Mountain Mother Runner

Last Friday was our daughter’s 2 nd birthday, which had me reminiscing over her birth. During my pregnancy I kept a journal called Love Letters for Baby Renteria . After baby Eisley was born, I made sure to write her birth story so I wouldn’t forget anything. Someday she will be able to read about her journey into this world! I’m sharing this with you as a raw, real-life birth experience and a reminder that no matter how many books you read, classes you take, or videos you watch online, your “birth plan” is just that…a PLAN, and not everything goes as planned. Still hiking mountains at 36 weeks pregnant! July 21, 2014-4:08am-We went to bed around 11:30pm last night after going to Gold’s Gym for some treadmill time. I was sleeping fairly well until I started dreaming that I was beginning to have contractions. In my dream, I thought, “Ohh, so this is what a contraction feels like.” It felt somewhat like period crams in the front lower abdominal area that wrapped around to my low...

As a mom to a toddler vegetarian, I have to pay extra attention to her diet to make sure she grows up healthy and strong! Incorporating enough protein, iron, zinc, and omega-3 fats can be challenging. Luckily for us, we discovered the benefits of hemp back in 2013 while living in Colorado. Hemp foods help keep our little one, and the rest of the family, healthy! Recently, Manitoba Harvest provided me with a bag of their Hemp Hearts. I bet you’re thinking, “What the heck is a hemp heart ?” Well, hemp hearts are what remain after they shell the hemp seeds. Manitoba Harvest is the world’s largest hemp manufacturer and they ONLY sell hemp foods. They’re involved in the entire process (from seed to shelf) and make it a point to openly educate about the health benefits and sustainability of HEMP! Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts 8oz bag Since their facility solely produces hemp products, you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination with nuts, soy, gluten, etc! That is especially im...

Sunday and Monday I was battling a stomach virus. I hadn’t been so helpless and weak feeling in years. My stomach was in extreme pain, I couldn’t keep food or water down, I was up throughout the night, and having to lay down as much as possible while still being mama to a toddler . The worse part of it all was the extreme guilt I felt, as if I were “taking off work” as mom and stay at home wife. Repeatedly I’d have to say to myself, “You are sick! You need time down to recover. Everything is okay.” Walking into the kitchen full of dirty dishes didn’t feel okay. Having my husband ‘fend for himself’ without me cooking didn’t feel okay. Allowing Eisley to watch Bubble Guppies and WanderPets over and over ESPECIALLY didn’t make me feel okay, but it was the only time I could lay down on the couch and rest. Simply standing up made me feel nauseous, but I felt bad for Eisley that I wasn’t being a present, involved mother. I was having the TV babysit her for me. Luckily, after holding ...

This past Saturday was the 50 th Annual Chuckanut Foot Race, which is the longest consecutive race in Bellingham’s history. The local Bellingham Herald wrote an article covering the unique history of the race, which you can read HERE . How cool is that? Less than a month out, I decided to sign up for the race after going back and forth on if I was ready to do it. The last race I did in early June was with the BOB stroller ( Race Beneath the Sun ) and since then my training felt like it lost direction. Do I focus my training for speedy shorter distances or slower long distances? Luckily over the weekends during Eisley’s nap, I was able to do a “long-ish” outdoor run each Sunday. Week 1 was an 8.11 mile run at an 8:24min/mi pace. Week 2 was a 7.28 mile run at an 8:13min/mi pace. Week 3 (week of the Chuckanut) was a 10 mile run at an 8:30min/mi pace. During the week I still did treadmill runs, weights, machines, and stretching, with two rest days. My goal was to race at a 7:45min/mi pace...

Say “hello” to another fermented treat! Along my kombucha brewing journey, I’ve turned into a part-time experimenter in addition to full-time mama. Besides the endless (and sometimes strange) flavor combinations I’ve tried for the 2 nd fermentation, I’ve also discovered some tasty ways to eat the extra SCOBYs. These Tangy Probiotic Snacks don’t take much prep before you throw them in the dehydrator and go about your day, then BAM, they’re ready! I chose "snacks" because they're not quite jerky and not anywhere near a gummy. If you missed my previous recipe post about how to make your own SCOBY Apple Fruit Leather, check it out HERE .   In addition to the ingredients, you’ll need a dehydrator, cutting board, jar/non-plastic container, and either kitchen scissors or a knife. I use a NESCO FD-60 Snackmaster® Express Food Dehydrator (you can purchase here ). Marinating in orange juice When previously making these, I dusted each piece of SCOBY individual...

Holy summertime! Can you believe July is here already? I’m still shocked at how fast this year is flying by. Yesterday was the end of June, so you know what that means…time to write about my mileage and training!   Week 1: 1-4: 15.60 miles Week 2: 5-11: 26.46 miles including Race Beneath the Sun Week 3: 12-18: 20.76 miles Week 4: 19-25: 19.74 miles Week 5: 26-30: 17.90 miles Total miles for June: 100.46 I barely scraped by with my weekly distance goal of 20+ miles which was a little frustrating, but I did incorporate more weight training and a couple yoga classes. We had a busy month filled with so many “different than our routine” things. We went to Mt. Baker, Lake Whatcom, and Lake Padden within three days. My husband went out of town for a few days, we had family stay with us from Oklahoma, and I finally weaned Eisley! Our “night weaning boot camp” lasted about two weeks. There was lots of crying, thrashing, comforting, and many nights I coslept in her ro...