My day started out like normal with an early morning on the treadmill…..I swear I will get outside and run in the dark tomorrow morning. The treadmill is great but I really need to shake things up!

After my run I made the kids strawberry smoothies. Adding whipped cream and sprinkles raised it up a level.

They were pretty excited, being a mom is fun.

After breakfast we went to the basement for “recess” then it was snack time.

I think we are all doing well on our schedule, and even though we aren’t doing much, it always feels busy anyway. I really want to do something with this room if we are still remote learning in January. Anyone set up a school room in their house this year?

While Cannon was attending his Zoo class Emmy was practicing her writing too.

When I got done with putting Emmy down for her nap I came out to this:

One of the perks of working from home, take a quick lunch nap with Cannon. The kids are really not going to like it when Cory does go back to the office.

After nap we went to the park to enjoy the sunshine.

Do you think they will let me dress them matching in ten years?

Both kids are really into dinosaurs so this playground was a hit.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about 2021 racing. With vaccines coming out soon it feels like there could be a light at the end of this tunnel. While there are some races going now, I am just not willing to participate yet but I am hopeful that late spring or summer we might be able to. It would be so nice to have something on the calendar to look forward to. I am a little bummed I can’t plan on any of my favorite winter spring trail races but if things turn around quickly some of these could be options:

Run Through Time Half Marathon – March 13

Source

I have always wanted to do this race…..probably not this year but someday.

Behind The Rocks Ultra – March 27

I did this race in 2015 and would love to go back. Moab is amazing and the camping near this race looks great. It would be a fun outing with Kermit (our camper).

Desert RATS Trail Marathon – April 16th-18th

I did this one in 2017, LOVED it.

Collegiate Peaks 25 Mile Trail Race – May 1st

I have wanted to do this race for a long time, it looks so beautiful! Hoping things will be looking better by then.

North Fork 50K – June 3rd

I ran the 50k in 2017 and it was so beautiful, close to home and has some great camping so this is definitely on the short list.

Mt. Hood 50 – July 10th

And of course take two at the Mt. Hood 50. Fingers and toes crossed.

Not planing past July because who knows what the year will bring.

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What’s on your list for 2021?

I have been feeling a bit run down lately and feeling like I really need to get more sleep. I wear a sleep tracker at night that tracks sleep, heart rate variability and other metrics. I took a look at my recent sleep.

I feel like I need about eight hours of sleep to function well. I wish it was less, Cory does okay on less and I swear my brother thrives on about five hours of sleep a night. When I get less than eight and especially less then seven I don’t do as well. I can’t focus as well so I am not as good of a teacher, I have less energy and patience so I am not as good of a mom as I would like to be and I am less organized so I am not being as good of a partner as I could be. I am trying to work on finding ways to get in more sleep and still fit it all in. Please send me all your tips!

Here is a picture of Emmy, just because she is so cute…..

Cannon’s hair has grown back to sitting in his eyes.

We’ve had it cut once since Covid hit.

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I am going to have to decide if I am brave enough to cut it myself because we are in a pretty bad lock down here in Colorado.

I also haven’t gotten a hair cut in about a year, things are looking desperate.

We had the best broccoli and salmon for dinner.

I am always surprised when the kids eat this dinner. They love it!

After eating we drove to a neighbors house that has set their holiday lights to music, the kids loved it. It’s nice to have some holiday spirit!

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How much sleep do you need?

How long since your last haircut?

The day began very early, but it’s made a little sweeter that it’s lit by a Christmas tree. The dark mornings and evenings are easier to take with all the Christmas cheer.

I stumbled a few miles on the treadmill, but the lack of sleep is getting to me. Working late (well late for me) then getting up early to run is starting to add up. I am really missing my gym with kid care where they could go play and I could run at a time other than 4 am. I don’t mean to complain…..I am happy we are safe and healthy. I think we all just miss the way things were.

Annnnnyyyyway. Emmy woke up before Cannon and Cory so we got some cuddle time while reading books.

We started the kids’ first advent calendar. We got them this one.

It had little toys inside and so far the kids love it. We got them both the same one because they have been having trouble lately and it’s easier if they have the same thing. So far so good.

We have been playing in the basement every morning before Cannon has school. I call it recess and hope that it helps getting some energy out before class.

I love how well Cannon is doing with online school, I am proud of him for adapting.

We have been working hard to get Emmy to drink more water and less milk. This mix was well received (we call is pink drink to make her like it even more) it’s 25% kombutcha, 75% water and some raspberries for fun. So far so good.

We spent some time in the afternoon playing outside then had a delicious salad with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. We have a lot of turkey since we made a Costco bird for just the four of us.

Emmy has been enjoying stealing Cory’s food lately.

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Anyone else struggling a little with exercise with this second quarantine?

After our long holiday weekend I will keep this short and sweet just like my run for the day.

I had planned on getting up early to run in the morning before the rest of the family but I completely forgot to set an alarm and slept in until it was time to wake with everyone else.

Cannon had “school” again after last week off. One thing that I will always be grateful for from this time is getting to see Cannon interact at school.

Of course I would rather have everyone safe and Cannon in school socializing like he should but I love seeing him interact with his teacher and friends.

Emmy joined us for school time playing Homer on her fire tablet.

After school we went to the library where you can check out books online and have them delivered right to your car. We have been enjoying new books every week and there are great playgrounds near the library as well.

It was sunny and beautiful so we spent some time playing before it was time to run home for lunch.

During nap time Cannon cuddled with Humphry while I got a short run in on the treadmill. I love how these two are bonding. Humphry even sleeps on Cannon’s bed at night.

After Emmy woke up I decided I wanted to get them outside again (1000 hours outside). We were discussing where to go, when a friend texted asking if we wanted to meet, perfect!

Cannon and Emmy got to see of their favorite friends and I got to see one of my friends and it was such a reminder that human connection is so important. We want to be respectful and careful in the face of a pandemic but we feel that distanced outside it’s safe enough and so good for our hearts.

After playing we decided it was a pizza and movie night. I used to love the movie Elf and wanted the kids to love it too. But as it was playing the kids were not that into it and I realized it probably isn’t my favorite anymore. Still good but not what it used to be for me, funny how things change over the years.

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What are your favorite Christmas movies?

Did you have a childhood dog?

I did something today that I haven’t done in forever…..I did a transition run…or run off the bike. It was good and reminded me of the good ol’ Ironman days.

I used my new stationary bike for the first time and it was great. I signed up for the Peloton App and did a spin workout. I have been missing spin classes so much and this is a good substitute. I then jumped on the treadmill for a quick run to get in my run streak for the day. Then a quick 10 minute core workout from Peloton. This workout made me wonder if I would ever do triathlon again. My unused wetsuit was mocking me from the corner.

We had a very low-key day. We worked on getting the lights up on our tree.

The kids love helping with everything. We did the lunch, cuddle, nap hustle then went out to go play at one of our favorite playgrounds that we haven’t been to in a very long time. We drove up to the playground just to find it closed. I think it’s due to Covid and the kids were so disappointed. I felt so bad that we got them pumped about doing something then had to let them down. At two and four they don’t totally get the pandemic and why things are so weird right now. With Covid spiking here in Colorado we aren’t doing any indoor activities even with family so they are missing their grandparents and friends a lot. They asked to watch a movie at their grandparents house yesterday and it broke my heart a bit. When you are only two years old spending a year or more social distancing is a lot of your life.

On our way home we drove through our local mall’s parking lot and noticed they had their horse drawn carriages running. The kids were super excited to ride so the night was saved,

They even enjoyed running around the Macy’s courtyard while we waited for our turn.

The ride was fun and the kids loved saying hi to the Clydesdale. The Christmas lights were beautiful and it was nice to do something to celebrate the holiday season.

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Anyone doing any transition runs?

Peloton users out there, any tips? I am loving it so far, I can’t wait to try the yoga and strength training sessions too.

We got out early for a family 5k, I love family runs the most!

I think Emmy loves running the most out of all of us.

Cannon loves it too, I love watching them run with so much joy.

We took a 20 minute playground beak then headed home.

It was then important to put on our Christmas outfits.

And continue to put up our decorations.

We got our tree in the house and stockings hung.

Then it was time to hit up the park for bike riding and acorn finding.

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Does watching kids run bring you joy?

We have a tradition from years past to ride the train in Georgetown and see Santa on Black Friday.

This year we decided not to go and when I checked they aren’t running their holiday trains anyway. I am sad to miss our tradition but this year is all about compromises. We did find an event with an outdoor Santa meet and greet where you drive through and only one family is allowed out of their cars at a time. So we will get to see Santa.

Instead we enjoyed home made scones from grandma (the best scones I have ever had).

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And had a little party because our elves are baaaaaaccckkkkkk.

It is my unpopular opinion that I enjoy the elves. We don’t really do anything elaborate with them but it’s fun for the kids. The elves brought the kids new books as arrival gifts so we spent some time reading those.

Then we met our family at a trail-head to go for a hike. We are drawing the line at indoor gatherings but feel that seeing them outside with masks is safe enough.

We met at trails in Boulder that I have spent a lot of time running on over the years and it made me miss it so much. I felt very motivated to get my knee well and find ways to be out there enjoying the trails more.

It was a little icy but not too bad.

I feel so lucky that my kids have been able to stay connected to their grandparents during this pandemic.

We spent the evening picking out our Christmas tree, we have always gotten a live tree as our main tree.

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Are you team real or fake Christmas tree?

What traditions are you breaking and keeping this year?

The last couple of days have been very good family time. While we can’t do all the things we would like to be doing there is still so much fun to be had. I am really hoping that 2021 is a return to our normal holiday traditions and we will appreciate them all that much more.

On Wednesday I woke up early to get a few miles in on the treadmill. Nothing new here.

While I was running I was thinking a lot about 2021 and if we would be able to race again. It would be fun to actually plan some adventures.

I have a credit for my registration for the 2020 race that was cancelled. But the 50 requires a lottery and I am not sure if I will be guaranteed a spot…..and if I will be up for a 50 in July, in Oregon. It’s hard to make any big plans when it’s very unclear what 2021 will look like.

After my run I took the kiddos to grab a couple things at the store, they talked me into getting them yogurt covered pretzels, they are big fans!

Seeing this photo reminds me that I really need to clean out the inside of our car, kids are beasts.

After the store we hit up the sledding hill. I was determined to make up for our failure of a day (fall down 7 times, get up 8). And this time we had a great time.

I love seeing them happy and playing together.

We enjoyed our time outside, soaking up the sun and fresh air.

We spent the rest of the day doing school lessons, napping, lunch etc.

Cory made yummy taco salads for dinner.

I was very excited after putting the kids down for the night I got my new computer delivered and transferred everything over from my old computer.

On Thanksgiving we started cooking right away, two pies and full traditional meal takes a lot of time!

My parents came over to play outside for awhile and we sent them home with some pie for them to enjoy with their meal. We didn’t get to see my bother but made sure to save him a plate.

We made our way to a playground for a little while before dinner time.

We tried to get cute pictures of the kids for the grandparents.

Emmy was just not having it so it was a very 2020 Thanksgiving picture.

We tried……

Things went up hill from there, the kids liked diner and loved the pie.

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The best part was cuddling and watching a Christmas movie.

It was a good day.

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How was your Thanksgiving?

Are you planning for any races for 2021?

This year has been difficult in so many ways. We won’t be sharing a meal with our families or spending time with friends. But there is still so much to be thankful for.

On top of my list of things to be thankful for is my little family. I feel so lucky to be Cannon and Emerald’s mom. And while it’s not for the best reason I have been enjoying my extra time with them. And with Cory working at home we are getting more quality time with him.

We plan to have the full Thanksgiving meal at home and enjoying all the things we do have to be grateful for.

I feel like there is so much to be hopeful for in the coming future. It feels like brighter days are coming.

Our plan is to spend the day cooking together, running a turkey trot around our neighborhood (probably with a playground break) and a little time visiting with my parents outside. We are so lucky to live only two mies from them and still get to see them in safe ways. I really feel for families who haven’t been able to see each other in almost a year or more.

Then we will spend our evening eating traditional Thanksgiving food and really counting our blessings.

Lastly I am so so thankful for our health care workers. Risking their lives to save ours. Leaving their families to serve when they are needed.

My hope is that everyone has the best day they can, that you get some yummy food and that you have things to focus on and be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We woke up this morning to some fresh pretty snow. I love snow this time of year the best because it looks so pretty against the Christmas lights.

I swear I will run outside again one day….but today was not that day.

We decided to do art class this morning and the kids painted ornaments for Grandma and Grandpa.

They were so cute painting but they loved mixing the paint to the ornaments ended up mostly black. Note to self, next time don’t include the black!

After painting a friend texted to see if we were up to going to the sledding hill. I hustled to get all the things ready and was so excited to see a few of our friends (outside, masked and social distanced of course).

It was one of the worst mom fails ever. Cannon was having a great time sledding but something happened for Emerald and she lost her mind. She normally loves sledding but she was not having it. Then Cannon accidentally plowed into a friend on his sled. We only made it 20 minutes before calling it and heading home. If there is snow still tomorrow maybe we will try again.

After our sledding fail we made lunch and we enjoyed cuddles before nap time. Putting Emmy down for her nap is one of my biggest joys in life. She is so sweet and cuddly as she falls asleep.

During nap I threw stuff in the crock-pot for dinner. Crock pot dinners are great for nights that I teach so that dinner is ready without the rush.

When Emmy got up we played in trampoline and waited for Cory to get off of work.

After dinner I got ready to teach my statistics class, one of the perks of teaching online is that I can sit with wool socks on and a blanket around my legs. I will admit to wearing a button down shirt over sweat pants because I can.

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What are your favorite slow cooker recipes?

Anyone else working from home in only half professional clothes? I do always wear pants…..just because it’s not worth the risk 😉