Running to and from

Over a month ago Monica asked if running was a long time thing for me or something new. The answer is both. I started running in junior high because my best friend was a runner. I hated it. The track coach relegated me to the mile along with others who had no speed and no desire to improve. For me track was a means to a social end and it didn't take me very long to develop the mantra, "I only run when chased."

A few years ago a friend of mine who has been an avid runner since age 12 encouraged me to run. She assured me I could do it. I think I had the desire to be a runner but really didn't know how to begin. So for a couple months I ran a little, walked a lot, ran a little more, and so on, until I hurt my knee. The podiatrist encouraged me to rest and let the knee heal and then buy a pair of real running shoes instead of trying to run in my three-year-old Meijer specials. I did so, but then we got a lot of snow and a foster child came to live with us and I lost interest in running.

Last year I decided I needed to drop a few pounds and get some exercise so I started walking inside with Leslie Sansone videos. I was quite happy with this until the dog chewed up the DVD! So faced with the necessity of another plan, this summer I started walking the track at the high school while my kids took tennis lessons. After a few weeks I started feeling the need for speed and figured I'd walk a lap and run a lap. This slowly turned into more walking than running and now I'm up to 2.5 miles on my short day and 4 miles on my long day.

I wouldn't say that running is a passion for me, nor do I have any goals to run races or lose weight, but I will agree with Beth that I have never regretted going for a run but have often regretted not doing so. It is a time that I can run from my obligations and the noise of my house and enjoy time alone listening to music and burning off some stress. I find that I handle the pressures of life more easily and sleep better at night when I'm getting plenty of exercise, all for the price of a pair of good running shoes and some workout clothes from Walmart.

Running is probably not for everyone, but take it from this short-legged middle-aged mom, it's never too late or too hard to start!

Happy Birthday, JT

This is the boy who became the man that makes my life such a joy. Happy birthday, love!

What's that smell?

I love my dog.


But sometimes she stinks.

And sometimes bathing her just switches the stinks from smelly dog to perfumy dog. So after finishing the bottle of major-dog-product-brand lavender-smelling dog shampoo, I went on-line to find a homemade version. All of the ingredients were inexpensive and I happened to have them all on hand (we use glycerin to make bubbles in the summer). I just mixed them up and poured them into an empty ketchup bottle. Easy peasy.

And how does she smell?
Clean. Just clean.

Homemade Dog Shampoo
(recipe courtesy of Care2Com)

1 cup mild dish soap
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup glycerin
1 qt. water

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a large bottle. Shake before using.

Sun and Earth

I like a clean house (although it seems a rare event that I have one) but I don't like a lot of the products on the market today that are full of harmful chemicals and unnecessary colors and fragrances, and ingredients that mess with our septic system. While I do make a lot of my own cleaners using vinegar, baking soda, peroxide, and other non-toxic ingredients, I haven't found a homemade dishwasher soap or laundry detergent that thrills me.

A few months ago Sun and Earth ran a "try us out" special that included a regular sized bottle of almost every item in their line for $25. I jumped at the offer and have been well pleased. Their liquid dish soap, laundry detergent, and dishwasher packets clean beautifully and have a pleasing light citrus fragrance. I especially like their bio-degradable dryer sheets that don't leave your clothes feeling chemically coated and perfumed. Almost everything is available in jumbo sizes, too, and I mean jumbo: you can order a 5 gallon bucket of laundry detergent!

This weekend only Sun and Earth is running a free shipping special on orders $25 or over. Just enter the coupon code freeshipweekend.