Two weeks ago, the boys and I went down to Disney for a 10 day vacation and so that I could run the 5k, 10k, and half marathon for the Princess half marathon weekend. This year, my youngest, decided he was going to run the 5k with me
For those of you that don’t know, Disney races start early, around 5:30am. Disney recommends you be on the bus no later than 4:00am. Nicholas and I were up at 2:30. He was less than thrilled. The race took us around Epcot. It was a nice course with some characters. He did not want to stop, so we decided to just get wear the medals in the parks and get pictures. I knew I would have plenty of opportunity to do so in my other races. Here are a few shots of the race and one of the Expo.
I am so proud of him and could not have asked for a better running buddy. Maybe someday he will develop a love for running like his Mama.
I am going to kick off this first weekend in March with a story about my Mom. As I mentioned, we are coming up on the anniversary of death and I want to remember the happier times.
How many of you grew up with your Moms watching soap operas? I certainly did! My Mom was an avid fan of Days of Our Lives, Another World and then later on in life, General Hospital. Not only did she watch them, but she subscribed to the soap magazines as well. If you had a question about one of those shows, ask Mom, she would know! She was so funny about them too. She really got into the characters and had some pretty strong feelings about them. It would almost seem like they were real.
One of her favorite characters was Jason Morgan, from General Hospital. A few years back, Steve Burton., the actor that plays Jason, was coming to Boston to do a comedy show. I can’t remember who initiated it, but we all bought tickets, Mom, my two sisters and I, to his show. These were no ordinary tickets, but VIP tickets. After the show, we were to head back and have a meet and greet with Steve Burton.
Sorry for the quality of the photo. It was in a scrapbook, then was taken out for something and now hangs on the bulletin board in my kitchen. Anyway, all Mom could talk about after the meet and greet was how Steve said he loved her bag. It was too funny. One of many fun times we had with Mom.
Thanks for listening as I go down memory lane. It really does help.
February 28, 2014- Five years ago, Robbie and I were in Maine for a hockey tournament. I had left town knowing my Mom was being seen for a lump in her breast and other testing to see if the cancer had spread. I will never forget, standing in the lobby of the restaurant, taking a call from my sister. The cancer had indeed spread. It is was in her liver. It was stage 4. My mom got on the phone and we chatted for a few minutes. I never felt more alone or scared than I did that night. I did not want Robbie to know anything was wrong, so I wiped the tears and joined him and his team mates for dinner. Later that night, my friend Kim and her son, Daniel, would make the drive to Maine, so I would not feel so alone. I am forever grateful for that. That is true friendship.
So, why am I telling you all this? Well, as I mentioned, in the “About Me” section of this blog, my Mom’s death has been a major factor in a lot of the things I have done over the last few years. Losing her so young (only 61), made me realize how precious life is. We are only on this Earth for a very short time and no one knows when that time is up. We have to take chances, go for those dreams, live life to the fullest. Her death changed me.
Mom was diagnosed on February 28, 2014 and died on March 24, 2014. She was gone in less than a month. March was already a tough month for my family. We lost both my grandmothers and an uncle in the month of March. Now with Mom gone, March has become that much harder. I remember those weeks leading up to her death and how quickly she deteriorated. I remember crying myself to sleep and consoling my boys as they watched her slip away. I remember the pain on my Dad’s face, as he lost his one true love. In light of this, I thought I would try something new this year. I thought I would use this platform, and throughout the month of March, tell you a bit about my Mom and share my favorite things about her. I want to remember the happy this March and not the sad. So over the next few weeks, I hope you will join me and follow along, as I share my Mom with all of you. For those of you that knew her, I would love for you to share your favorite story about her as well.
Happy February! So… how did month 1 of 2019 go? Was it a productive month? Did you get half way through it and realize you have accomplished next to nothing on your list. Even if that is the case, it is okay! Each new month gives us a chance to start over. I have to admit, I did not get everything on my list done. If you recall, last month to keep myself accountable, I shared my goals for January. At the end of the month or the beginning or each new month, I review my goals, check off what I accomplished, move what needs to go on next month’s list or just remove it completely because it no longer is needed or serves me. Let’s see how I did.
My 3 big goals for January -lose 5lbs -launch blog- and clean bedroom closets. Well, I lost 4lbs and a rather happy with that. I got all 3 bedroom closets cleaned and organized. The one thing I did not do, but almost there, was to launch my blog. Yes, as you read this, I have been writing for a few months so you all would have some content to read. The launching of a blog is not as easy as one would think. So this goal has been moved to February and fingers crossed it will happen. The other goals on my list:
- Read 1 personal development book ☑ I read “The Rise” by Danette May
- Start my European vacation scrapbook ☑
- Run a race ☑ Chilly Willy 10k
- Run 50 miles ☑ 57.6
- Start Transform 20 ☑
- Stick to my cleaning eating plan ☑
- Buy new bedding ☑
- Pay of Nicholas’s cell phone ☑
- Add to savings ☑
Overall, January was a productive month. This blog not going live, bothers me a little, but here is to getting it done in February. Speaking of February, here are my goals.
- Launch blog
- Finish Transform 20
- Set up my next online health and fitness group
- Read one personal development book and one book for pleasure
- Have a stress free trip to Disney with the boys
- Run 65 miles
- Organize kitchen cabinets
- Save additional money on top of what already goes into savings.
I would love to her your goals for the month and how you did in January. Drop me a note and let me know.
In less than a month’s time, the boys and I are headed down to Disney World for 10 days. It is winter break for the boys and Princess Weekend for me. The Princess Half Marathon was my first RunDisney event back in 2015. Since then I have ran Princess 3 times, Wine and Dine 3 times, Marathon weekend once and in April, I will be running the Star Wars races. Nothing compares to a Disney race. The entertainment on the courses is fantastic, the crowd support is amazing and I get to run down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. It does not get more magical than that.
This year, as I mentioned, Robbie and Nicholas are coming with me. We are making a vacation out of it. At first, it was only Nicholas, but then Robbie decided to tag along. Both kids have been very blessed, in that Disney is a place they both have been to many, many times. Each trip is different and fun in its own way. With Robbie approaching the end of high school, I don’t know how many more of these trips he will take with us. With that being said, I have thrown in a few “extras” this trip, to really help make it a trip to remember. I booked a couple of the dessert parties, Early Morning Magic at Toy Story Land and After Hours at Animal Kingdom. Plus, we have lots of fun dining and plenty of days in the parks.
As I was planning this trip, it got me thinking. As we watch our children grow up, we always think about the “first time” they do something. We capture their first steps, first word, first trip to Disney, etc., but do we think about or capture the “lasts”. For example, when was the last time they held your hand crossing the street or the last time you went away as a family before their got too busy living their own lives. So my goal for this trip, as it was for our trip last summer to Europe, is to take it all in. Be present in the moment and enjoy these two special boys. I am blessed to be their Mom and I want to hold on to these days, their childhood, for as long as I can.
Today’s adventure takes us to the French Riviera. When we first booked this trip, the place was I most excited about was Rome. Though I loved it, the French and Italian coasts stole my heart. Simply breathtaking.
Villefranche is a charming fishing village on the Riviera. It is located in between the city of Nice and the country of Monaco. We left the ship early, took a tender, and caught a bus to our first stop, Monaco. Along the way, we saw a beautiful coastline. Though a lot of the bus rides were a bit long, Adventures by Disney goes out of their way to make us comfortable. The busses all have reclining seats and air conditioning. Each day, James and Dusty had plenty of water and snacks for us. We really could not ask for more. As we made our way to Monaco, were told a bit of the history. It is the second-smallest country in the world (Vatican City is smaller). It is notorious for tax havens. As one of our guides said, “It is where the shady go to get sunny.” It is also known for the annual Formula One Grand Prix. Upon arriving, the bus parked next to the Oceanographic Museum. Though we did not tour the museum, we took in the views and snapped some photos.
We walked through a beautiful garden that is paid for and maintained by the royal family. We continued to St. Nicholas’s church. If you remember, before Meghan Markle, Grace Kelly was America’s princess. St. Nicholas’s church is where she married her Prince, Prince Rainier, III. It is also where the royal couple is buried.
After exiting the church, we continued walking through the streets to the Palace. We toured the Palace (no ac!!!), but no pictures are allowed inside. We did get a coupled of good shots in front of the Palace and overlooking the harbor.
After leaving the palace, we had a bit of free time. We shopped and had a crepe. Later, we met up with the group and drove to Monte Carlo. It was interesting to see the streets of the Grand Prix. We were told that to dock your boat in the harbor for the Grand Prix; one must pay 50,000 Euros per day for a minimum of 3 days. Yikes! I guess we won’t be doing that any time soon. LOL! The next stop was lunch. We enjoyed a great lunch on the rooftop of the Fairmont Hotel, overlooking the water. The food and atmosphere were excellent. We had a little bit of time to explore, but we chose to hang back at the hotel and enjoy the views. We also got to know a bit more about our fellow adventurers. It was a lovely afternoon. About an hour or so later, we were off to the village of Eze. Since this post is long enough, I will continue this trip report in the next couple of days. For now, au revoir!
When I first started running, 6.5years ago, music was what got me through my runs. As my distance increased, music was just not doing it for me. Someone in my running group mentioned podcasts and I decided to check it out. 3.5 years later, it is just about all I listen to on my short and long runs. Some of my favorite topics, Disney, true crime, personal growth and development, running and more. Today, I am going to share some of my favorites and in return, I would love for you to share some of yours.
- American Scandal – this tells the story of some of our countries greatest scandals.
- Another Mother Runner- running, specifically mother runners.
- Be Our Guest- my favorite Disney podcast
- Best Case, Worst Case -true crime
- Best of Both World- a great podcast for working moms
- Build Your Tribe with Chalene Johnson -how to build a business
- Criminology- true crime
- Real Crime Profile- true crime
- Rise Podcast – Rachel Hollis- awesome personal growth podcast
- Style Your Mind-another fantastic business building and personal development podcast.
- The Chalene Show – personal development
These are just some that I listen to on a regular basis. There are others, but these are my all time favorites and highly recommend. Now it is your turn. Please share your favorites so we can continue to build our libraries. Remember, sharing is caring. Have a good one!
I recently attended a college planning night for my oldest son, Robbie. The school went over the college process and what to expect over the next 6-9 months. It was a bit overwhelming for me, I can only imagine how it must feel for my son. Applying to college is certainly different now than it was back in 1990! I don’t recall feeling the pressure that kids do today. However, I was also that child that knew, at age 16, what I wanted to do and how I was going to get there. This brings me to today’s post. I am going to talk about meeting your child where they are and letting go of unrealistic expectations.
My oldest is a mini me. We share a lot of the same personality traits. He is a smart boy, who maintained excellent grades all through grammar and middle school. Like me, school came easy to him. Then he started high school. He is in honors classes and has found the adjustment a bit difficult. He actually had to study. Again, I was the same way. However, unlike me, he is not a fan of school. He does what he needs to do to maintain over a 3.0, but is not something he looks forward to everyday. He has been recommended for AP classes, but chooses to stick with the honors classes. He does not enjoy reading and he knows a bulk of those classes have a heavy emphasis on reading. We have had many battles on this. I know he can do the work and I pushed and pushed. He pushed back. This made the first two years of his high school career painful, for the both of us. Here, I had a smart child. He was my first born. Aren’t all first born children suppose to be type A? (i.e. like his mother) Don’t all first born children know exactly what they want to do and how they are going to get there? (again, like his mother) I just could not understand it. Then one day I got it. We were in the car headed to school. We were arguing about something to do with school. As we pulled up to the door of the school, he quietly said “I am not you. I need to figure it out myself.” Those words hit me. He was absolutely right. Though we may be very similar, he is not me. He is his own person and I need to respect that. I need to acknowledge his strengths and weaknesses. I need to guide him and yes, still push him to do his best, but I can’t force him to do something he is not willing to do. Now, some may say, well yes you can. You are his parent and it is your job to push. My answer to that.. know your child. If you child can handle the AP classes, the pressure of being in 100 different clubs or sports, great. However, if you have a child that can handle it, but will be downright miserable in the process, what does that do for anybody. To be clear, I don’t mean just whining because they do not want to do the work. I mean they are so miserable, they hate everything about it, then no, I am not pushing what I want my son to do down his throat. Since, coming to terms with all this, his junior year has been a much better experience for both of us. He is still in honors classes and maintains a B average. He has started to talk about the future and where he may want to go when he graduates. Will it be the path I took? That is yet to be seen, but I do know one thing. Whatever path my Robbie Rob chooses, I am and always will be proud of the young man he has become.
Last summer we went on a trip of a lifetime. We spent ten days cruising the Mediterranean Sea. We sailed on the Disney Cruise Line and booked all our excursions through Adventures by Disney. It was an amazing trip. I wanted to share our experience, just in case one of you may be looking to book this adventure.
On July 4th we flew to Barcelona and stayed at the Hilton Diagonal Mar. It was a 5-7 min walk to the beach and across the street from a mall. We spent some time touring Barcelona on our own and seeing a lot of the local sites. Upon arrival, we went straight to the beach and stuck our toes into the Mediterranean.
The next day we did a city tour and visited Monserett, the home of the Black Madonna. Barcelona is a beautiful city. There was so much we did not see. I look forward to going back some day. Monserett was gorgeous. It was a must do for me and did not disappoint.
On Saturday the 7th, we checked in with the cruise line and was told to also check in with Adventures by Disney. We went over and met James and Dusty. They were our Adventure Guides. We liked them right off the bat. They handed us our gift (duffel bag), some information about the welcome reception and took our picture.
In addition, gave us a new boarding number.. number 1!
We got settled on the ship and went over to the reception at 5:30. There were appetizers and drinks served. We received our name tags, lanyards and our first pin of the trip. I loved receiving the pins. I am not a pin collector, but love the fact that these are unique to this trip. Dusty and James gave us an overview of the cruise and then our navigator for the next day. For those that don’t know, a navigator is basically your interinary for the day. You will receive one from the cruise line each day, but ABD also has one specific to ABD. It told us when and where to meet in the morning and what time we would be back. It also told us if a specific dress was required.
Oh I forgot to mention, this time around we were sailing on the Disney Magic. This is our 8th Disney cruise, but only our second time on the Magic. Our very first cruise was on the Magic and it holds a very special place in my heart. Since, this was not our first cruise, we took it easy that night. We had a great dinner and off to bed we went. With Adventures by Disney, the days are early and long. Tomorrow’s adventure… Marseilles, France.
Now that Nicholas Joseph is 13, we have all teenagers in the house. BTW, found this pic, wasn’t he just adorable??
Though it has been a couple of months, I thought I would share some thoughts on my baby turning 13. We have been down this path before. Our oldest, is 17 and almost done with his teen years. When Robbie turned 13, I thought I knew what to expect. Well, there are the expectations and then there are the realities.
Expectation – I have boys, so the teen years will be easier.
Reality- NO WAY! We still worry about the same things. Am I doing right by them? Am I screwing them up? Are they being tempted by drugs and alcohol? Will they kill themselves behind the wheel of a car? You get the point.
Expectation- Teenage boys are less moody than teenage girls.
Reality- Wrong again! I found my son to be as moody as I was as a teen and I expect nothing less from his brother. There are times I walk on eggshells because I just don’t know what mood he will be in when he wakes up or gets home from school.
Expectation- Buying clothes for boys is easier. Just purchase some jeans, shirts and sweatshirts, right?
Reality- My oldest is the world’s pickiest dresser. He will wear only crewneck shirts. No V-neck, no mock turtleneck, no half zip shirts, no jeans, etc. Taking him clothes shopping is painful. It is hardly a pleasant experience. Nicholas has not reached that point yet, thank goodness.
Expectation- They will reach a point where they will not want to hang with you.
Reality- I feel blessed in that both my boys still want to go places (for the most part) with me.
Expectation- They will eat me out of house and home.
Reality- They eat me out of house and home. :)These are just a few things I could think of off the top of my head, I am sure there are many more, but you get the point. Now, this could all change with number 2. Nicholas may be totally different. I have 5 whole years to figure it out
Welcome to the teen years baby boy. Momma loves you to infinity and beyond!
