Mountain Mother Runner

After reading through some previous recipe posts that are Kombucha-based (like this SCOBY Apple Fruit Leather or these Tangy Probiotic Snacks ), I realized that some of you may want to learn how to brew some good ‘ol Kombucha! When I was first taught how to brew Booch, it became clear to me that there isn’t one ‘set in stone’ way to do it.  Many people have their own unique techniques or methods they believe are the key to brewing the perfect Kombucha. I love that it is pretty hard to mess up and you can experiment with flavoring during each batch. I started out only making ½ gallon per batch, then 1 gallon, and for the last year I’ve been making 2 gallons per batch. These instructions are for making a 1 gallon jar of Kombucha and you can duplicate the ingredients if you’re feeling adventurous enough to brew large batches! Organic Strawberry and Chocolate Mint Kombucha What you will need: 1 cup organic sugar 14 cups water + extra 8-9 bags organic tea (Black is t...

October included ZERO races, ONE trip to the YMCA, and only FIVE runs! Talk about some low numbers! Following two of my highest mileage months, October won last place for running in 2016. With a whopping 19.65 miles, my priorities were obviously in a different place. It’s not that I didn’t want to run, trust me! Life has been pretty crazy. After our trip we moved into our new home, and we moved right when it started raining all of the time! I think we had nine days in a row of pouring rain. Eisley and I made sure to get out on the few dry/lightly raining days to explore our new community and surrounding areas. I definitely need to order a rain cover for the stroller so we can still enjoy the outdoors this Fall/Winter! Hot and humid runs in Oklahoma! Week 1: 1: 0 miles (Trip in Oklahoma) Week 2: 2-8: 10.18 miles (Trip in Oklahoma) Week 3: 9-15: 1.08 miles Week 4: 16-22: 0 miles Week 5: 23-29: 8.39 miles Week 6: 30-31: 0 miles Total Miles for October: 19.65! (It’s p...

As a mom, you want to visit your family to make special memories with your sweet child, right? How do you plan on getting there, a magic carpet ride? We recently went on an eight day trip. Each of our travel days included 2.5 hrs driving, 2 flights, a 2 hr layover, and crossing over 2 time zones, totaling 13ish hours of traveling. Did I mention that “we” meant me and our 2 year old? My biggest dilemma of traveling (to visit family, go on vacation, anything more than an hour away) was the anxiety of traveling with a baby/now toddler. Until we quit nursing at 23 months, our daughter never slept ANYWHERE except her bed (not in the car, stroller, our bed, etc) which made me not want to travel. She hated being in the car and would literally cry for hours without ever taking a nap. Luckily, turning 2 seemed to put those woes behind us and opened up a new world of travel opportunities! If you’re crazy enough to travel alone with a toddler, here are 6 tips to make your life easier! 1...

Dear Soon-to-Be New Mom,                 How are you feeling? That sweet baby of yours should be entering the world sometime between now and the next two weeks. I hope this last stretch of pregnancy has been going well for you. That was the only time I had days of “feeling so pregnant” and my body was tired . I knew those last few weeks were prime time to sleep in, take naps, and rest up , but I was too uncomfortable.   Know that even if you’ve been worried about getting your house set up or thinking about things that you need to buy, it really isn’t a big deal. Most of those things can wait, for a long time. Your baby will have a simple life for the first few months with only basic needs. There might be times where you’re awake every hour of the night to nurse or bottle feed and feel completely drained. You more than likely will cry over little things for a while, but that’s alright . Between the hormon...

Fall is officially here and our life has been changing like the colors of the leaves. September included two races-Lake Padden Relay and Bellingham Bay Half Marathon , we just closed on our FIRST HOME, and I am currently 1,611 miles away from the PNW visiting family. Let's just say you don't know what you've got till it's gone you're packing to move! The last week of September was crunch time for packing up the house, setting up utilities, and making sure things were somewhat in order before Eisley and I left for our week long trip. Our 13 hour travel day included two flights, a two hour layover, and a two hour time zone difference. She didn't nap, stayed up late, and was still a happy girl the entire day. I feel so lucky that everything went smoothly and traveling alone with a toddler wasn't stressful. My husband is spending the final week in our rental house with our dog Luna and moving everything before we return from our trip. What an awesome man! After...

Sunday was the 10 th annual Bellingham Bay Marathon , which included full, half, 10k, and 5k distance options. Not only is it a popular and beautiful race, but it is also a Boston qualifier marathon which brings people from many different states. The race starts and ends at the same point downtown, followed by live music, an awards ceremony, and a Boundary Bay beer garden. I started following a training plan 8 weeks before this race. (I use the term “following” very loosely: I’m a stay at home mom, toddlers get sick, wake up all night with mental leaps, we cosleep on her floor bed, I’m exhausted, etc.) Moments before the race started! Mile 1: 8:12 Mile 2: 7:54 Miles 1 and 2 were relatively flat, heading through downtown from Railroad Ave in front of Depot Square. Besides walking the ½ mile trek with a friend from my house to the race, we didn’t do any warming up. I started slower, letting the first mile be my warmup and allowing me to find my groove. This was the bigg...

As you enter the wild world of running, you might find yourself attempting to translate training plans, surrounded by unusual (and possibly unnecessary) gear, all while confused by a whole new language! Coaches and friends may use lingo leaving you scratching your head while staying on the sidelines. Here’s a list of 21 running terms to help get you going on your running journey! Aid Station: Points along the race course (more common in distances further than a 5k) where volunteers/staff hand out water, electrolyte drinks, snacks, etc. In extreme environments or in ultra distances, medical staff is there to measure weight, check for dehydration, and make sure the runner is physically able to continue the race. Base Mileage: A runner’s average weekly miles ran.   Bib: The number corresponding to each individual runner “bib number” so they can be identified, printed on a square piece of paper.  Race Bib BQ: “Boston Qualifier” A qualifying time standard that r...