V is for Victoria

My bestest buddy at work is Blair. She's an amazing worker, keeps me laughing and she's an amazing mama. I went into her office the other week and she started telling me about her trip to Mexico with her hubby and how she is preparing her Mom and Dad to watch her one-year-old daughter, Victoria.

Sitting on her desk was a packet of information: a timeline of what to eat, what to do, hospital addresses, emergency numbers, etc. She told me to go ahead and read through it. I literally laughed my ass off and asked if I could share it on my blog. She of course said sure. I hope everyone gets a good laugh out of it like I did.

Victoria in a Nutshell
4 days with the Princess

Schedule (sleep/food):

Wake: typically she wakes around 5:30 am- you can let her lay in bed as long as you like,

 sometimes she does go back to sleep

·       Upon waking Victoria likes to receive an 8oz bottle of child whole milk

·       After she finishes the milk she gets half a waffle or French toast (both in freezer- toaster oven or micro)

·       Around 7:30/8:00 Victoria likes to have her 3^rd breakfast of a sliced banana

Morning Nap: this happens on the weekends around 9/10am and could last up to 2 hours

·       Upon waking from this nap Victoria likes a chilled cup of milk (pink sippy cup with blue label)

·       She also gets her first snack at this point

·       Snack options include: pumpkin muffins, zucchini muffins, strawberries, yogurt, raisins, granola, goldfish, etc.- the only items that can be combined are the raisins, granola and goldfish… you might think a parfait is a good ideas… but it’s not.  She drinks water for the rest of the day from the pink sippy cup with pink label. 

Lunch: around noon

·       I try to give her protein and veggie options along with a food pack.

·       Food packs are in the cabinet with snack food in a basket

·       Chicken nuggets, broccoli nuggets/bites and sweet potato nuggets are my go to (located in freezer).  I will sometime steam carrots with cinnamon/sugar and a little butter, same with sweet potatoes (although we don’t have any of those).  She likes cucumbers without the skin (I think she prefers bigger slices rather than little bites)

Afternoon nap: If she takes a morning nap this nap will happen a little later like from 2:00-3:00pm; if not she will nap from 12:30/1:00 until 3pm. 

·       After this nap she will take her second snack (same options as first snack)

Dinner:  this is also known as the bane of my existence.  She will sometimes eat dinner and sometimes just eat snack food or bread.  She doesn’t like any spreads on her bread other than butter, which if she actually can see on the bread she won’t eat.  There is pita bread, wheat bread, bagels and English muffins in the bread drawer.  Don’t bother with grilled cheese, she just sucks the butter off the bread and eats around the cheese.  There are also crescent rolls in the fridge, she loves these and sometimes I’ll fold in some spinach and cheese and she eats them up.  She also loves edamame.  The issue with this is she does not chew them so her diaper the next day consists of full sized edamame which I feel like cannot be good for her digestive track. 

Bedtime:  Victoria typically goes down around 6:30/7:00 but may stay up later with you guys there. 

·       I bathe her every other night before bed, with her current schedule she’ll need a bath Thursday and Saturday.  Her wash clothes are in the guest bathroom in the drawer closest to the bath tub and towels are in the hall linen closet (there is currently one hanging behind the door).  I put the flower pad down to kneel on while she is in there.  She prefers her water at a comfortable 90 degrees, but won’t complain if it’s off a few degrees. 

·       She loves to have her teeth brushed.  Her toothbrush and toothpaste are in the guest bathroom.  

Another Race Season Gone

In 8 days, another running race season will be in the books. Where in the world did the time go?

When I look back at my race season last year, it was full of monumental achievements, with personal records set, and determination to better my overall health. My drive, passion and commitment to running pushed over into 2015 finding the most perfect running group and making a goal for myself of running 15 race in 2015.

Long story short -- 15 races did not happen in 2015 AND I fell off the healthy bandwagon PRETTY
fast. After a tough half marathon in February and heartbreak of not PRing in it, my motivation fell. (As many of your read in my blog post, it's linked below) I think this happened for a reason because running in 2015 became for another reason....to help others.

While I may have not ran 15 races this year, I did compete in 8 events, one being very monumental for me, my first triathlon. This year I participated in the Be Amazo 10k, Quakertown Rotaty 10-Miler, Love Run Half Marathon, Brooklyn Half Marathon, Sandy Hook Triathlon, Runners World 5k, Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half Marathon on Halloween, and the PennSuburban Chamber 5k in December. I opted to sit out the Broad Street Run this year and with cash being tight, I had to strategically create my race calendar.

But despite all of the races and all of the miles, this year meant so much more to me. I made tons of new friends, rekindled a friendship with one, and I had the ability to watch and HELP a few fellow runners have a successful running year.

To my RUN Club-ers - I can not thank you enough for welcoming me into such an amazing, supportive and hysterical group of individuals. I wrote my first blog post about The Club on December 18 and I can say I'm still just as obsessed with you all now as I was that first day. This group has taught me that each and every one of us is an amazing and talented runner, and with the support of each other, we can accomplish ANYTHING! It doesn't matter your pace or your preferred distance, there is ALWAYS someone willing to run along side you. When injury comes our way, we have DOZENS of friends giving their support, prayers and motivation to keep our heads up when we're in a dark place. I love you all! Xo

To my dear friend Janice, I can not thank you enough for introducing me to the wonderful world of Triathlons. Our friendship dates back to second grade and here we are today, being a dynamic duo yet again despite several years of loosing touch. Your support, advice and friendship is something I cherish, and I can't thank you enough for opening my eyes to new possibilities and new adventures. You've made me realize I CAN do anything I put my mind to, and you helped me overcome my fear of getting eaten by a shark during the swim portion. :) I can't wait to Stroke It, Ride It, Pound It with you in 2016 -- watch out bitches, here we come!

Monica, I can not express into words how proud I am of you and all you have accomplished so far this year. I know you've told me many times how grateful you are that I introduced you to the RUN Club, but I'm grateful I've gained you as a friend. I hope you dont have me for yelling at you to "don't

stop running, do it for Jake!". I've been so honored to run by your side and help you train for some big races on your 2015 race schedule. Congrats! YOU need to be proud of yourself! Just like we are all proud of you.

Last and certainly not least, my dearest Taylor -- we are nearly a week away from your FIRST HALF MARATHON! What started out as a shot in the dark ask for 4 family remembers to run this race with me, you are the only one who stuck with it. Being able to run beside you, train you and witness all of your hardwork makes me fall more and more in love with you. Your determination and drive is something I've always cherished about you and it is great to witness it first hand. This half isn't even about me, it's about you! I can't wait to watch you cross that finish line and see that medal around your neck. I am so proud of you, my heart could burst.