Tag Archives: mom blogs

Turn It Up Tuesday – #50

Welcome to the 50th week of Turn It Up Tuesday!

Hey everyone! Happy Monday (almost Tuesday)! I hope you all had an awesome weekend, full of wonderful posts. I would love to read EVERYTHING that you’ve written over the past week. Please link-up and share those posts below!!

September is a big month for us at Turn It Up Tuesday – this is our 1-year anniversary!! It has been an amazing year – and we look forward to many more to come!

A big thank you to everyone that has stuck with us for the past year – even if you’ve only been here a few weeks or a few months, you are greatly appreciated! And to all those that are just finding us here at Turn It Up Tuesday – thank you for stopping by and linking up with us! Thanks so much to everyone that joins us each week and makes this blog hop the best that it could be!

As you may know, Turn It Up Tuesdays is all about being happy, excited, energetic…and having fun! Link up your favorite posts (old or new) and meet some awesome bloggers in return! Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, recipes, mommy moments — anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly. We want to laugh, be entertained, be inspired, and have a good time!

SPONSOR OF THE MONTH

Tara from Anything and Everything

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“Welcome to Anything and Everything! I am a wife to an incredible and talented graphic designer, a mom to a new baby boy, and to another baby of the four-legged variety. Here you will find everything ranging from DIY projects, food and drinks, kids stuff, and anything in between. With my zest for life and my husbands passion for design, we are never at a loss for unique and entertaining ideas. I try to update this blog as often as possible, so be sure to visit often for more adventures! Sit back, relax, grab a beverage, take a look around and enjoy!”

Stop by and check out her blog…it’s definitely a great read!

Are you interested in having your blog or website featured in this spot? Then, sponsor Turn It Up Tuesday for a month! Click here! It’s only $5 for an entire month!
We’re accepting sponsors for 2015!

Welcome the lovely ladies of Turn It Up Tuesday!

TUT-Hosts-August

(from the top – left to right)

Natasha from Epic Mommy Adventures | Stacey from This Momma’s Ramblings | Jessica from The Wondering Brain | Cathy from A Peek Into My Paradise | April from 100lb Countdown | Tara from Anything & Everything | Kae from Where’s My Pacifier? | Kelly from Making-More | Rachel from Craving Some Creativity | Cindy from Mom Maven | Kimberly from Keystrokes by Kimberly| Rhonda from Mother 2 Mother | Jillian from Baby Doodah | Chelsea from Mommie and Wee | Tenns from New Mama Diaries

And welcome our awesome guest hosts for September!

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(from the top – left to right)

Elie from Chocolate and Crockpots | Becky from bybmg | Cathy from Three Kids and a Fish | Lauren from Life In The Wilde | Mari from Living in Mommywood | Meghan from Life with Peanut | Yolanda from That’s Mashed Up | Melissa from The Coupon Chronicles | Michelle from Failing Perfect | Mila

Interested in being a guest host or becoming a permanent co-host?

Complete the form here! Monthly co-hosts will be chosen on a first come first-serve basis. We’re now accepting guest hosts for October, November and December.

Here are the Featured posts from last week!

1977515_origCe Ce chose Homeschool Days – A Day In The Life 2014-2015 from Life’s Hidden Treasures. “I’m new to homeschooling and need plenty of examples of how to create an effective schedule, I thought this post was very helpful!”

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Becky chose 15 Tips to Carving the Best Pumpkin from Living Frugal with Erika. “I love this post because I’m itching for fall to truly get here. I love carving pumpkins with my son and can’t wait to use some of these tips this year.”

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Rachel chose Easy Ways to Earn Extra Money For the Holidays {From Home!} from Work at Home Wisdom. “Seriously, the holiday rush will be on us much sooner than we even want to think about. And I love earning a little extra money. She has put together a great list and her own experiences which is really valuable.”

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Kelly chose Homemade Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider Recipe from My Frugal Adventures. “I love the caramel cider from Starbucks, but a yummy version that you can make at home is much better.”

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Tara chose Double Tiered Wood Slice Serving Platter from Houseologie. “I love how Leigh Anne created an amazing serving platter from a couple pieces of wood slices from the craft store. So creative and unique!”

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Sandy chose My Toddler Isn’t Talking Yet – Should I Be Worried? from West Coast Mama. “I had a really hard time picking my favorite this week, but I ultimately decided on this post because, to me, it summarizes the most important guide we have in parenting. We have to rely on our gut instinct. As parents we know our kids better than anyone else. Our gut will tell us which way to go when we have a concern about our kids.”

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Kimberly chose My Picks For The 2014 Best and Worst Emmys Dresses from Mother 2 Mother Blog. “”I love seeing the stunning attire on the red carpet at awards shows. The Emmys did not disappoint this year and Rhonda nailed it with her picks. Find out where Halle Berry, Camila, Alves, Lena Dunham, and Viola Davis landed on her list.”

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Cindy chose How We Succeeded In Becoming A One-Income Family from Life’s Hidden Treasures. “We have been living off basically 1 income for the last 23 years. I brought a lot of debt into our marriage…don’t do that! We have worked hard and have just a little debt left. Our house and cars are paid off all that is left is 1 pesky old credit card and a small loan. Living on 1 income is not as difficult as it seems when your priorities are in order.”

Chelsea also chose this post. “This post was surprisingly inspirational. When I found it on the linkup, I thought it would be a how-to, step-by-step post on saving money, which I’m always looking to do. Instead, Cathy shared her family’s experience and how they have ‘freed’ themselves through tithing. Such a great reminder of what is most important in life. So happy I found this post!”

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Stacey chose Homemade Soap Scum Shower Cleaner from Robyn’s View. “Now that we are a single income family, I am always trying to find new homemade cleaning recipes. I can’t wait to make some to try in our bathroom! Thank you so much for sharing!”

Why I Was Scared To Have A Boy

Natasha chose I Was Scared to Have A Boy from The Contented Wife Blog. “I was so fearful of having a boy…I didn’t know what to expect and I worried about the same things that you did. I worried that he would grow older and shun me or our mother-son bond wouldn’t withstand the test of times. I still worry about those times – but I cherish the moments that I have with him now. And I’m glad that I did that, rather than worrying about everything else. Those are the moments that will last forever, even well after he’s married and moved on with his life. But you’re right – sons always have a bond with their mothers, well after they move on with their life.”

Victoria also chose this post. “I chose [this post] because it was a topic I could relate to. When I found out I was pregnant with my first son I was scared out of my mind. I knew boys were rough and felt they were harder to raise than girls were. I had no clue how I would make it as a mom of a boy. Therefore, when I saw this post linked up this week it immediately gained my attention.”

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The post with the most clicks is 7 Tips To Gain and Keep Followers from Natural Beautism and Flappings in Life.

 

Stop by and show some love to our featured bloggers this week! I’m sure they’d all appreciate it!

If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!

Epic Mommy Adventures
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And the Best of the Best is…

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7 Tips To Gain and Keep Followers from Natural Beautism and Flappings in Life

Why I Was Scared To Have A Boy

I Was Scared to Have A Boy from The Contented Wife Blog

Show some love to our Best of the Best bloggers this week!!!!

As the Best of the Best, you win free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures for 30 days! Please showcase the badge below with pride on your blog!

Please send an e-mail to Natasha at 1EpicMommy@gmail.com and she will provide you with all the details!

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So now that you’ve met our sponsor of the month, our hosts and co-hosts, and the Featured and the Best of the Best…

let’s get started!

  • Show some love to your hosts and co-hosts simply by following them on social media and leaving a comment so they can follow you back.
  • Link up as many posts as you’d like! The more, the merrier!
  • Check out some of the other posts and make some new friends!

Grab the button below and showcase on your sidebar! Invite your fellow bloggers to join the fun!

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Link up your posts, make some friends, and earn the chance to be featured or become the Best of the Best on Turn It Up Tuesday! We will feature the favorite posts each week!





Interested in reading all of the Featured Posts on Turn It Up Tuesdays? Or do want to know if your post was featured before we go live next week? Follow Natasha Peter’s board Featured on Turn It Up Tuesdays! on Pinterest.

Social Media Mixer – #7

Welcome to the 7th week of the Social Media Mixer, a brand new social media link-up started when the Weekday Mixer and Social Media Sunday joined forces. Thank you to everyone who joined us for Week 6 – we had 136 blogs and numerous social media link-ups!

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The Social Media Mixer is all about networking and making connections. Also, you can gain exposure and increase your social media following! Link up your social media accounts and mix it up with some of the other linkers. Each week, the Weekday Mixer will start on Saturday nights at 8:00pm and go on until Thursday night at 11:59pm. One linker will be chosen each week each of the hosts and guest hosts and featured in the following week’s link-up! If chosen, a brief summary about yourself and your blog/website and all of your social media accounts will be featured. It’s a great way to stand out among the crowd!

Welcome your hosts!

 

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Natasha from Epic Mommy Adventures | Angel from Sew Crafty Angel | Cathy from A Peek Into My Paradise | Teresa from Crafty Wife | Julia from Minivan Dreams | | Liz from Look by Liz Lewis | Kaitlyn from Three Sisters and Us | Shana from Technotini | Anni from Grapefruit Princess | Tiffany from Mrs Tee Love Life Laughter | Ce Ce from A Chicago Mom | Jillian from Baby Doodah | Holly from Southern Mom Loves

And welcome your guest hosts for July!

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Bonnie from LadyBlogger | Chelsea from That’s So Chelish… | Tara from Anything & Everything | Aysh from Words n Needles | Amanda from Old House to New Home | Krissy from Hot Commodity | Jen from Twenties Chic | Victoria from Giveaways 4 Mom | Maria from Simple Nature Decor | Breanna from Brepurposed

And here are the Featured bloggers from last week’s Social Media Mixer…

Adventures with the Cronks

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Blog | Facebook | Google+

Blonde Girl, Brown Dog

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“Hi, my name is Randell. I’m a 19 year old college student, and I attend the University of Georgia. I love my puppy, my boyfriend, my family, crafting, and many other things that I’m sure will appear on here. Look around, stay awhile, and enjoy… xoxo”

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin

Spiced Palette Designs

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“Welcome to my blog and I am Luanne your SewCute Hostess. I’m a mom to 2 beautiful boys,a wife and a Systems Engineer specializing in Microsoft SQL Server. This is my little space to share my projects, some sewing, baking, digital party printables and some paper crafts. I love to have you visit me here and don’t be shy to leave me some comments ~ I love to read them!”

Blog | Google+

Kinder Keepsakes

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“Hi! I’m Aly Porter. I am a wife and a mother with three little girls and I run my own business. While my life can be crazy, it is all totally worth it! I love my work and I love being able to stay home with my kiddos at the same time! You just have to take it one day at a time and somehow it all works out!”

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“Hi! I’m Jennifer Smith. I have two small kids that keep me running all day long. My heart is always with my family but I also love sharing my crafty crazy life with the rest of the world! I am a wife, a mom and a blogger. Let me tell you… I am enjoying every minute of it!”

Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube

Some of the Best Things In Life Are Mistakes

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“I am a 39 year old mom, middle school teacher and part time blogger. I was a teacher for 12 years and spent time off home with my children. This is my first school year back in three years.”

Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Google+ | Bloglovin

The Kolb Corner

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“My husband and I met in 2006 while working together at the Home Depot. After I graduated from college in 2009, we moved from central Illinois to Chattanooga, TN on a whim. When people ask us why we ended up in Chattanooga, we don’t really have a good answer. We knew we wanted out of Illinois, and Chattanooga was beautiful. Why not? We were young and adventurous after all…”

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | Instagram | Bloglovin

Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy

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“Welcome! I am Shaunacey. Wife to Brent (aka Mr. B), first-time mom to Annabelle (aka mini-me) and mom to fur-child, Lilo. I work full-time, love to cook and bake (and eat), love to shop, like to (try) and be crafty and LOVE to laugh. Like everyone, I’m trying to find the perfect balance and I’m not there just yet. I want to be a great wife, mom, friend and employee and I want to look good doing it. That shouldn’t be that hard, right?”

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Facebook

Creative Pink Butterfly

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“Welcome to Creative Pink Butterfly! My name is Trine and I am the one behind the scenes of this blog. My lovely blog where I write about DIY Projects such as crafting and sewing. I love organizing and decorating as well as working in the kitchen making food and drinks. I also write about blogging tips – since I am a blogger I find a lot of interesting tips online and some I have to share with you! Occasionally I will let you in on some of the things that happen in my daily life.”

Blog | Bloglovin | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Curly Crafty Mom

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Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google+ | Pinterest | Etsy | Bloglovin

Mommy Summers

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Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google+ | Pinterest | Bloglovin

Annie’s Noms

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“Hi, I’m Annie and I’m the writer and photographer behind Annie’s Noms! I love baking, recipe developing, reading and motorsport. If I’m not reading, I’m baking or photographing new recipes to share with you!
I’m hoping that blogging my culinary adventures will act as some sort of therapy for me. I have an eating disorder. I’ve only recently admitted it to myself, although my family and friends had already guessed. I’m grateful for the fact none of my family pressured me, they let me come to terms with it myself.”

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google + | StumbleUpon | Bloglovin

The Wetherwills Say I Do

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“Welcome to my little piece of the internet. My name is Madison, sometimes my friends call me Mad, which I actually love. I married my perfect man on July 20, 2012. We started out doing the whole long distance thing which included dating across continents, a few times. Long distance was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but I can’t express enough how great it was for our relationship.”

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Bloglovin

A Mind “Full” Mom

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“Hi, I am Kristen, a wife, daughter, friend and mom. I have a wonderful husband and two wonderful children and reside in Atlanta, Georgia. I have a passion for healthy and intentional living and want to share that with others. This website is designed for me to share my journey with you on striving to be “mindful” as a mother, wife, and person through tips I have learned through other incredibly talented people and through my own trial and error.”

Blog | Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Twitter

Chocolate with Grace

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“Hi, I’m Mallory and I love to cook, bake, take pictures and spend time with my husband and family. During the day, I am an accountant, but in my spare time I love to create things in my kitchen and share them with others. I grew up on a farm in Ohio and moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania when I married my husband. This blog allows me to share my recipes with friends and family that live far away and gives me a creative outlet after a day in the office. Outside of work and the kitchen, I enjoy exploring the area with my husband, traveling to new places, visiting old friends and making new ones. Thanks for visiting.”

Blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Google+ | Twitter | Instagram

If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!

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Are you ready to start mixing it up?? Then, let’s go!

Make sure to add the button below to your sidebar to invite even more people to join the fun!

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My 2014 Intentions

I’m sharing my 2014 Intentions.

I don’t know if anyone is like me, but every year I make resolutions (you can read last year’s here), and nearly every year I fail to follow-through. It’s pretty depressing, and I have absolutely no one to blame but myself. I want 2014 to be different, beyond all else, I’d love for this to be the year that I stop making excuses.

So in an effort to stick to this overarching goal, my theme for the year is (just like Nike), Just Do It!

2014-IntentionsWithout further ado, my 2014 Intentions:

Grow My Blog – Baby Doodah is slowly but surely growing in readership, but I need to put more time into the behind the scenes organization. This includes, completing my editorial calendar, getting a notebook (or a great app) to keep with me always to keep track of ideas that pop into my head at a moments notice.

I want to continue writing consistently, since July I’ve been writing about 5 to 7 posts a week, and I really want to keep up with that. I feel so great when I sit down and dedicate time to writing a post, it inspires me to write more. What better way to keep blogging, then to dedicate myself to writing AT LEAST 30 minutes a day? Nothing! So that’s what I’ll do.

Stop being obsessed with the numbers! Right now, I’m so concerned with how many views my blog gets each day, that I am checking my stats constantly. I recently read a tip that you should check your stats once a month, and take that time to, instead write great posts. I’d like to adopt this philosophy.

Work on my focus and time management, in regards to my blog. Right now, every time I sit down to write, I think of everything else I need to do, and it overwhelms me. If I’ve sat down to write, I start flipping through email, or reading one of the many bookmarked sites I have, and the last thing I work on is the blog post. I’d like to have dedicated time to do emails, write, and read things I’ve bookmarked – if I stick to these dedicated times, I believe I’ll gain some serious focus.

I am also considering a few new blog series, but for now, they’re still in development, so I can’t share anything more about them. 😉

Take My Health Seriously – I need to stop futzing around with my health. I’m extremely overweight, probably in the morbidly obese category, and that needs to stop. I want more children, and I am just not at a weight that I am comfortable with. I put myself, and the future child in so much danger being so high in weight. Honestly, there is no better motivation, than losing weight so that I can be around a long, long time for my children. I am going to be taking part in the Genetix Program (more to come on this in future posts), and I’m hoping it will help assist in the motivation to get healthy, once and for all! I need to wrangle in my eating and start breaking a sweat in the gym.

Focus on ME – I am a person who is always concerned with what others think of me, and I struggle when I feel like someone doesn’t like me or is thinking negatively about me. I need to stop, what is most important is what I think of me. There are times when people’s opinions are important, but other times I worry unnecessarily. I need to work on changing this, but I’m not quite sure how, research is needed. Of my intentions for the year, this will likely be the most difficult.

Those are my 2014 Intentions, I’m keeping it to three so that I can truly focus on them, and accomplish great things.

Your turn!

What are your 2014 Intentions? Let’s keep each other accountable!

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The Art of Using No – with a Toddler

As children grow they become more and more curious which leads to more opportunities for them to get into things they shouldn’t. For the majority of parents (including myself), the first reaction is to start using no. But is that really the best way to handle a situation with a toddler who is almost constantly getting into things? Does the word no eventually become ineffective?

I did some research to determine if there were better ways to manage children’s behavior, check it out below!

Save “No” for those extremely important occasions.

If your child is about to reach for the hot oven, you obviously want to yell no, and move his hand away. But if you’re child is about to dump out a bucket of blocks, choosing a different method of stopping the child might be better. My favorite method? Redirection! Whenever Emmett is about to do something that won’t hurt him, but that he shouldn’t do, I offer him another play option. 9 times out of 10 it will stop the behavior in its tracks and he’ll happily move onto something new.

Give Options

Your child loves bouncing a ball, and you find yourself shouting, No! No! No! Instead of just say no and offering no better options, suggest that instead of bouncing or throwing the ball, that they roll it or you all head outside to bounce. Giving your young child the ability to make simple choices like these fosters independence and competence [WebMD parenting]. Plus you’re ensuring that your use of “no” doesn’t become ineffective.

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Toddler’s Want What They Want

David Walsh, Ph.D., author of No: Why Kids — Of All Ages — Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It, explains that it doesn’t matter whether your child wants a cookie and you want them to have a carrot, a toddler wants what they want. Instead of using no, firmly and warmly offer them a healthy snack (like carrots with peanut butter) and stick with it, despite your child’s protests. This way your child still gets an extra treat but it is something healthy. [10 Ways to Say “No”]

 Offer Explanations

Your child loves reaching for the outlets, doesn’t matter whether something is plugged in or not, if she sees it, she reaches for it. Instead of immediately reacting with a NO!, explain why she shouldn’t be touching it. Try, “Outlets are for plugs only, not toys or fingers. If you stick your fingers in the outlet you could be badly hurt.” It may take a few tries but eventually you’re child will understand you and will stop reaching for the outlet.

Create a Diversion

If your child loves playing with the TV remotes and it doesn’t matter how many times you say no, remove the child from the situation and offer another toy to play with. Try to make it a toy that is equally as stimulating, since your goal is to keep the child from running back to the remotes, you don’t want them getting bored quickly. [belly belly]

 And Finally (and most importantly) – Acknowledge and Cheer for the Good Things

When your child seems to actually understand what you tell them not to do, reward them with cheers, claps and smiles. Toddlers inherently want to please their parents, so when they see that if they don’t jump on the bed, mommy gives them a huge smile and a hug, they’re more likely to stick with the right behavior.

Emmett is just now starting to understand what no means, we’ve gone through a lot of the above tips. Some have worked on the first try, others took more effort but either way, we try using no sparingly.

Your turn!

Any tips or tricks on how to avoid using no?

To see some of my other tips and tricks, click here.

The Color Run – Buffalo

Today was the day for The Color Run in Buffalo!

The Color Run’s tagline is, The Happiest 5k on the planet, but up until the actual race today, I had not been looking forward to actually participating. I just didn’t feel like being away from Emmett any more than I already am, but I had signed-up and realized that I probably shouldn’t let my $35 entrance fee go to waste. I’m glad I went, in the end I had a really great time.

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For anyone who hasn’t heard of the Color Run, it consists of a 5K race where, throughout the course, you find color stations, yellow, pink, orange and blue. As you run through these color chutes, the workers of the race have bottles similar to a ketchup bottles you’d see in a diner, filled with that particular color paint, as you run past they squirt you with the powdered paint. All the paint consists of, is corn starch, a flavoring agent and dye, completely safe. Thank goodness because it gets everywhere!

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Urias’ eye lashes had been colored pink!

From the very moment I received my first email correspondence from The Color Run – Buffalo crew, I knew that this race had been well planned and executed perfectly, many times over. The email talked about all the information you’d need, where you could pick-up your packet and any other pertinent information to the actual run. Packet pick-up was a breeze! I went in with some of the people I did the race with and we were in and out of there in 15 minutes. Quick and easy! They were well prepared, you could tell.

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This morning, when I woke up I still wasn’t feeling like going out and walking / jogging a race but I had already said I wouldn’t back out and I figured it would be over before I knew it so I got showered and dressed. Sooner than I could have imagined, I was downtown enjoying the pre-game party. There’s a lot of space down by the marina and they took full advantage of everything. They had a full stage, with plenty of room for gathering and dancing. Lots of smaller tents where you could sign-up (if you hadn’t already) buy some merch and all sorts of other things. While we waited for the race to start, there was a Zumba instructor on stage instructing the largest Zumba class I’ve ever seen.

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At almost 9 AM on the nose, they had people start lining up for the start of the race. Again, things seemed really well planned, especially for an event where over 10,000 people were participating. We all slowly started making our way in that direction but ended up getting stopped not far from where we had started. They start people in waves and every time they’d like a chunk of folks go, we’d steadily move up but then have to slow down and stop again. It took a good 30 minutes for us to get through the start but that had nothing to do with poor planning on their parts, there really isn’t much you can do to make a 10,000 person race run more smoothly. We still hadn’t gone past the starting line and the first finishers were coming in. That was fun because we all got a chance to cheer him on.

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From left to right, Kurt, me, Jen, Mimi, Urias, Kristen and Jenn

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Me, Mimi, Jen, Jenn, Urias, Kurt & Kristen

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Once past the starting line, the race moved very quickly. I ran through all four color stations and walked the majority of the rest of the race. I originally thought I’d hate having “paint” thrown at me but it sat so lightly on the skin that you couldn’t even tell it was there other than by sight, by the end my clothes, face and hair were a complete disaster. Not that it mattered, I’d had so much fun running through the colors.

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I crossed the finish line and headed to the after party. They had some great upbeat music playing and every few minutes would have a color throw. When you pick-up your race packet you also get a bag of the paint and you’re asked to save it until the end so that you can join in with the group and throw it in the air. Check out these pictures! These were my favorites!

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It was a really great time and we finished with a yummy breakfast from Towne Restaurant, on Allen St.

What I learned:

I got covered in the paint and once I jumped in the shower, most of it came off really easily. However, the blue, green and purple had the hardest time coming off my skin. I actually still have some streaks now. Next time I don’t think I’d walk as closely to those blue paint tossers.

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You can host a 10,000+ person race and still have your stuff together so that it goes off without a hitch (Turkey Trot, take note).

That you really can complete a race AND have a good time, even if you haven’t been training for the run.

And I’d absolutely, 100% do this race again!

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Your turn!

Have you done The Color Run or a variation of one?

My Finds Friday

Time for another addition of My Finds Friday.

I hope by now you’re all out of work or nearly out of work, on this wonderful day that should be considered a holiday (each and every week).

This was a very busy and tiring week and honestly I can barely remember what I did each day. Not because I did nothing but because the days flew by in a blink and before I knew it I was in bed and my alarm was going off to start the new day. Yikes! I’m not a big fan of how quickly life is passing by but I don’t see it slowly down any time soon.

Alright, onto My Finds Friday, I hope you like this week’s finds!

(These are in no particular order.)

  • I’m going to start tonight right off with a motivational post. Lauren, at closer to 30, wrote the post, “Running: it’s not for everyone, but it could be.” She has some great tips on how to get into running, even if you’ve always thought that it wasn’t the sport for you. I recommend you check it out if you’re looking for some seriously good inspiration.
  • Here’s a hilarious article on Daily Life, titled Things Your Yoga Teacher Won’t Tell You and like it’s title it talks about everything your yoga teacher might think, but won’t say out loud. I laughed at more than one!

  • As I was recently promoted to a supervisory position, I’m constantly Googling and searching for great tips to be a better manager. I came across this one on Twitter, it’s an infographic all about What Makes Up a Successful Manager? There is some great info and some great insight.
  • All of our mornings are crazy but there might just be a way that you can cut down on the time it takes you and your family to get ready. Daily Mom’s Article, 5 Time Saving Tips For Your Morning Routine, might have some ideas you’ve never thought of before. My son’s only 1 but I never even thought about choosing 5 outfits for him on Sunday so that I can just grab and go in the morning, I’m hoping this will shave off some time.
Mmmmm... This food is good!

Mmmmm… This food is good!

My father-in-law sent us a flash drive of pictures of Emmett from his birthday party, I can’t wait to share them all with you!

Your turn!

Do you love Fridays as much as I do?

What fun websites and posts have you come across this week?

 

What I Ate Wednesday – # 5

It’s that time of the week again, that time for What I Ate Wednesday.

It wasn’t an exciting day for eats but still yummy nonetheless. Let’s get started right off with breakfast, I had two slices of Wegmans 100% Whole Wheat bread, with eggs that were supposed to be overhard but both yolks burst as I was flipping them (boo!). On the bread was some Trader Joe’s Goat Cheese, avocado and some absolutely delicious locally grown, never been refridgerated, tomato. Yes, I’m being very descriptive because I love tomatoes, but more specifically those that are grown and picked in WNY that have never once seen the inside of a fridge.

Let’s take a step back for a second, when I was a little girl my grandma did canning, she’d make homemade BBQ sauce, tomato sauce and tomato juice. I loved being a part of it, we’d do all of the work in her basement and crank the tomatoes through the grinder by hand. She was always so cautious, worried that one of us might lose a finger in the grinder so we (mostly my sister and I) did the cranking and she’d push the tomatoes in. We’d also then help her scrape the screen where the skins and seeds got caught, some of that would be saved and used in some of her recipes. As I retell this story, I am putting myself right back in her basement, smelling the already ground tomatoes boiling down on the stove for one of the three recipes. But my favorite thing of all would be when she’d let us grab one of the tomatoes straight from the bushel and eat it like an apple, no washing or slicing. The taste was out of this world, I can still feel it hitting my taste buds today.

When I went to the Farmer’s market this past weekend and realized that it was fresh tomato season, I did a little cheer to myself. I bought a bunch of the larger ones for salads and just for eating (like an apple) but then also bought some cherry tomatoes. When I first threw one of those in my mouth, it took me right back to my grandma’s basement. Mmmmm

Alright time for some pics, here’s my breakfast.

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As you can see I also had two yellow plums and that one has a bite out of it. Well, the external flash on our camera needs new batteries and we don’t currently have any in the house so when I need to use the flash, it takes forever to warm up and I was very hungry this morning. I couldn’t wait! 😀

I completely forgot to get a photo of my lunch. I had a luncheon at work, I had 2 slices of vegetable pizza, a bowl of salad and one too many brownies.

Dinner was one of my favorites! Pulled pork with a slice of American cheese with horseradish on a Marco Polo roll, so delicious. We do it pretty easily in the crock-pot, just throw half a pork shoulder in with some salt, pepper and BBQ seasoning for about 8 hours. Then, about a half hour before you want to eat, pour a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce in and let it cook on high for about 30 minutes. Finally… enjoy!

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We also had some roasted broccoli, where, yes, I put a slice of American cheese on it. I couldn’t resist, I haven’t done it in ages and thought, what the hell!?

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I also had some Polar Triple Berry Seltzer Water. I’ve been really into the setlzer lately, but my favorite flavor has to be the vanilla. It tastes almost like an Italian soda. Yummy!

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And finally, I work from home on Wednesdays. I’m pretty fortunate in that Emmett does a great job of entertaining himself and leaving me to get work done. However, today, he wanted to be as near as possible while I was working.

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He laid like that for quite some time, while I was just typing away. Such a sweetie!

Your turn!

What did you enjoy on this What I Ate Wednesday?

 As always, a huge thank you to Peas and Crayons for hosting!
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