According to Berni

In honor of “flashback friday”  I’m going to take a walk down memory lane…

My morning started with a stop at the little one’s school to snap some pictures of her in her Halloween costume (she was with Daddy last night so he took her to school).  I was a little afraid of the costume she had chosen because in the flyer we got from the costume store it seemed a bit Risque’ but she assured me it was NOT.  Dad was ok with it so I wasn’t too worried.  She looked very cute, much cuter in person than the pics show- it’s not obvious but she was a Harajuku girl.!   And she was oh so happy with it so all was well.

Makenna in the middle with 2 of her bestest buds

It made me remember a time when she was SO happy to go to Disneyland and visit with the Princesses and play dress up and loved all the frilly silly girlie things.

Just spending the day with my favorite Princess...

Which brings me back to the day we spent at Disneyland, it was the year she was Minnie Mouse for Halloween… we had spent the day going from Princess to Princess and with each one we got a picture and an autograph.  On our way out of the park we stopped in one of the gift shops to see if we could find a Minnie Mouse ornament for our Christmas tree, since they had them in the stores at this point…  while we were in the store, an employee came up to us to see if there was anything he could help us find.  As I turned to look at him I realized that he was a ‘little person’ and was the exact same height as my darling little sweet lump o’love…my heart STOPPED I tell you.  Because what happened next is a TRUE story, I can’t make this stuff up.  It was one of those moments where it feels like the world around you STOPS and you and everyone involved are moving in S L O W motion.  So, at the same moment I realized they were eye to eye, she proceeds to put her hands on her hips and in her most matter of fact voice says

wait for it…..

wait for it…..

“Your just like a shrimp!”

Lord, why me???  I’ve been a good girl… really?!?!   I mean at that point what do you say???   I told him I was VERY sorry and that she really didn’t mean anything by it but that we call her a shrimp and yadda yadda yadda….  He was very nice and said “oh don’t worry about it”  all I could do was grab her pudgy little hand and leave…with no ornament.  Sorry, kid you blew it.  No Minnie Mouse ornament this year.

To this day when I hear that “Wanna get away?” commercial, it takes me back to this day and to that I say “YES, I’ll take a one way ticket to Vermont”  for another flashback… not quiet so far back but a beautiful memory just the same.

Ride like the wind!!

TGIF!!

xoxo

Berni

Ok, so my night was extremely FUN but the title- that’s for Cindy.

I feel like I’ve won the Lotto or something.  On Tuesday my lil one decided to come for a run with me and tonight my big girl, numero uno daughter met me at my office to go for a run with me!!   Of course there was a sushi dinner in it for her, that was kinda the deal, but hey I’m not opposed to bribery!

“Some boys take a beautiful girl, and hide her away from the rest of the world.  I wanna be the one to walk in the sun. Oh, girls, they wanna have fu-un.”

(Note to self:  try to think of a post that doesn’t involve running so you can post a better picture…)

So we pounded out a little more than 3 miles, which is NOT easy for her at this point but hey, this girls going in the Navy so she’s gonna need to be able to run!  Then we headed over to our favorite little Sushi joint and had a nice dinner, just the 2 of us.  We don’t get to do that very often so it was nice to catch up on girl talk!  We ate some good food, drank some tea and chit chatted the night away.

That's right baby, eat all the edamame you want, you earned it!

Just keep those chopsticks away from this....this one's all MINE!

I do solemnly swear to eat all my veggies while I'm in the Navy.

Your looking awfully grown up with that spiffy new haircut girlie!!

After dinner we parted ways…her to a friends house for yet another Halloween party and I headed home to a veeerry quiet house.  It is so very quiet when the lil one is at her dad’s.  Plenty of time to shower, read, clean without messes appearing right behind me, all kinds of crazy stuff goes on here when she’s gone.  And ladies, things are about to get even crazier… just for kicks I thought it would be fun to post 5 fun facts about myself.   Humor me and play along.

1)  I LOVE COFFEE, this is serious, it’s not just LUST this time either, this is the real thing!

2)  I am addicted to Post-it’s, I have them everywhere, all sizes and colors and am not afraid to use them…I have been known to put  post-it’s on top of post-it’s.  My kids are staging an intervention as I type.

3)  My kids call me Mamarazzi because I am forever in their faces with my camera(s)

4)  I work in the Mortgage industry, been thru the UPS and downs of it for 24 years, but still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up!

5)  I’m a Pisces and anything you read about Pisces describes me to a “T”.

I guess I better go stretch considering my legs are starting to feel like rigor mortis is setting in… too much sitting after running makes for stiff legs

TGIF everyone!!   And be safe if your going Trick or Treating tomorrow!!

xoxo

Berni

Well today marks day 1 of Half Marathon training and the 1st 3 mile run can now be crossed off!  I had no intention of completing these 3 miles on the TRACK but a funny thing happened last night as my little buttercup, honey muffin, lump o’love “M” had an epiphany… It all started with a book I gave her for her 9th birthday.

So, we are in bed last night, both of us reading and she says  “Hey Mom,  in this book it says that I should get off the couch and go outside and exercise for at least 30 minutes every day!”

Wait…what?

I cannot believe my ears!!   On a daily basis, daily I tell you, I ask my kids to go for a run with me, to try the healthy dish I have prepared, this happens DAILY!  And it’s as if she has NEVER heard one of these conversations.  Either that or because it’s written in this American Girl book it must be so!

It’s too late for today honey, since we’re in bed and all, but I will be going for a run tomorrow if you’d like you’re welcome to join me.  “Sure” she says, and she did.

Which is how I ended up at the High School track doing my 3 miles.  It ended up being quiet entertaining as the footbal players were practicing some drills on the field and the track team was also using the track.  For about 37 minutes I prenteded I was back in high school.  It was fun!  My little track star decided that one lap of walking and another of walk/running was enough for her so she took the tennis ball she found and played on the tennis courts while I completed my run.

This weekend marks the end of daylight savings time   I do not like coming out of work to a dark drive home.   What I will enjoy though is the early sunrise that will allow me to get my running done early!  You see, I have this trick I like to play with myself that I used to play on my older kids when this time change happened.  When they were little I could have them in bed by 7:30 because they had no idea it wasn’t bedtime… it felt like bedtime so it must be bedtime.  So, next week my plan is to get up at the same time I am now,  except that the clock will read 5:30 instead of 6:30 and that is where I will squeeze in my workout!  Ta-da!!   It’s like I’m a superhero or something!  Hi I’m Super MOM and I create TIME!   Here’s an extra hour for ya!  Use it wisely or it will be taken away, poof!  I must do this because if I don’t, it wont happen.  It will be too dark to run when I get home and I’m not too fond of running in the dark.

Speaking of Hummus, (yeah whatever- it’s my blog) I will never pay for Hummus again!   I made my own for the very first time the other day and HOLY MOLY, who knew!?!   I think I know where my kids get it (the non listening thing) I mean, I’ve read how easy it is, how delicious it is but geez this stuff is amazing!  I’m not sure if it’s how cheap it was to make or how really really easy it was but all I know is I waited far too long to try this!

Off to watch the end of The Biggest Loser and then pass out… Have a wonderful Day everyone!!

xoxo

Berni

I set goals, it’s what I do.   I like to have a beginning, a middle and an end.  It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something and honestly sometimes it’s a tool I use to keep myself on track.   New Years Eve of last year I set goals for 2009.  I’ve made the list and have been checking it quiet frequently these days to see what else I can cross off and what goals I’m close to reaching.

This is my ‘running board’, it hangs on the wall in my kitchen and reminds me of how far I’ve come and where I’m going.  I see it every day and it’s a constant reminder of what I’ve done and what I need to do.     At a glance I can see that I’ve already ran 10 races this year and have only 2 more to cross that off my list.  My upcoming races are all right there.

My Half Marathon training plan is posted here showing me what needs to be done.  I will make notes to it as I go and use it often to keep myself motivated.

There is a postcard for the Huntington Beach Surf City Half Marathon we will be running Feb 7, 2010.

And I have all my race bibs on a ring.  It is a nice reminder of where I’ve been and how much I’ve accomplished.  By far I have to say this is my favorite part of the board!  After every race I write the date and my finish time on the back and it is really fun to go back and look at these, I do it often.

and that little hand there- holding the bibs so nicely….. that belongs to none other than “M”

In all fairness and because first impressions are EVERYTHING and this isn’t the best picture (but it was taken in the moment) here is a better picture of her…

On that note I am off…to spend a glorious day with this little girl.  A trip to the bookstore, a movie and guaranteed laughs!

I leave you with this,  do you set goals?  If so, how do you keep track of them? Do you journal, make lists, keep mental notes or do you have a goal board similar to mine?  I’d love to hear about them.

Have a wonderful Saturday….

xoxo

Berni