This week I had a lot going on. Most of it pertaining to work. So I hadn’t been very active on social media. I had to teach classes for work on Thursday and then met up with the girls for a drink and a bite to eat before heading to a SharePoint user group meeting. Then on Friday I taught all day and got home in time for a spring snow storm.
As I was going home I stopped to pick up dinner for the family and checked my emails.
I saw the subject and who it was from and was very, very stunned. Was this what I think it is? I quickly opened it and glanced through it to learn that I was being invited to Orlando for the Social Media Moms Celebration Conference. At first, I thought maybe it was the announcement for the social media moms conferences on the road. I had to read it again to ensure that it is indeed the one in Orlando!!!! To top that off! It was taking place the same time we were going to be on vacation there!
I called my husband and told him but he has no clue what it all means and I still had to actually read the email and figure it all out. I will be attending and am reaching out to learn if I have to pay the full registration fee since we are already booked with DVC points and have an annual pass the same time it is being held.
I still can’t believe I was chosen. I am so honored and humbled that I got an invitation. I always thought I was a Disney lover but was never good enough to be considered for this. I am a runDisney enthusiast. I did get married in Disney. I talk about Disney and listen to Disney podcasts every single day so I guess I am qualified!
Thank you to the Disney Social Media Moms team for inviting me!!!
While listening to one of my favorite pod casts, Another Mother Runner, Dimity and Sarah were talking with Kristin Armstrong. This was a great episode! I really enjoyed this episode because of something Kristin said she participates in every day. Oprah talked about this on her show once and I always thought it was a “nice” idea but I never participated in it. I would mentally take note of things I am grateful for, but I’m going to take a stab at it and try to maintain a Gratitude journal for a month. This can part another new good habit I can take part in during the month of March (my birthday month) as I approach a new year in my life.
When I was outside taking the kids to wait for the bus the sun was shining. It seemed brighter, like Spring really was making its appearance in our part of the world despite the mountains of snow we are still trapped under. But as we were outside I purposely chose not to put on a coat. I heard the birds singing and thought to myself that I was really grateful to hear those birds again. I even told my husband that I am surprised that we don’t hear those sweet songs at all during the winter months. They really do disappear for a period of time and I greatly miss them.
It occurred to me to write that in my gratitude journal. As I thought about it, I was also grateful that I didn’t have to wear a coat. It wasn’t balmy out, but it sure was a lot better than the 12-15 degrees that we were facing throughout most of January and February. I was also grateful that we were pounding a stick into the snow pile to measure how much snow is going to MELT during the week rather than measuring how much we are getting! That’s a nice sign. I am grateful for puddles. It means the snow is melting and soon the daffodils may hopefully poke their heads out of the snowy ground and the grass will begin to be visible again.
I am also grateful for all of the things I was able to learn today. I learn something new every day and I am grateful for my hunger to absorb new information and to try new things. I love to learn. I hope to keep up this habit, if not on paper, then I hope that I take a quiet moment to myself each day to reflect on what it is I should be grateful for and to look for things that are positive rather than to dwell on things that are not.
I am grateful that I get to see Sarah and Dimity on Thursday night!
I am grateful that I had a new episode to listen to.
I am grateful that when I go to be tonight I have more pages of the Tales from Another Mother Runner book to read.
I am grateful that I can sleep in a little tomorrow and run outside.
I am so excited! I have something to look forward to in helping me get through this week! Dimity and Sarah will be at Fleet Feet this Thursday night to celebrate their release of their new book Tales From Another Mother Runner. I already purchased a hard copy of the book in addition to my kindle edition so I can have Dimity and Sarah sign it.
I have met Dimity a few times. I met her last year at the Animal Kingdom Lodge during thePrincess Half Marathon weekend. Then again last November in Philadelphia during the marathon weekend. I visited the AMR booth and Dimity signed my bib and then during the race course she posed with me while cheering on Sarah and her cadet.
I’m looking forward to seeing both Dimity and Sarah together and hearing what they have to share at their event! They also have swag bags and fun stuff!
I am also meeting my fellow runner friends, Kim and her best friend Nicole, Kimberlee, who I met on the flight home from Disneyland 2 years ago and Anne who lives up the road from me, for dinner before the event. That’s guaranteed to be fun!
As I was driving to work the other day, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, “Laugh or Go Crazy”. Steve and Michele were talking about how easy it is to start bad habits but it seems harder to fall into good habits.
After finishing the WDW Princess Glass Slipper Challenge my goal was to start incorporate weight training back into my workouts. This means that I also want to do strength training for my legs.
I have been good about keeping up with my runs and doing them outside despite the frequent snow storms. I look forward to them. But lately I have added an early wake up to my day and I walk on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes. I want to get my steps in before the day starts and I head to work and sit for most of the day.
Another habit I am starting is to head down to the “tunnel” at work and walk every so often during the day to get moving or to walk to a bathroom farther away from my desk.
While these are good habits I also needed to cut out some bad habits like enjoying a refreshing beer after work. Even if it is just one. If I don’t have room in my calorie budget I can’t have it. So I didn’t buy any treats or drinks to keep in the house.
I am also making myself accountable by joining the latest Mickey Milers Diet bet. Heck if I can lose a few pounds, gain some control and good habits plus win some money why not?!
When I am at work with my packed lunch I am very good. It’s when I get home that all hell breaks loose. So I bought lots of veggies at the store this week and cut them up ahead of time. I also purchased foods for our meals so we didn’t have the old “What do you want for dinner?”?… “I don’t know”…. “What do we have?”…. “Not much” conversation which end up as a cereal for dinner night.
Each night I will be sure to have something thawing out or have some thought put into a meal ahead of time. I didn’t think I ate bad but once I start tallying up what I eat the calorie total tells the true story. It’s not what I eat but how much I was eating. So I am dialing it back again and making myself more accountable for what I am eating. I’m keeping tabs on things and using my conscious brain to make my decisions. This was something Jeff Galloway also explained to me last summer.
Drinking more water and getting in 10,000 steps per day are also little milestones I set for myself during the day and track with my fitbit. Sadly with all the running I do you’d think I wouldn’t need to diet but I do. I need to be aware of what goes in and what gets burned off. You don’t burn off as much as you think with your regular 3-4 mile run. It doesn’t give me free reign to have whatever I want any day of the week. Even when I am doing my long runs!
Fitz Kohler was on episode 256 of the Mickey Miles Podcast and hearing what she said solidified my recent thinking. She said that runners can’t just run. Strength training is important to keeping a runner healthy and all around strong. The episode was AMAZING to me! One of my favorites. Go check it out. I met Fitz at the Princess Half Marathon weekend on Saturday afternoon at the Mickey Milers meetup. We sat and chatted for a long time, even after everyone had left! She is a great person and a great resource for training information. I will be using her knowledge to help me get stronger so I can lose more fat and gain more muscle and run stronger and faster this year. Fitz has workout routines that you can do 3 times a week for 8-10 minutes that will make a difference in your running within 6 weeks! I started weight training again last weekend and have been sticking to it. It felt good to be sore again. I miss that feeling.
So my goal this year is to have a faster half marathon finish time again. I’ve been running the Disney half marathons for fun and haven’t pushed myself lately to go faster so it’s time to start working towards that goal. The sun is going to stay out longer which means I can get out and run after work again and race season is starting in the Northeast soon so I have to get out there and start getting some long runs under my best and register for the half marathons!
What are your goals for the year? Do you have any habits you need to break or to start?
This past February, when I went to Florida for the Princess Glass Slipper Challenge, I went to visit the Give Kids The World Village. I went to the village to drop off donations of autograph books and photograph books and toys for the children. I’d like to make this a regular event of mine when I head down to Florida for my races.
I saw a few families while I was there and it made me feel extremely grateful that my healthy children. I want to give back for the blessings that I have received. I have a lot to be thankful for and I want to give. Giving to others gives me a good feeling. While that may be selfish, I think it is a good selfish.
My running Team, the Mickey Milers raises money for Give Kids The World and I also use my commissions from selling Jamberry nail wraps towards donations for Give Kids The World.
If you would like to host a party to give donations towards GKTW, please feel free to contact me at pamela.frost@comcast.net. If you would like to donate please click the donate button on my blog of visit http://support.gktw.org/site/TR/Events/General?fr_id=1040&pg=pfind. Thank you!
This past Monday, February 23, North Branford came together once again to show their love for Lyla. We raised $30,000 toward the St. Baldrick Foundation.
It was amazing to say the least. You could feel the love as always. It was so great to see Lyla’s smiling face as she ran around with her friends. She had the honor of shaving Dr. Welch’s hair!
My son was so glad to see his friend. Even though Lyla had thrown up just minutes before because of her chemo treatment the previous day, he climbed right up on the couch next to her and Lyla’s face lit up and she was so animated as she was explaining to Kevin what she was building in her mine craft world.
Thank you to everyone who continues to show their love for a fellow classmate going through her third battle with cancer. We are praying that after her last two treatments she can come back to school and put this all behind her! I am proud to be a North Branford resident and we Love you Lyla!!!
