lots of wet leaves and tree roots to dodge (I'm not even being sarcastic, I really like the mental challenge of remaining upright). I had to slow down on the downhills and the icy bridges, but then the last mile was on flat grass, so I made up some time and finished 4.10 miles in 36:55. I was the first female finisher, but in all fairness I think Peanut crossed the finish line ahead of me so the honor should go to her.

Bow to me bitches

After the race was done, I had some water and hot chocolate then after everyone had pretty much finished, 3 of us headed back out to the trails to pick up the flag markers and signs. We only did part of the course, so it was just 3.5 muddy miles. By the time we were done with that, I was ready to go home and take a HOT shower and get into some cozy sweats! Even though Faith and my husband stayed dry at home, they were more than willing to indulge in some cozy couch time watching quality cinema:

Oh, Captain Feathersword, you're so wacky and fun

Mommy, you can't sit here. My octopus is sitting here

Today was a gray, cold day. Faith had two things working against her being a happy kid today (teething and multi-day constipation) so I had to bail on a group run I had planned to attend and run on the treadmill during nap time instead. I was really bummed to be stuck on the treadmill on a weekend day, but once I got going it was fine. Thank goodness for fun TV shows! I just ran 5 miles and that left me wanting more, but not more treadmill miles if that makes sense. Maybe I should stop carb loading like I'm still training for a 50 miler and I won't have so much energy.

Faith got a little cabin fever from not being able to go outside much this weekend. If you're wondering how I could tell, here is Exhibit A:

Mommy, make this my audition video for Toddler Jackass

I took her out for a toddler "run" this morning (I was really hoping it would help the constipation issue) and then we played with Peanut in the yard. After just 25 minutes outside, I was frozen so I brought everyone inside and then made the kid wear her "Forever Lazy"

Mommy, you should just get your own already

I find that whenever I feel cold, I have a deep urge to bundle up the kid. It's like biology at work.


When you feel cold, do you ever want to make other people put on an extra layer? I know at least one of you out there puts a sweater on their dog. :P

Did you run in nasty weather this weekend?

The best part of a run..

Is coming home and checking for any leftover snacks:

If I'm really quiet, Mommy won't catch me...

Oh crap, she's right behind me isn't she?

I was just...stretching....yeah. Not trying to steal leftover fruit leathers, no siree

We had our first run of the new system: Faith ran before and after I ran. I figure the first run lets her get some of her energy out and then the second run is what I promise to her during the run when she fusses to get out. The first day was a success! Faith ran .2 mile before and after my 4 mile run and she fussed quite a bit getting into the stroller after the first run, but she gave up the fight within a minute and decided to just sit quietly and eat her snacks.

My legs felt heavy and slow for my my two runs (8 miles total) and they've actually felt that way all week. I don't know what's up with that, but I'm hoping it wears off soon. I'm running another trail race on Saturday and I don't want to embarrass myself in front of all the high school cross country people. Well, I'll be behind them, but you know what I mean. Nothing makes you feel old like racing with high schoolers!

I think this week's race is going to be like a 6K (~4 miles) and it's predicted to be rainy which means the trails will probably be muddy and extra fun. Peanut is going to have a great time! If anyone in the DC/VA/MD area is interested in my running club's trail series, here is the link. I'm making cookies and muffins again, so you know it's going to be a good time!

Don't disturb me, I'm preparing for my race victory 

Would you still go to a race in the rain?


What is the best part of a run for you?

Toddler in training

Faith has been running with me for over a year now and it's pretty inevitable that she would start to show an interest in it too. It started with her wanting to wear my running shoes (which is why she has her own pair of pretty silver and pink running shoes) and now she wants to hit the road and run too.

A grape? Good, I need to carb load.

This morning it was really windy here, so I didn't want to do our usual stroller run. Staying inside entirely wasn't an option because the dog needed exercise, so I planned to do a walk outside. Luckily I was already dressed for running because it was COLD and I quickly decided to run instead of walk. Faith was happy in the stroller until the very end. She was arching her back and screaming to get out of the stroller, so I just let her out and figured she'd walk for a bit and then get tired and ask me to pick her up. She took off doing her fastest toddler run and didn't look back!

I'm going to be faster than you soon Mommy!

I tagged along with the stroller and I kept waiting for her to get tired and stop running, but she kept it up until we got home, which was a quarter of a mile! She was giggling and breathless and I think she would have gone further. Since she liked it so much, I took her out again this afternoon and let her run up our street to the stop sign and back (a little less than half a mile) and she did that with a smile on her face! I was freezing because toddler top speed is very slow walking for an adult, but she didn't seem to mind the cold. The dog seemed really stressed about her running and it was cute that she keep steering Faith with her body to keep her from running off the road.

My husband said that I've screwed myself because now she won't let me run with her, but I think we can work it out that she gets to run a portion of our run and we'll all be happy. After all, tired toddlers are good toddlers, right? After all of her running, she sure ate a good dinner! Dinner is normally the hardest meal for me to get her to eat (I think it's because she's tired), but tonight she cleaned her plate and wanted more.

Mommy, I almost DIED of hunger!

When I finished my run (7.1 for the day) on the treadmill, I was wondering if I'm going to have to invest in one of these next.

Don't lean on the handlebars kid, you're cheating

Do you think my husband is right and I shouldn't be letting her get out and run? Since he doesn't run with her, he doesn't really care, but I'm worried I'm shooting myself in the foot here.

Do you ever feel like telling people at the gym to not lean on the handlebars of cardio equipment? No? Just me?

Meal planning and sparkles

I know many people plan out their whole week of meals before they go grocery shopping, but if you want insight into how meal planning works in our house, here's an example:

Me: I don't know what to make for dinners this week. What do you want?
Husband: I don't care. What do you feel like making?
Me: No, you can't turn the question back on me. I demand you tell me ONE thing to make.
Husband: Uhhh...fish. Salmon. With rice.
Me: Ok, I can do that.

Two weeks later, I make this:

I was going to get wild salmon, but then I realized I am a cheap bastard

I did make corn too, but it didn't go, so I had it on a separate plate. That's normal, right?

I do this to my husband all the time: I demand that he helps me pick out some dinners to make and then I don't actually make what he asked for weeks. He's a lucky man.

Today started out as rainy and nasty, so I didn't take the stroller out for a run. I have a weather shield and I can run in the rain, but if I'm not training for something and aiming for a specific mileage, I don't feel like subjecting us all to that misery. It was already a pretty miserable morning because Faith woke up at 5:15am and was in a tantrum-riffic mood. By the time noon nap time rolled around, I eagerly jumped on the treadmill. I worked out for 2 episodes of Buffy, which was 8 miles of running and some weight training. I was only able to do so much because Faith was so tired from getting up that early that she took a really long nap! I actually had to wake her up, which ended up being a horrible idea because she was SO cranky about that. I guess I would be too.

She cheered up a little when the mail came and she got a package. Emily had made her a custom sized sparkle headband! (If you want a fun headband or dog collar, check out her Etsy store! No, she didn't give me free stuff or pay me to say that). Faith loves sparkly things lately, so when I saw that headband on Emily's shop, I knew she'd love it.

At first, she was still angry from her cranky day:

Woman, what the hell did you just put on my head?

I feel pretty! Oh, so pretty!

Sparkles speak to me

Once the rain stopped today, it ended up being a really nice day and warm too (60 degrees!). We all went for a walk in the late afternoon and then Faith helped me play fetch with Peanut in the backyard. By "help" I mean that she laughs hysterically at the dog and tries to chase her. Since the goal is to have a tired dog, it is actually helpful.

Hopefully tomorrow will be drier and Peanut can get the run she so desperately needs!


Are you a meal planner or do you just wing from random stuff you get from the store?