Diapers, Pool Adventure and Race Training

I actually wrote this post last Friday…but I still felt the need to share. I hope your friday is going wonderfully. 


Good morning friends! It's Friday! Today is actually a day off for me…so I'm pretty excited!

This morning Aria and Harper are investigating a box.

I am drinking all of the coffee.

And we are prepping for a trip to the pool!

Aria's helping. Can you tell?

Yes, those are disposable diapers that she is strewing about. We cloth diapered Aria for the first 9 months of her life. I love cloth diapers. They have treated us, and the environment, very well.

As of late, little Aria has become a terror when it comes to diapering. I'm talking exorcist, head turning all the way around, kicking, judo chopping, throwing her body around, screeching, all to get away from the evil person who dares put bottoms on this lady.

So as you can imagine, snapping the cloth diapers on our wild animal, has become quite the production.

I did a little research to find a disposable that I felt comfortable with, and we decided to give Honest diapers a try.

It has been about 2 weeks, and so far so good. I like them because they are all natural, plant based (ie. no weird chemicals on Aria's privates and no weird chemicals going out into the environment). They're also a cruelty free company which is always a thumbs up in my book.

I don't want to get all preachy, so if you'd like any more info on Honest Co. diapers, just ask.

Disposable diapers are wayyy easier to secure on this beast, as she's fighting to get away from me!

We haven't given up our beloved Charlie Banana cloth yet. We still cloth diaper, just not 100% of the time. Yesterday she was in cloth all day. Today she was half of the day. It all depends on how hostile the beast is on that particular day.

I'm supposed to start officially training, on Sunday. I'm not feeling so positive about it at the moment. The past 2 weeks I've tried to stick to a mock training schedule, to kind of get the feeling of what it'll be like to fit in a structured program with everything else going on.

It hasn't gone so great, unfortunately.

I do get time to workout everyday…usually. But, at max I can only squeeze in about an hour, after PJ get's home from work. I heard somewhere once that you aren't supposed to leave babies at home alone, so training earlier in the day isn't really an option at the moment.
It has been hard to get in anything longer than that, unless its the weekend.

Aria is so young right now, and every day is unpredictable. Some days she needs mama more than others. Some days I work late. Some days PJ works late. Some days, I just can't squeeze in more than an hour, because I have so many more responsibilities. Most days there just isn't enough daylight left for more than an hour, after PJ or I am home for the evening.

I'm not sure what to do. The races I'm planning for this fall are long. It's essential that I train properly, so that I don't get hurt, and so that I can perform at my best level.

There's a chance I may just have to let go of these distances for this year, and go for a few half marathon distance races. Then come back with a vengeance next year…after things calm down a bit.

I'm not there yet though. I'll hold on to my dreams for this year, as long as I can!

How in the world do people balance everything?

Anyways, were off for our pool adventure!

The Weekend on Wednesday

I know. I know. Way to be late to the game in posting about the weekend. Trust me. My left brain is having just as much trouble understanding "what in the hell is going on?" that it takes me until Wednesday to get my shit in order.

Sometimes I think there was a class that I was supposed to take, to help me understand how to successfully manage adult life. I mean, I was extremely proficient about a year ago. Granted…it took me 31 years to get there. But that's neither here nor there.

That was also before I was responsible for another (much cuter than I) human.

Now I'm constantly that guy (or girl) standing in the middle of the class, naked. Unprepared. Flying off the cuff. Making decisions based on my gut rather than plan-ful logic.

Anyways…the weekend was niiice.

Saturday I had my first race post baby. It wasn't really a race for me. I have been training one of the teenagers I work with, to do her first 5k. She wasn't physically active previously but her goal was to get active. She wanted to start running and working out to help build strength and to positively channel some "stuff". We trained for 2 and a half months and this Saturday was her first race.

I wish I could post pictures, but since she is still in high school, I cannot.

We arrived at the event and this feeling of excitement filled my body. I haven't raced in a year. I felt so alive just being there.

Since having Aria, I'm a lot more sensitive and in tune with what I'm truly feeling. Normally a race setting get's me so hyped up that I'm ready to burst into flames with excitement…but I have no idea why.

This time I knew why. We were walking into the park and I asked her how she was feeling. She said "Nervous". Then she asked me how I was feeling. I said "Like I'm home".

Then I proceeded to draw her attention to the energy buzzing around her. The excited faces of the new runners who are there for their first race, the old pro's who are just grateful to be doing what they live for, the middle of the road runners who are building confidence as we speak, the kids cheering on their parents, the volunteers who are there at 7am to help, despite any sort of compensation and the people who are there to support their loved ones. A race is one of those places where hundreds (sometimes thousands) of different people, from different backgrounds, with different lives and different beliefs, all come together to experience something they love…together.

The thought makes the world a little more beautiful.

...And then there's the boiling competition that runs heavy through my blood. Muahahahha.

The race went fantastic. I ran right along side her the entire time. She pushed through and finished strong. I am so proud of her. Not just because she did it. But because she overcame so much during the training. Sometimes what people don't realize is that the actual training part is 100 times harder than the race event.

During training you meet your demons. The days are long. It gets tough…really tough. You experience moments where you aren't sure if you can do it. Sometimes you are positive you can't do it. Then you find the fire, push through and you see what you are really  made of. I have learned a great deal about myself through training.

Can you tell that I love this?


Sunday was my first Mothers Day. It was delightful. I was able to sleep in, which was extremely  nice. Then we spent the day doing family things…including going out to dinner. The weather was so nice that we spent a lot of time outside together…with the puppies too of coarse.

Per usual, the resident flower baby was charming and curious.

Happy Wednesday Ya'll!