Day 9: My Favorite Podcasts

Once again, I missed a day in my goal of writing daily for June! However, I realized that even if I miss a week's worth, I will still have written much more than I would have had I not made this goal. Last month, I only wrote eight posts in the whole month! This is my seventh post in June, so I'm doing very well.

Anyway, I've been meaning to put together this list for a while, because people ask me all the time to list some of my favorite podcasts. The list changes frequently, because I am always downloading new ones, but there are some that stand out much more than others.

Without further intro, here is a current list of my favorite podcasts...

"This Is Actually Happening" -

This is my VERY favorite podcast, and has been my favorite ever since I listened to the first episode. In this podcast, one person shares a story about him/herself. There are a lot of storytelling podcasts, but I like this one best because there is no host or dramatic effects. It's simply one person telling a story about an experience her or she had. Each episode is titled, "What if ______?" For example, the first episode that I listened to was called "What if your boyfriend lit himself on fire?"


"Another Mother Runner" -

This is my favorite running podcast. The name is a little misleading, because this is a great listen for any runner, mother or not. I really like the hosts--they're funny without being over the top (some hosts try too hard to be funny, and it ends up sounding obnoxious). On this show, they do a lot of interviews--with famous runners and coaches, as well as regular runners (like me!).


"Cold Case Files" -

I love true crime, and I've been listening to a lot of true crime podcasts lately. I really like this one, because there is an actual ending to the stories! I didn't like "Making a Murderer" (on TV) or "Serial" (podcast) or other stories like that, because they didn't have a real ending. You're left wondering what really happened, and that drives me crazy! So, I like Cold Case Files, because they are cold cases that are finally solved.


"Half Size Me" -

This is my favorite weight loss-related podcast. Heather, the host, has lost a lot of weight and kept it off, and she's very sensible about weight loss and dieting. She used Weight Watchers to lose the weight, and she dabbles with other plans here and there; but overall, she made lifestyle changes that she can live with. And she's done really well with keeping the weight off and finding what works for her!


"Risk!" -

This is another story-telling podcast, and it's very entertaining. The stories are more "risqué" than the typical stories you hear on other podcasts. The host is funny (although a little over the top at times) and there are usually a few stories per episode. People share stories with an audience, and the stories they share are embarrassing, hilarious, tear-jerking, horrifying, and/or any other dramatic adjective you can think of. This is definitely a "mature audience" type of podcast, just FYI.


"My Favorite Murder" -

This is another true crime podcast, but it's more of a comedic than a serious show. The two women who host the show can either be really funny or really annoying, depending on the type of humor you like (it kind of depends on my mood, haha!). They discuss real-life murders, both current and past. I really loved the early episodes--the first 20 or so. Once it became very popular, they started adding more and more "stuff" in the beginning before talking about the actual topic of murder, so I don't listen to it very often anymore. But the early episodes were very entertaining!


"Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People" -

On this show, the host chats with an anonymous caller who doesn't know ahead of time that they will be the caller recorded for the show. They talk for an hour, with the premise that the host won't hang up first, no matter what the topic. The callers talk about a huge range of different things. Depending on what the caller talks about, it can be really interesting!


"The Peripheral" -

A story-telling/interview podcast with "real people" sharing about themselves. The host is great in the sense that he doesn't interrupt the guest, but he does share a few personal points of his own that relate to the guest--therefore, the interview sounds more like a conversation about a given topic.


"The Monti" -

Yet another story-telling show... I can't help it, I love listening to others' stories! Even the ones that the storytellers may think are boring are so interesting to me. This podcast is nice for a very short listen. The stories are typically about 15-20 minutes long (and since I listen to podcasts at a 1.5x speed, they are perfect for a short drive to the store or something (or when I'm falling asleep). I also like that the host doesn't go on and on at the beginning--he introduces the show, and then it goes right to the featured story.

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I'd love to see what your favorite podcasts are, and why you like them, as well! If it sounds interesting to me, I may add it to my always-growing list. Feel free to comment with suggestions :)

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Day 7: The 5 Love Languages (book review)

I'm bummed that I wasn't able to write a post yesterday as part of my goal to write a post every day in June, but I was SO busy with Luke and then the kids' baseball game. I ended up going to bed super early because I was just exhausted.

Anyway, I finished reading a (very well-known) book called The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I found it very interesting and helpful, so I thought I'd write my thoughts on it.

I bought this book a long time ago with the intention of reading it out loud with Jerry. We read a couple of chapters, and we thought the concept of the book was really interesting--but then we just set the book aside and never finished it.

When I was in Kansas City a few weeks ago, Andrea mentioned the book, and we had a discussion about it. Then the four of us (Andrea, Bonnie, Caitlin, and I) took the Love Languages quiz to find out which of the 5 Love Languages were ours. But I'm getting ahead of myself! Let me explain the philosophy of the book first.

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman describes what makes relationships thrive. He states that there are five different "languages" that people may use when showing love for someone, and each person has one of these as their primary language to feel loved.

If your partner uses your Love Language, and you use your partner's Love Language, then each of you will thrive in the relationship because you will each feel fulfilled with love.

Chapman says it is rare for a couple of have the same love language, but if that happens, then it's usually easier to make the relationship work, because the language feels natural. For most people, though, it requires some effort on each partner's behalf.

Here are the basics of each love language (source):

"l. Words of affirmation – using words to build up the other person. “Thanks for taking out the garbage.” Not – “It’s about time you took the garbage out. The flies were going to carry it out for you.”

2. Gifts – a gift says, “He was thinking about me. Look what he got for me.”

3. Acts of Service – Doing something for your spouse that you know they would like. Cooking a meal, washing dishes, vacuuming floors, are all acts of service.

4. Quality time – by which I mean, giving your spouse your undivided attention. Taking a walk together or sitting on the couch with the TV off – talking and listening.

5. Physical touch – holding hands, hugging, kissing, sexual intercourse, are all expressions of love.

Out of these five, each of you has a primary love language which speaks more deeply to you than all the others. Discovering each other’s language and speaking it regularly is the best way to keep love alive in a marriage."

Above is the very basic gist of each... reading the book made them much clearer! If this concept interests you, I would definitely read the book. It's a short and simple read, and very interesting.

If your partner's primary Love Language is, say, Words of Affirmation, then the way you would make them feel loved is to practice that language with them (frequently using words of affirmation in everyday life). You might think that by giving your partner gifts here and there to show you are thinking of him or her will be all they need to feel loved--and maybe your partner will really love that--but without the Words of Affirmation, they won't have the full potential of what makes them feel loved.

And vice versa... if your Love Language is, for example, physical touch, and your partner is just not a touchy-feely person, you will not get that fully loved feeling--it will feel like something is missing. So, your partner should work on being more physical.

According to Chapman, when each person practices his or her partner's Love Language, then both partners should feel fulfilled and loved.

In Kansas City, Andrea told us that she and her husband, Andy, have an amazing marriage because they each make the effort to use each other's Love Language. When she explained this whole concept to us, I thought it made so much sense! So we all took the quiz, and I sent the link to Jerry to take the quiz as well. I was curious how we would match up.

Mine ended up being Quality Time, and Jerry's was Physical Touch. (Chapman states that most men automatically presume that their Love Language is Physical Touch because of sex. However, he said that if you were to take the sex part out, and just look at other types of physical affection, that is more so the indicator of Physical Touch as a Love Language.)

Physical Touch is something that I've always had a very hard time with, even though I knew that it was going to be Jerry's Love Language. I'm not a touchy-feely person at all! When taking the quiz, the results are in the form of a list of the Love Languages in order of relevance to you, and Physical Touch was at the very bottom of my list with just 2 points.

Anyway, based on the results of our Love Language quiz, I need to practice Physical Touch to make Jerry feel fulfilled with love; and he needs to practice Quality Time with me.

The Quality Time result for me made so much sense. I like to feel heard in a conversation, but I've always been shy and pretty quiet, especially in a group. When I do attempt to participate in a group conversation, I am usually talked over by someone louder and more animated than me, which makes me feel like what I have to say isn't important. My family is outspoken, too, so the same thing happened when I was growing up.

It makes sense, then, that I feel loved when people really listen to me and are interested in what I have to say. Having a good conversation without distractions (and cell phones!! I hate it when I am with a friend who is distracted by his or her cell phone when we're together) is definitely the most important love language to me.

Ever since I got home from Kansas City, Jerry and I have each been making big efforts to use each other's Love Language, and I'm amazed at how much of a difference it makes in our relationship. We've always had a pretty good relationship, but this Love Language idea has really made us each feel like a priority to the other.

When I read the book, I was thinking that it would be a great way to make children feel loved, too (to find out what their Love Language is and make sure to use it often). Then I saw that there is actually a children's edition. There are editions for singles, children, teenagers, military, for men specifically, in the workplace, and maybe even more. (Amazon affiliate links)

You can take the quiz for free on the website to see which Love Language is yours.

Overall, I really liked this book! Have any of you read the book and noticed a change after trying out the principles?

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Day 5: A day as Aunt Katie

(I set a goal to write a blog post every day in June; for most of them, I'll just choose a topic from a list. Today was too busy for me to sit down and write a real post, so here is a quickie with mostly photos.)

What an exhausting day! 

Yesterday, I asked Becky if Luke could spend all day today with me, stay overnight, and then go home tomorrow evening. I love getting to spend time with Luke, and I know Becky has to be exhausted. Luke is 15 months old, and he doesn't stop moving. He has never been a good sleeper (he doesn't cry--he just wants to be awake, and he's totally happy not to sleep). 

Anyway, we had so much fun! Luke is the cutest kid ever. Honestly. He is so content and I love that he adores Eli. Anyway, rather than write a recap (I'm too exhausted! And it's only 8:00, haha), I will just post some photos from our day...

Before Luke came over, I went for a run at the State Park. I'm trying to get in the habit of running Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The weather was really nice today! Not too hot or humid, and it was overcast.

I've been trying so hard to keep my heart rate low (144 would be ideal), but I don't feel like I can run slowly enough! Today, my pace was 11:46/mile, and my heart rate was still 153 bpm. Hopefully I'll see that improve if I can just stick to a regular running schedule. 

Luke came over a little before noon, so we had lunch and then I took him to the park.

Of course, Estelle had to get into the pack and play the second I set it up. Luke thought it was hilarious, so he kept going inside there with her.

Luke completely lit up when Eli got home from school. He follows Eli around like a little puppy dog. Eli adores Luke just as much, and they are so cute together. Eli wanted to style Luke's hair, and we thought green hairspray would look pretty cool! Haha

When we settled down for Luke to fall asleep, I wound up with Joey and Phoebe on my lap as well.

Annnnnd... out like a light. He didn't take a nap at all, and he played so hard today. Being an aunt is so much fun!

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Day 4: 7 Cheap Date Ideas for Couples

Today is Day 4 of a challenge I made for myself for June--write a blog post every day. I have a list of random topics, so I'll choose one each day to write about.

Jerry and I started dating in high school. I was a junior, and he was a senior. At that age, we each had part time minimum wage jobs, but we didn't have much money for dates. In fact, our first date only cost us $4!

As we got older, we continued our trend of cheap dates. Jerry lucked out in the sense that I'm not at all into the traditional romance--flowers, jewelry, expensive candlelit dinners, and elaborate "The Bachelor"-like dates. Here are some of our favorite "dates" we do regularly to spend time together...

1. Our first date was a simple walk in the Metropark. It only cost $4, which was the park entry fee at the time. If we had gone on a Wednesday, it would have been free! We went at dusk, so a picnic wasn't necessary. We just walked the trail and talked. We got lost in conversation and the Metropark police actually stopped us for being there past closing--we had no idea that it was nearly 11 pm!

2. Picnics actually are another one of our favorites. We don't make elaborate dishes to bring--we just throw together some PB&J sandwiches, grab some fruit, chips, and water bottles, and throw it all in a bag. We bring a big blanket (the denim quilt I made from my old jeans is perfect!) and head to our favorite park to picnic. There is no entry fee, so if we don't buy anything special for our picnic, the date is essentially free.

3. Although they are getting scarce these days, we like to go browse around a bookstore. Even when we were teens, we would go to the bookstore while we waited for our movie showtime at the theater. We both love browsing through books, and can easily spend a couple of hours in a Barnes & Noble. Sometimes we'll buy a book, and other times we leave empty-handed, but we always enjoy going.

4. Speaking of books, we love to fill out those books for couples (What were your first thoughts when you met me? What is your favorite date we've been on? Etc.). Once in a while, we'll buy one for each of us and then spend a few months filling it out now and then. Eventually, when we've each completed our book, we have a night in with some cheap wine and we read our answers out loud to each other. We usually end up laughing hysterically.

We recently found a book that was SO fun to go through, and I recommend it for any couples who are looking to share a laugh. It's a visual compatibility book, and each page has two photos--similar, but with one difference. (See the cover of the book below for an example). Then you each choose which is more like you (I'm totally an "over the roll" person!) and see how compatible you are (just for kicks).

Here is a link to it on Amazon (affiliate link). Jerry and I learned we are pretty much 0% compatible, hahaha.

5. In the summertime, one of our very favorite things to do is to relax on our back deck in the evenings with a cold beer and just talk. I know that calling this a "date" is pushing it, but who says you have to leave the house to have a date with your significant other? We also like to make a bonfire in the backyard if we have stuff to burn, and we'll sit in front of the fire. Or we'll play yard games like corn hole. Basically, we just enjoy each other's company.

6. We love to get together with other couples, so when we have an opportunity to do that, we usually host a game night. We buy some snacks and drinks, but it doesn't cost much and we always have a great time. We will choose a game of Euchre over a candlelit dinner any time!

Or perhaps candlelit Euchre. The power went out, and we made do with a candle and a super bright flashlight when Renee and Dave came over one night.

7. We haven't done this in a long time, but it just popped into my head and now I want to do it again! We used to do a blind taste test of different foods. I would go in the kitchen and prepare a plate of things like a pickle slice, a dried cranberry, a couple of pieces of different types of cereal, a bite-size piece of cheese, etc. Basically whatever I can find! And then I would blindfold Jerry and give him one thing at a time and see if he could guess what it is. This is so completely ridiculous, but so much fun! And then we switch roles.

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Clearly, Jerry and I have fun doing all sorts of random, goofy stuff. We've been doing a lot more of it over the last year since we started our budget! Anyone else have suggestions for fun, cheap dates?

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Day 3: A Person That Changed My Life

When I was choosing from my list of 30 days of blog topics, this particular topic jumped out at me because it's very relevant right now.

I recently learned that a former teacher of mine, Dave Sontag, has leukemia. Coincidentally, just after I started this post, I learned that today is National Cancer Survivor Day. This is fitting, because Mr. Sontag has battled cancer (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) once before--and won. He's a cancer survivor, and he was in remission for longer than I've known him.

I was grocery shopping last week when Jerry called me and told me the news. I was devastated. It wasn't the first time I've cried in the grocery store, and I'm sure it won't be the last; the news just crushed me.

I know that people have their favorite teachers over the years, and teachers who have influenced their lives; but the enormity of how Mr. Sontag influenced my life cannot even be described with words.

If not for Mr. Sontag, I would not have met Jerry. And therefore, wouldn't have Noah and Eli. I also would not be a blogger. And if I hadn't started my blog, it wouldn't have caused a huge chain of life-altering events: being on The Dr. Oz Show, forming a Ragnar Relay team that would then be featured in a documentary, appearing in Runner's World magazine, Woman's World magazine, being interviewed for numerous podcasts and news channels.

I simply wouldn't be the same person. Who knows what my life would be like?

I met Mr. Sontag when I took his journalism class as an elective in high school. The class was very small and intimate (there were about eight of us, I think) and we were in charge of creating, printing, and distributing the school newspaper. I had always loved creative writing, but journalism was a whole new ballgame for me.

(To say I was desperate for a photo for this post is an understatement, clearly. I have no idea what I was writing in this pic. But the shirt I was wearing was a gift from Andy, one of the guys in Sontag's class. He used our newspaper editing software to create the shirt and print it for a Secret Santa game in class!)

I can say, without a doubt, that Mr. Sontag's journalism class was the class I learned more from than any other class I've taken--from elementary school through college. In fact, I can hear his voice in my head every time I write a blog post. When I chose the title of my blog, Runs for Cookies, I thought of the guidelines we used for impactful headlines when writing newspaper articles.

Mr. Sontag (or "Tag" as we called him in class) gave us the freedom we needed to be our creative selves, but the structure we needed to become better writers. He never let us half-ass our work, so we learned to do our best the first time around. And he always called us out on something if he thought we half-assed it, which I appreciate so much.

One story idea that I had in class involved my driving around the county to other high schools and interviewing students. At one of the schools, I interviewed a guy with a sort of "alternative" look, and he was really funny. He also had very neat handwriting. After my partner and I left, I told her in the car that I thought he was cute.

Yes, I later learned that his name was Jerry. We are now married with two kids ;)  (Thank you, Tag, for letting me write that story, even though you didn't quite understand what I was going for, hahaha.)

When I was as young as seven years old, I remember wanting to be a writer when I grew up. I was always good at creative writing. Unfortunately, the teachers I had always told me that I needed a "back-up plan" because earning money as a writer was unrealistic. So, I gave up on that dream early on in middle school.

Even after taking journalism during my junior and senior years, I never really had it in my mind that I would be a writer. It wasn't until after I started blogging, and then earning money by blogging, that I realized I actually am a writer (in the sense that I'd always wanted to be).

The things I learned in Mr. Sontag's class are countless, but I know that his little tips and rules pop into my head each and every time I write a blog post. It sounds dramatic, but I don't think that I would be a blogger today if not for taking Tag's class.

Blogging has its own set of rules, and I choose for my blog to be very informal (rather than writing as if I was writing a book, with no audience). Because journalism is meant for an audience, the structure is different--much like blogging. It was in his class that I learned to write (in my own voice) for an audience.

It's kind of funny--I honestly don't know if Tag would remember who I am. I wasn't a very memorable person, and he's taught hundreds of students and athletes (he is an amazing baseball coach as well as teacher). But I like to think that if he influenced even just a few of them the way he did me, the impact that he created is immeasurable.

I love that it happens to be National Cancer Survivors Day as I write this. Tag will beat this cancer, just like he kicked non-Hodgkin lymphoma's ass years ago!


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How and Why I Became a Stay-at-Home Mom

Here is Day 2 of my 30 days of blogging challenge for June. My goal is to write every single day by choosing a topic from a list.

Recently, I received an email from someone who was very curious about being a stay-at-home mom. I thought this was a great topic, because usually, the comments I get about it are condescending, rude and judgmental ("Why don't you get a real job?") It seems to be a hot topic among parents.

(That said, please be respectful if you should choose to comment; not just for my sake, but for all other stay-at-home moms and working moms who may be reading. Personally, I don't judge people either way--I think we should all do what we feel is best for our families.)

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Here is what was written in the email:

"The one thing that I don't have much experience with is being a stay-at-home mom (SAHM). No one in my family is a SAHM, and few of my friends. Those friends that are, they either have wealthy spouses or are religious, or both. Neither seems true for you. Because I don't know much about this world, I'd love to learn more about it. In particular:

- How did you make the decision? Do you think you will go to traditional work at some point when your kids are older?

- What does it mean for your relationship with your husband? Does it create weird power dynamics? If not, how do you prevent that? Do you ever feel guilty that your husband works and you don't (work in the traditional sense - please forgive me if I'm phrasing this in any way that seems judgy - I swear I'm just curious)?

- If it's not too personal, what does it mean financially? Do you have back up plans if anything were to happen to your husband?"

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First, thank you so much for asking about this in a non-objective way! I'd be happy to answer your questions.

How I Made the Decision to Quit Working

I never intended on being a stay-at-home mom. In fact, I wasn't even sure if I wanted kids! However, when I became pregnant with Noah, Jerry and I had to figure out a solution. I enjoyed my job, but I hated that I never got to see Jerry. When he would come home from work, I would leave for work; and vice versa.

Depending on his schedule, we would go days without seeing each other for more than a few minutes. He works a swing shift, which make scheduling anything very complicated. We decided to see if it was possible for me to be a stay-at-home mom. To do this, we started banking all of MY paychecks and didn't touch them--we basically pretended that I had zero income. We wanted to see if we could live solely on Jerry's income before making the decision for me to quit my job.

We did this for nearly a year, and we realized that by cutting back on spending here and there, it was definitely something we could do. After talking about it, we both really loved the idea.

After Noah was born, I was still working just a couple of days a week. However, I was demoted from my assistant manager position because my hours weren't as flexible, so I decided it was time to quit. It just wasn't worth it to me.

My mom was working for an OB/GYN as an office manager, and she said they needed someone to scan charts into a new online system. (This was when offices started having paperless charts). The best part was, I could do it from home! It was very tedious, mind-numbing work, but I was able to be at home with Noah and still squeeze in the work.

I did that through my pregnancy with Eli, and for a little while afterward. Once all the charts were scanned in, there wasn't any more work for me to do. By this point, I couldn't imagine going back to work in a traditional sense. I loved being able to be at home with my family. And I was able to see Jerry when he was off work, which was great.

After another talk, we decided that I should make being a stay-at-home mom my full-time gig. By this time, Noah was ready for 3-year old preschool, meaning he needed me to drive him to and from school daily. I joined a MOMS Club, so that I could meet other moms and participate in activities with them and other kids. (It was in MOMS Club that I actually met my good friends Renee, Jessica, and Andrea!)

During preschool, I had to drive them to and from school each day--and since preschool is only a few hours long, I had to be available for that. I liked that I was free to volunteer to chaperone field trips and participate in their school events.

(I mean, honestly, who wouldn't want to chaperone at Maggie Moo's and get free ice cream?)

Noah wanted to bring dirt cake for his preschool class on his birthday, so we made over TWENTY of these--dirt cake in a little glass pot, complete with a fake flower. (As the years went on, we kept it much more simple, haha)

Once they started going to first grade (a full school day), I again questioned whether I should go back to work. But honestly, I had no desire to. I loved taking care of the house, being free to run errands, being available if the kids got sick at school or just had to stay home, being home with them all summer, and being home to spend time with Jerry despite his erratic schedule.

Jerry was completely on board with my staying home. If he hesitated even a little, I probably wouldn't have done it. To answer your question about guilt, YES--I do feel guilty for staying at home, even though he assures me that he is thrilled I'm able to be home with the kids.

The main reason I feel guilty is because he gets up super early for work (or, when he's working nights, he's staying up all night long and then sleeping during the day). Or, sometimes he misses out on things because of work, and I feel bad about going without him. However, he would have to miss out regardless of whether I'm working or not, so I'm not taking anything away from him.

Jerry works very hard for our family, but he doesn't have to "work extra" to meet our needs. He's working the same amount of hours that he was before I quit my job, so my quitting didn't cause him to have to pick up the slack.

Also, I do earn an income from my blog. It's not huge, but I'm making more than I was at my previous job, so in the end, we've come out ahead. (I am paid for having ads on my blog--the number of page views I get per month determines how much money I make. Let me take this opportunity to THANK YOU ALL for visiting my blog. Every page view helps.)

And while it may seem like I don't do much "work" to have this blog, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes as well. I spend more time responding to email than I do writing posts! And I don't get paid for it--but I am grateful that I am able to earn an income from my blog, so I feel like I am giving something back by replying to readers' emails, writing free training plans, being interviewed (something I get SO nervous for!), etc.

What It Means for My Relationship With My Husband

Being a stay-at-home mom is great for my relationship! Like I said before, we were both unhappy that we never got to see each other when each of us was working. We really are best friends, and love spending time together, so now we just have to work it around one schedule instead of two. If we each worked 9-5 type jobs, it might be different; but in our situation, it works out really well.

Because I stay at home, I consider it my job to do almost everything around the house. I clean, I cook dinner, I do our banking/bills/financial stuff, I fill out forms for the school, I run our errands, I grocery shop, I take the kids to and from sports practice, and several other things.

Please excuse the fact that I sound like I'm quoting from a 1950's home economics book, but I try to make things pleasant and not stressful for when Jerry comes home from work. He doesn't have to worry if the bills are paid, because he knows I did it. He doesn't have to wonder about what to have for dinner, because I've already cooked it.

I've always been a little old-fashioned, and I enjoy what I do. Jerry takes care of some of the household stuff like mowing the lawn and car maintenance, and if I need help with something, he's happy to help out.

We've talked about all this several times over the years, and we both agree that we enjoy our lifestyle.

What It Means Financially

It didn't come as a huge shock financially, mainly because we had done a long trial period when I banked all of my checks to see if we could live on one income. The cost of living in the Metro Detroit area can be pretty cheap. Also, we still live in the house we bought when we got married. There was a time where we talked about moving into something bigger, and we were approved for a loan; but when we saw what our house payments would be, we balked at the idea and decided that we are content where we are. (You can see our budget here)

Our house is pretty homely--comfortable, but not elaborately decorated or anything. As you know, I love thrift shopping, so a ton of our stuff is secondhand. Some of my very favorite things came from garage sales. There are lots of things that need updating, but we'll do that over time. The kids have all they need, without being too spoiled.

We don't do professional haircuts, because they're crazy expensive. So, my boys were used to the clippers ;) Once they were around 11 and 12, and wanting different styles, I took them to a barber. But they didn't get a single haircut from the barber until that age! (I even cut my own hair, because I can't fathom spending $40 for someone else to do it.)

I could go on and on, but we certainly have enough (I've especially come to realize this since we started our budget a year ago--we have more than enough money to get by!). As soon as we pay off the last of our debt (hopefully this month!) we'll have all that extra money each month--to invest, to use for projects, start an emergency fun, and do some fun things once in a while.

As far as a back-up plan if something should happen to Jerry (the breadwinner), it's something I think about a lot. One of my goals right now is to learn about and start an investment account in case something like that should happen. We plan to speak with a financial advisor to figure out what would be best. But if it comes down to it, I would certainly get a job (in addition to/to replace blogging).

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I totally understand that being a stay-at-home mom is not for everyone. Several of my friends have said that they would be super bored. There are some days that I am bored--when I don't have appointments or errands and the house is spotless, etc. But MOST of the time, I stay just as busy as I would with a "regular" job.

This post is not to try to pursued anyone to become a stay-at-home mom. I totally understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea! Or maybe it's not affordable. Or maybe one's spouse doesn't like the idea. There are lots of reasons why none of us should judge each other for our life decisions.

I give working moms a TON of credit--especially when I'm training for a race, and I think, "How in the hell do moms fit in a run between working all day, cooking dinner, taking care of the kids, cleaning up, etc?" Working moms are awesome. And so are stay-at-home moms. We just have different ways of managing our time!

So, thank you, reader (I'm not sure if you wanted your name withheld, so I will leave you anonymous), for the kind interest you have in learning about being a stay-at-home mom. I love what I do, and it works out great for my family :)

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I would love to see the (polite) perspectives of others in the comments, if you're willing to share! Whether you stay at home or work a traditional job, do you enjoy it? What are your plusses and minuses? If you had the chance, would you reverse your role?

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Day 1: 11 Random Facts About Me

Like I mentioned on my last post, I am challenging myself to write 30 blog posts in 30 days. I have a list of topics to write about, so each post will be a different topic--relevant or irrelevant, it doesn't matter. My goal in doing this is to find my love for writing again.

So, I thought starting with a "facts about me" post seemed fitting for Day 1. (I chose 11 facts because 11 is my favorite number). I've been blogging for 18 years (on Runs for Cookies for 7 years), so there probably isn't much that I haven't written about before; but, I'll try to think of some unique items! Here goes...

  I hate the sound of my own voice. I've been interviewed on several podcasts, appeared on TV and even the From Fat to Finish Line documentary--but I won't listen/watch because I cringe so hard when I hear my voice. (The link above will take you to a page listing my interviews, just in case you want to listen to my God-awful voice! haha)

  I went to college for three years, but I never finished--I was constantly changing my major (hello, bipolar! haha). I don't regret quitting, though.

  I was an extremely creative kid--my imagination was way out there. I loved to play school, and my parents even hung up some chalkboards and got a couple of old school desks for my "classroom". I used to spend my allowance at the teachers' store, getting things for my classroom. My friends and brother were lucky enough to be my students ;)

In this photo, I was playing photographer (and Lance was the lucky subject of my photography). I hung a blue sheet on our porch to look like a backdrop at the department store studio (haha!) and then took pictures of the neighborhood kids posing with stuffed animals.

  I grew up surrounded by boys--playing sandlot baseball, walking along the railroad tracks in the woods, playing hide and go seek with flashlights at night, and lots of other stuff. I have always felt more comfortable around males, which is probably why I have more male friends than female friends.

The childhood friends I grew up with

  I hate summertime. In a perfect world, for me, the weather would be ideal for sweatshirts and jeans and the sky would be overcast all the time. Summer is just so hot and humid!

  I was an escort in college. Sorry, it's not a risqué as you're probably thinking. I worked for SEEUS (Student Eyes and Ears for University Safety). Students could call the SEEUS phone number in the evenings, and the dispatcher would send two of us (we were always in pairs) to go escort that person from one spot on campus to another.

From the 10p-3a shift, we were in a van. I loved those shifts, because they were very quiet, so the other escort and I would just make conversation for five hours. One night shift, I was dispatching, and very bored--so I looked up bored.com, and I discovered Open Diary, which was an online journal (before it became known as a blog). That was when I started blogging!

  I have a skin condition called vitiligo. Yes, that is the condition that Michael Jackson had. It causes areas of the skin to lose pigmentation, so they turn a very pale white. Since I'm already white and rather pale, the spots aren't very noticeable. And most of them are in hidden areas--my armpits, for example. I do have a spot by my left eye that seems to be getting bigger lately.

  I cannot stand being barefoot. I must always have socks on, except on the very rare occasion that I have to dress up. This is one of the reasons I rarely wear shorts in the summer (or even capris)--I don't want to wear sandals or flip-flops!

  I used to be obsessed with peanut butter. If you've been reading my blog a long time, then you know just how obsessed I was. And then, in late 2016, I started having an aversion to it for some reason. And the aversion never really went away! I might eat something with peanut butter in it here and there, but the thought of eating peanut butter kind of grosses me out. I have NO idea why this happened.

  I love Converse Chuck Taylor shoes. If I am not going for a run, you can bet your life I'm probably wearing my Chucks.

  My brain is constantly seeking out number patterns. When I'm out for a walk, for example, I notice house numbers or license plates or other signs that have numbers on them, and my mind sees patterns. I don't deliberately try to do this, and it's not a huge focus; but I can't look at numbers without seeing patterns or associating them with me somehow.

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And there you have it--11 random facts about me! (Hey, I didn't say they would be interesting... just that I'd try to make them unique) ;)

That was fun. I'm actually looking forward to writing another post tomorrow!

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June Goals

After a super busy May, I'm SO looking forward to a super relaxed June. Other than the kids' summer baseball games, we don't have any plans--no vacations, no parties, nothing to stress over. In other words, the perfect time to work on some goals!

My friend Emily sent me a list of her goals for June yesterday, and I was inspired to write my own list. While she has hers organized into nice, neat categories, mine is all over the place. I did give a good amount of thought to them, though.

   The first is to try a 30-Day Blogging Challenge. I will write a blog post every day in June. Since I've gotten away from blogging frequently, I thought it would be kind of interesting to write about something daily, like I used to.

Instead of just writing about day-to-day happenings, though, I made a list of topic ideas and I will just choose from the list every day. It may be a short post or a long post (or maybe even just photos or a video), but the goal is to write daily.

   I'd like to complete five more bullet journal pages for my 40 Goals by 40 Years Old list. They are time consuming, but fun to do; and it'll be cool to have a keepsake when I'm done with my list! Here are a few of my favorite pages in my journal...

(Since someone usually asks, the specifics of the bullet journal stuff that I use are on this post). Also, I've been posting my pages to an Instagram account solely for my 40x40 goals.

   Run four times per week, for 30+ minutes each time. Starting on June 21st, I'm going to be doing my "Cookies Summer Challenge".

   Read 30+ minutes per day. Normally, I set a goal to read 15-20 minutes daily; but for June, I am going to aim for 30 or more. I want my kids to get in this habit as well, so we will all do it together in June. I'm almost done with book #3 of 40!

   Continue to read a chapter (or more) of the Bible every day. Currently on Exodus 12.

   Keep random spending to a bare minimum. We haven't paid much at all toward our debt in the last three months, because things keep coming up (auto repair, baseball equipment, and things like that). We've also started falling back into some old habits (buying things for the house that we don't really need, dining out, etc.).

We haven't increased our debt at all, but we haven't paid much down on it. We are literally about two months away from having it paid in full--so I am determined to get it done. (Still, I am shocked that it's only been a year, and we've paid off over $12,500!) So, for June, I want to keep the budget super strict and only buy what we've budgeted for--and hopefully we'll pay off most of the remaining debt by June 30th.

   Write and start a specific cleaning routine. Right now, I just clean things as I notice they need it; but I'd like to have a daily/weekly/monthly routine that I can do to keep the house clean. I actually really enjoy cleaning, and I'm excited to tackle some summer projects.

   Plan out weekly groceries and dinners every Friday before grocery shopping. When I used to really plan out the groceries based on sales and coupons, I was saving SO much money. It takes a good chunk of time to do that, though, so I haven't done it for the last month or two.

Rather than just winging the dinner plan each day, I want to know what I'm going to make ahead of time and already have the groceries for it. I made a calendar of meals for the month, and if all goes well, I'll cook every day.

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In short, my goals for June:

1. 30 days of blogs (various topics)
2. Run 30+ minutes per day, 4+ times per week
3. Read 30+ minutes per day
4. Read one chapter of the Bible every day (by June 30, I should be done with Leviticus, chapter 2)
5. Keep spending to a bare minimum
6. Write and start doing a specific cleaning routine
7. Plan out groceries and dinners every Friday
8. Complete 5 more 40x40 bullet journal pages
9. Complete at least one more item from my 40x40 list

It looks like a lot, but considering each one is a small task, I think it's doable. The most difficult one is going to be 30 days of blogging! I've gotten in the habit of writing so rarely these days.

This is completely random, but I just had to share. Check out this little guy that Jerry found while he was mowing the grass! We see a lot of snapping turtles this time of year--they come out from the marsh and lay eggs in our yard. After they hatch, we'll see baby ones like this here and there. Estelle wanted to keep him, but I returned him to the marsh ;)

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Wednesday Weigh-In, Running, Spring Cleaning, and Other Catch-Up

I'm starting to wonder if this is the start of my quitting blogging. I've been posting less and less frequently, and I feel like I have less and less to write about. I don't have a "plan" for quitting, but I definitely don't make time for it like I used to.

I've been crazy busy lately, and the thought of sitting down to write a blog post feels stressful. So, I've been trying to get back to the point where I only write when I'm in a real mood to write, instead of forcing it. Just doing what makes me happy!

Despite how busy I've been, I actually don't have much to catch up on. Noah had three double-header baseball games this week, which took up the whole afternoon/evening. I wasn't even able to cook dinner until 8:30 on game days!

I remembered to take a photo for my Wednesday Weigh-in, but didn't have a chance to post it. Phoebe is actually the one who reminded me ;)

 I didn't put her there! She just ran and sat there when I was brushing my teeth.

I can't remember what my last WWI was, but I think this is about the same as last time. I've been at this weight for a while now! I'll make progress for a couple of pounds, and then return to this weight. I've said several times now that I feel like my depression is finally lifting, but I think I jinx it when I say that, because the feeling only lasts a few days at a time.

Right now, though, I'm feeling pretty good. My weight is what it is, and I'm thankful that I'm not gaining (even after going to Kansas City!). I've been conscious of listening to my body and not overeating.

I haven't been running in about two weeks--sigh. As I've said a dozen times in the last six months, I'd like to get into a good routine. It's been so hard, though! I am no longer a morning person, and getting motivated to do it in the morning is a big challenge. Usually, I'll do laundry or pay bills or something that just isn't very active until I feel awake. But with the kids' afternoon sports, I always think that I'll just run when I get home--and that never happens, either.

I'm not making excuses; I know that all I have to do is make time for it, like I used to. In order to try to get into a morning routine again, I think I might try a 30-day challenge for June--running 4 days a week, 30+ minutes per day. One of my 40 Goals Before 40 Years Old is to complete a 30-day challenge of some sort. Since the kids will be out of school, I won't have to do it super early in the morning.

I've been trying to get some spring cleaning done, which is actually something I enjoy (never thought I'd say that about cleaning!). On Wednesday, I spent literally all day pulling out weeds. We have a ton of gravel next to the driveway from when we built the garage a few years ago. It was in a big pile, and then we spread it out, but we can't really get rid of it without some sort of excavator.

I HATE having it there, and I have been saying each summer that I want to just dig it out by hand (there is no way that I actually could--my back could never handle that). But, the worst part is that it grows a ton of weeds and we can't mow over it (considering all the rocks underneath).

Anyway, after I drove the kids to school on Wednesday, I came home and when I pulled in the driveway, I just couldn't stand the sight of it. So, I grabbed a weed pulling tool (it looks like a screwdriver with a v-shaped notch at the end) and got to work. You push it into the ground and use it to pull up each weed by the root.

I didn't expect it to take as long as it did, but it actually went by kind of quickly. I turned on a true crime podcast on my phone and listened to that while I worked. By the time I was done, my back was killing me and I was totally sunburnt, but it looked a million times better. I'm going to get a weed killer for the rest (I probably could have for all of it, but once I got it in my mind to pull them all out, I couldn't help but finish).

The weeds filled an entire large garbage bin (the kind that holds several trash bags of garbage), another large container, and a paper bag. I was excited for Jerry to get home from work and see it! (He was very impressed)

There are so many other projects I want to do around the house, but they all require money--painting, new doors, replacing the flooring in the kitchen, and some other things. So, they will have to wait. We do still have money from our tax refund, but we're still deciding how to spend it.

Speaking of projects that cost money, I have been SO FRUSTRATED with Lowe's. We bought carpet from them last April with our tax refund, and I was thrilled with it--for about a month.

After that, I noticed it was getting matted and pilling up (the carpet is plush Stainmaster PetProtect). There is a one-year warranty, but I didn't even think about that at the time. I just assumed we were screwed and had to keep the carpet, so I never called. I mentioned it to my mom in February, and she told me I should call and complain about it, because it should not be wearing down like it was.

So, in February, I called Lowe's and let them know the problem. Weeks later, someone got in touch and said they were going to send someone out to take pictures and file a claim for us. A few weeks after that, someone finally came out and did that. A few weeks after that, they finally called to say that they would fix the padding in a couple of areas that had issues, but that they didn't know anything about the carpet itself.

To keep from getting redundant, the last several weeks has been nothing but phone calls back and forth. They told me most recently that because it's been over a year, the warranty is void. WTF?! I called about this in February, which was 10 months in, but they said the claim was never filed. So, now we'll have to call a dozen more times and talk to a dozen more people that will only continue to give us the runaround.

Normally, I don't like to bash companies on my blog; but I will never buy carpet from Lowe's again. This has been so frustrating, and it's looking like we're going to be stuck with this new carpet that looks 10 years old.

In other (not very exciting) news, I've been doing really well with my cumulative goals. I was able to knock three more states off my list last weekend (Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa).

I finished reading Genesis in the Bible, and started Exodus (I planned to read one chapter a day, but I found myself getting really interested in certain stories, so I would read several chapters at once here and there--maybe I'll finish this goal sooner than I planned). I've been reading a book for 15+ minutes a day, and finished The Catcher in the Rye (I thought it was incredibly boring, unfortunately... but that completed my "Read a classic novel" goal).

I really like having these sorts of goals where I make just a little progress each day. It doesn't take much time at all, but all the little things add up. I'm starting to think about a road trip next year to cross several more states off my list. I don't have any trips planned right now, and it feels kind of odd--usually there is something on my calendar to look forward to! I think planning a road trip will be fun.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! We're going to the Tigers game in Detroit today, and I am just hoping it doesn't rain.

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A Weekend in Kansas City

What a weekend!

I am at the Kansas City airport right now, waiting to catch my flight back to Detroit. Bonnie's flight was a couple of hours earlier than mine, so I have some time to kill.

Caitlin (from Boston), and Bonnie (from Virginia) met me in Kansas City to stay the weekend at Andrea's house. I met Caitlin and Bonnie when I invited them to join my Ragnar SoCal team in 2014. Andrea was on my From Fat to Finish Line team in 2013.

They came to my house for a girls weekend in 2016, and Andrea invited us to her house this year. Andrea's kids were on vacation, and her husband was on a work trip; so, she had the house to herself, and it was a good time for visitors.

It was my first time in Kansas City, and it was great! I didn't know much about KC, but whenever I have looked up fun travel destinations in the U.S., it is usually in the top 10. Also, the kids and I have been watching Switched at Birth lately, which is "set" in KC (but filmed in California, from what I understand, so it's not actually Kansas City--they just call it that on the show)--so my kids thought it was pretty cool that I was going there!

I arrived on Friday morning, and Caitlin and Bonnie arrived at the same time--so Andrea picked all three of us up at the airport. Then we went to Andrea's house and dropped off our bags. Her house is in Kansas, and I can't even tell you how many times we crossed the Kansas/Missouri border over they weekend! It's so odd to be so close to the state line that you cross it that frequently.

On Friday, I was excited to try Kansas City barbecue--that was the one request that I had while we were there. I'm not a huge barbecue person, but whenever I told someone that I was going to Kansas City, they told me that I have to try the barbecue! And in the opinion of several people on Instagram, Joe's was the place to go.

It wasn't at all what I was expecting (I was picturing a full service restaurant, likely expensive...) but it was so much better! It was very busy, but the food was cheap and tasted AMAZING. Andrea and I each got a sandwich to share (the brisket and the pulled pork). I liked them both, but I actually like the brisket better (which surprises me, because I don't normally eat much beef).

I didn't get a picture of our food--the place was crowded and fast-paced--but it was delicious ;)

After that, we were planning on going to a drive-in theater to see The Sandlot. I was SO excited when we saw on the website that it was showing! One of my 40 things to do by the time I'm 40 years old is to go to a drive-in theater, and the fact that it was showing The Sandlot made it even better.

We were super bummed, then, when we got there and discovered that's what they'd played the night before. On Friday, they were playing Show Dogs. We didn't really know what that was, but a quick Google search told us that we shouldn't stay, haha. So, I didn't get to cross that item off my list this weekend, but I have lots of time for that one.

On Saturday, we went to the farmer's market and to some fun little shops (including thrift and antique shops!). For lunch, we went to a little place that sells tons of different kinds of crêpes. While I LOVE crêpes, I wasn't at all hungry for lunch, so I didn't get one (I know, crazy, right?! But I'm really trying to listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry). Andrea and Caitlin got dessert ones, and they looked amazing! (Andrea let me try hers--and it tasted as good as it looked).

On the way back, Andrea took us through Mission Hills, a very ritzy neighborhood that is referred to often on Switched at Birth. It's where some of the main characters live. I was mesmerized by the houses--they were enormous and super impressive. I mostly wanted to just tell my kids that I was in Mission Hills, though ;)

On Saturday night, we had reservations to do an "Escape Room" challenge. I've been wanting to try one of these for a couple of years, but never really had the opportunity--the other girls thought it would be fun, so we booked a private room at Escape Room Kansas City.

When Andrea booked it, she said the only one left was their most challenging room. I was pretty nervous about it, because I had no idea what to expect. And when the person working there told us that it only has a 5% success rate, I thought we might as well quit before we started! But Andrea took that as a challenge, and was determined that we'd do it ;)

I don't want to write to much, so I don't spoil it for others, but it was SO MUCH FUN. I had a blast, and I want to do so many more Escape Room challenges now! We kicked ass, and we actually ended up completing it. We only had ONE SECOND left on the clock when we were done!

Such a weird picture, but it was fun to do. The room was sideways and we were upright, so you just rotate the photo. I was standing up on the right side of the room, so when it's rotated, it looks like the floor.

It was such a huge adrenaline rush, and the hour was up so quickly. It reminded me a lot of a game that I used to play on my phone, and I think the game actually helped me to understand more about how it all worked. Anyway, we were all feeling fantastic after that. Finishing was awesome, but with just one second to go made it even better.

The state of my hair shows just how stressful the whole experience was, haha.

On Sunday, we actually took a road trip to Nebraska and Iowa. I had been planning to rent a car before going to the airport on Monday (today) and driving myself up there to cross those states off of my list, but the other girls thought a short road trip sounded fun. So, we all went up to Nebraska for lunch!

We went to a little local Mexican restaurant, and our waiter was (unintentionally) hilarious. Andrea asked how big a medium sized side of guacamole is, wondering if it was big enough for us to share as an appetizer. She asked, "Is the medium size big?" and held out her hands to gesture what a "big" size meant. We thought he'd tell us that it was enough for us to share, or for two people, or to at least show us with his hands how big it is. Instead, he said, "No--a medium is medium!" like we were crazy for asking such a stupid question. We were cracking up when he left the table.

That evening, we had reservations at a comedy club to see Josh Blue. I had never heard of him, but Andrea said that she really liked his comedy. I love comedy shows, so I was excited to go.

The opening comedians were fantastic, and Josh Blue was hysterical. He has Cerebral Palsy, and he refers to it often in his jokes. I don't know much about Cerebral Palsy, and watching his show actually made me really interested in learning more about it.

Today, we had a really laid back morning at Andrea's before heading to the airport. It was a fun and very busy weekend, and I'm so glad that we did it. We talked about doing it again next year at Bonnie's house.

Now, I'm excited to get home to Jerry, the kids, and the pets. Andrea has two (very funny) dogs, and it made me miss Joey. I'm sure my weigh-in isn't going to be pretty on Wednesday, but we definitely had our share of good food (and fun) in KC!

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