Day in the life

My happy place is being outside below are some pictures of a day in my life.. this next week will be tough to fit in my 30min+ per day but I WILL get it done.  Rain, dark, late, I find a way.  My commitment to myself is stronger than any excuse, I reached 150 days this week!! Feeling great. 

What are your commitments to yourself this year??

Tall Mom is alive

I pay an annual fee for my blog url, so I get an annual reminder that I have a hobby that I have lost touch with.  I am alive and well. Do people even read blogs anymore?  Seems like the comments are all very strange ads of some sort that I don't have time to delete.  Instagram is my main place I capture the latest in my life link HERE. If you have time stop by, follow and leave me a comment, would love to reconnect with my Bloggy Buddies!

Happy to report that I have moved a minimum of 30 minutes every day since September 1, 2019, which will be 145 days after my workout today.  This started as a September challenge from a high school classmate on Facebook and I haven't stopped.  Some days are slow walks with the family around our beautiful neighborhood, other days I lift weights, we bought an elliptical over the holidays so I have mixed that in, and most recently gotten back into running. What started as something I had to do is now what I look forward to and do not want to skip.  I always always feel better after I have moved my body.

 I am feeling great and love that I have made fitness a priority in my life. I lost the extra weight I was carrying, still more to go and I have hit a plateau but I am not gaining and that is a WIN!  I love that we have inspired our kids to move as well, with family walks a few nights a week.
  
My happy place is on a trail in the mountains, we have explored a few trails in our local area and plan to do some overnight hiking this summer on portions of the Pacific Crest Trail, I got addicted to watching through hiking the PCT, CDT and ADT on You Tube :)  Thankfully Muscle Man loves to hike too so we make good trail partners. I live in the shadow of Mount Rainier so I am blessed with miles of trails to explore!

 We moved last June into our dream home in our dream community. There are trails through the trees just a few steps from my front door, I have no excuse not to get out and walk.

Photo Credit to neighbor with a drone

 We have also invested in our garage gym.  I am not looking to bulk up but enjoy dumbbell workouts and the results of seeing muscles form again. I lifted in college as a scholarship athlete so I know what to do, getting back into the routine has been great!  Muscle Man is also getting back into lifting which is super inspiring.

 What else is new?  Kids are good they are 14, 12 and 6.5, we went to Disney, Yosemite and Crater Lake this Summer, that trip was epic.  I highly recommend visiting our National Parks, you will not be disappointed.

That is the update for now... Again check me out on Instagram or drop me a comment here.

Aspire to Inspire,

Tall Mom- Melanie

March RESTART

Do you feel you aren’t living the BEST version of yourself?  I do, often.  I made a list of 18 things to accomplish this year, 18 for 2018. May seem excessive, some are simple/easy, I have been chipping away with positive results. The results- I am showing up better in my life, but still not my BEST self.

 

I often get caught up comparing myself to others, which takes me down a negative path of self destruction.  This month I am letting that go.  All I can control is ME and being the best version of ME!!

March I will RESTART. The best version of me has Balance. When I was in life coaching class we talked about our personal balance wheel.  Your wheel is where you spend your time and effort each day- Family, Career, Health, Spiritual, Financial, Social, etc…  You can’t give 100% to everything, you will be depleted. Over time your priorities or areas of focus will shift depending on which parts of your wheel need more attention.  Do a quick Google on “Life Balance Wheel” and you will get more information than you will need.

 I did a quick swag for my March RESTART balance wheel.  Each piece of the pie has key actions I will accomplish this month.  It is exciting to have a map like this to reference on my journey. Maintaining balance will be key for me.

PHYSICAL:

Do you remember my bloggy buddy Kerrie, formerly Mom Vs. Marathon, now DISfitlife?  She and her husband Jamey are hosting a FREE #MetabolicMadness challenge starting on March 5th. They will provide targeted workouts for the Fitness portion of my wheel. 

 I joined the gym at my work, I start Yoga for the first time tomorrow at 5:15 am. I will take Yoga class every Friday this month.

 If you want to kick up your workouts another buddy of mine Blond Ponytail also has free workouts in March!!

 FAMILY:

By connection I mean targeted 1:1 time with my husband and children. This will be the FUN part of my month.  Date night with hubby. Taking Kiddo #1 to basketball tournaments, solo, just him and me. Taking Kiddo #2 to a private swim lesson. And special Kindergarten fun times with Kiddo #3.  I also want to pull away from the screen more in the evenings, as I have developed a BAD habit of getting eaten by the couch monster.

As the month progresses I will check in on how I am doing, what is working, what I learn, struggles, etc.  I would love your comments and thoughts as well.


QUESTIONs:
1- Any tips for my first Yoga class tomorrow?? HELP!!
2- What are your focusing on in 2018? How is it going?
3- Anything you plan to RESTART in March?


Go Rediscover the BEST version of YOU!! You will like what you discover.

-Tall Mom

Introduction- Again

 

I believe that a re-introduction is in order, just the key facts...

 

Melanie, working toward age 40, current goal is to avoid buying bigger pants through a RESTART! I set 18 to-do's for 2018, some easy, some take more effort, all attainable when I set my mind and heart to success.

 

We have 3 kids ranging from age 12 to 4:

• Kiddo #1 plays hoops, this time of year you will find me in a gym. To be honest I am a HORRIBLE sports parent and currently beating myself up for it. I want to be better and I will be!
• Kiddo #2 is a sweet kind soul who is finding his way in the world. My goal this year is to help him find his passion and an outlet for his amazing imagination
• Kiddo #3 is a feisty little lady who keeps us on our toes. She is the definition of sweet and sour.  My total mini me with dimples for days. She will start Kindergarten in the Fall so we are in major teaching mode.

We have a Bo-Jack (Boston / Jack Russell Mix) puppy named Rey (Like from Star Wars) who will be 1 in April.  She has a lot of energy but has been a great addition to our busy household. 

 

Married to my handsome hubby, we are building our dream home which closes in June.  Our new place is 5 houses down for a trail through the woods, our happy place!! Our weekends will consist of getting our current home ready to sell, and looking for unique items for our new place.

 

I love to run but cant remember the last time I hit the pavement. I know for sure I will run Rainier to Ruston first weekend in June with 5 of my BRF's (Best Running Friends)

 

I love to write and have the beginnings of a song, novel and children's book series, one of which I WILL finish this year.

 

I love to shop, Goodwill, Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls, Target and Garage sales are my main obsessions.

 

I work in an office and sit 83% of my day, key career passions are communication, engagement, and positive development.

 

My favorite quote is "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." John Wooden  

 That's me!!  If you have a minute please re-introduce yourself in whatever way is fun for you!

Happy Monday!


Aspire to Inspire,

Tall Mom

HELLO

Hello it's me.... (Insert Adele lyrics)

I basically slashed my blog to bits and hit RESTART.

I need a major RESTART.

3 is my favorite number and March is the 3rd month, so a March RESTART it is.

Blogging always helped me to maintain accountability.  After all if I am sharing my life with others, I should probably be doing something worth sharing.

Not sure anyone will even read this and that is OK.

I plan to start updating about my RESTART next week- March 1!!


Aspire to Inspire,

Tall Mom on the RUN!!!

Day 1

Wow this Blog is DUSTY!! 2014 was an amazing year for me, I achieved several personal goals but my fitness took at hit while trying to maintain balance.

What I am proud of??
-Earned the role of Temporary Manager for a team focused on Safety and Culture for 8 months, I have always aspired to be in management.
-Attended the Diversity and Inclusion Conference in New Orleans, LOVED IT!  I geek out on that stuff.
-Read every day starting in April, including completing over 15 books! - This is huge since I am a slow reader.
-Put my family first in many ways

What I am not proud of??
-Watched much more TV than I should, often neglecting my kiddos
-Drank more adult beverages than I should in the name of STRESS
-Failed to get on a fitness and eating schedule
-My weight ballooned to 215lbs!! I told myself I would never be over 200 pounds again. UGH!

What I WILL achieve in 2015?
-Eat dinner at the table atleast 3 nights a week
-Every Friday night is family night
-Create a running/training schedule to be in Half Marathon shape by May
-Track my eating and exercise to get back into onderland
-Watch less TV

Looking back just a few years before I blogged I can hardly believe how different my life was.  I have some of the most amazing Friends, all of whom I met in some way through this Blog.  We celebrate Birthdays, race together, cry when we need to, laugh all the time, and enjoy each others company even if it is via a group text.  Below are a few fun picture from this year, 2015 will be even happier and healthier.

I hope to be better about Blogging...but really living is taking up most of my TIME.  All the best friends.  You can always find me on Instagram at runtallmom.  Happy New Year!!

New Balance Fresh Foam Review

I have had the pleasure over the last few years to make friends with the good people at Onlineshoes.com.  Through our partnership my feet have been blessed to test out some amazing shoes.

These New Balance Fresh Foam shoes are AMAZING!!  Check them out HERE.  When they arrived about a month ago I couldn't wait to lace them up.. I didn't think about how it had been raining non-stop for days... My beautiful new shoes took on mud as we tried to side-step the puddle that covered the trail. I realized pretty quickly that these are nor trail shoes or very water resistant.

Since that day I have worn these shoes out countless times running errands and for runs around the neighborhood.  They are light weight, comfortable, fit my foot great which is nice because I have wide feet and they look pretty darn cool. 

These shoes are a Summer style for me, I look forward to wearing these on steaming Summer runs.  The shoes is very breathable and has lots of cushion.  I have purchased 2 tanks and a sweatshirt to match the shoes which shows you how much I love them...I am funny like that.

In regular shoes I wear a 10 wide.. I wear a 10.5 in this shoe and it fits perfect.  I would say it runs very true to size and the toe box is not overly narrow which makes my feet happy.

DETAILS from Online Shoes:

Wearing the New Balance W980 Fresh Foam athletic shoe, you can feel the science of softness with Fresh Foam technology, a performance midsole compound that delivers soft, plush cushioning to runners seeking a lower, more natural underfoot feel. This women's trainer features a minimal, no-sew mesh and synthetic upper with a lightly padded collar for extra cushioning around the ankle. A blown rubber outsole provides durability and supportive cushioning to the New Balance 980 running shoe, ensuring an incredibly soft, incredibly stable ride for mile after mile.

• 4mm heel-to-toe drop
• Air mesh upper
• Blown rubber outsole
• Competitor Magazine "Best Ride" award
• Fresh Foam
• Lace entry

• Lightly padded collar and tongue
• No-sew material application
• REVlite®
• Running Network "Best Neutral Shoe" award
• Weight: 7.8 oz. / 206g

With Free Shipping, Free exchanges and Free online returns Online shoes is the place to go to get New Balance Fresh Foam.


*Although I was given the shoes my opinion is my own.