May is Water Safety Month!

This post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School.

It's probably no surprise by now that I love taking our boys to their swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School-Dayton. It's become a really fun family weekend tradition and it makes me feel so much more comfortable with the idea of bringing my boys to the beach this summer, knowing that they know the basics of water safety.

May is National Water Safety Month and I can personally testify to the amazing job Goldfish Swim School does in teaching my little fishies through The Science of SwimPlay®. According to Goldfish, The Science of SwimPlay® is "our holistic swim school philosophy that develops life skills in and out of the water in our one-of-a-kind, play-based learning environment. We’re proud to have taken everything that’s scientifically proven to help kids learn, including achievements, safe environments, fun and guided play, and packaged it up into one experience."

Through their swim lessons, Charlie and Crosby are becoming better and better each week at holding their breath before going under water, climbing out of the pool unassisted, and rolling onto their backs to do their "sea otter floats." These are such important skills for my boys to know as we spend time this summer at the lake and community pools. Drowning is the number one cause of accidental injury or death in children under the age of 4 and I want to take every precaution in keeping my babies safe.

Charlie making funny faces at "Mr. Broccoli" to help him stay relaxed in his "Sea Otter Float!"

Goldfish truly goes above and beyond in spreading the message of water safety in our community. They've also created a FREE W.A.T.E.R Safety program that teaches young students by:

• Introducing the concept of water safety
• Educating children about the importance of water safety
• Helping children learn safety methods and avoid potential dangers in and around the water
• Educating children about ways to handle water crisis situations
• Providing take home materials for children to share with their parents in an effort to prevent water related accidents

For the first time, Goldfish is also partnering with Dayton Children's Hospital and Safe Kids of Greater Dayton to participate in the World's Largest Swimming Lesson on Thursday, June 21, 2018. The event takes place from 2:00-3:30 PM and will include a W.A.T.E.R. Safety Class and a free swim lesson for children 3-4, 5-7, and 8-12 years old.

If you live in the Dayton area and have young children, you'd be crazy not to take advantage of this awesome event! If you've been thinking about enrolling your kids in swim lessons, but aren't ready to commit, this is also the perfect opportunity to test the water (pun intended) at Goldfish Swim School. If you don't believe me- just ask this water baby!

A Little Running Update

One of my all-time goals has been to run a half marathon. I included it in my 30 Before 30 list and although I never managed to check it off that list, I feel really confident that I'll be able to check it off my 32 Before 32 list in the within the next few months!

I knew it was something I always wanted to do because running has been the only athletic pursuit I've genuinely enjoyed and been somewhat okay at. However, after four years of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and motherhood, running started to become less of a want and more of a need.

Having my babies so close together was really rough for me, mentally. I genuinely started to lose myself to motherhood and in the past year I awoke from the newborn fog and realized I didn't have a handle on who I was anymore. I had sacrificed everything for these sweet boys of mine, and though that made me a good Mom, it was unsustainable. I realized I desperately needed to reclaim a part of who I was before I became "Mommy."

I started running back in February. I hadn't consistently run since 2014 when I was training for the Cap City Quarter Marathon in Columbus with my work team. I was 6 weeks pregnant with Charlie when I finished that race, and I never really ran again after that. So when I hit the pavement back in February, I went in with zero expectations-I mean, I had basically been sedentary for the last four years and I had no idea how my body would handle actual exercise again.

I headed out for my first run with the idea that if I could run a straight mile without stopping, I'd call it a win. If I couldn't even do that, I would be okay. I mean I had physically birthed two humans and put my body through the ringer. I was going to be kind to myself and take it slow. Imagine my surprise when I ran TWO without stopping! I was so pleasantly surprised with how I did, but chalked it up to beginner's luck.

Two days later, I ran three miles. The following week, I went out again and just kept running because it felt so good. I cranked out 5.5 miles on my third run! I was so proud of my body, and quite honestly, in disbelief.

In the last few months, I've had issues with some very sore knees. I've taken it easy and given myself lots of time to rest. I really want to achieve my half marathon goal and I know I won't be doing myself any favors if I push too hard and really injure myself. That being said, it feels like I'm finally out of the woods with ankle, knee, and hip pain (fingers crossed)! And I've settled into a good rhythm.

I try to do one or two short weekday runs followed by a long weekend run. Of course, I've been at the mercy of Ohio's spring weather so my schedule has been thrown off on more than one occasion by an unanticipated rainstorm.

About a month ago, I did my longest run to-date, a full eight miles. The following week, I tried to push myself just a little bit farther and did my first-ever nine-mile run. Yesterday, I completed my first 10 mile run (like, in my entire life) and it felt so exhilarating. Hard, but exhilarating.

I have been so stinkin' proud of myself and my body and I'm so excited to run my first half marathon this summer. I delayed registering because I really had no idea how long it would take me to train, but I think I've finally narrowed down which one I want to do and it gives me a good window of time to feel more comfortable in my long runs.

I told Chuck that I would love to make a long-term goal of running a half marathon in all 50 states. It combines my loves of running and travel and would give me something to constantly be working toward.

So, that's where I'm at right now. Stay tuned for a half marathon update! In the meantime, here's a little mileage log:

• FEBRUARY- 5
• MARCH- 14
• APRIL- 30
• MAY (to-date): 20

TOTAL: 69 miles in 2018

Mother's Day 2018

I've been blogging now for over 9 years. That's absolutely insane. In that time, my blog was a place to detail my study abroad adventures, a place to discuss my wedding plans, a place to set dreams and goals and document my progress, a place to share the books I was reading, and a place to document life as the Mommy to two of the sweetest boys.

I think sometimes I lose sight of the fact that this is my blog and it's up to me to determine its purpose and direction. I feel like I've gotten away from documenting more of our everyday life stuff because it didn't interest readers. Which is just plain silly. This is my life and I'm proud and happy of where I am. I love my family dearly, and although I do worry that sometimes I overshare, they are my pride and joy.

So with that little meandering thought out of the way, I thought I would share about my Mother's Day.

Mother's Day 2018

We woke up feeling a little rough from celebrating the marriage of Chuck's friends the night before. We had an absolute blast, but there was no rest for the wicked on Sunday morning with two little boys who were ready to take on the day! Chuck ran out and got some Egg McMuffins and the four of us ate together at "the big table," which honestly, rarely happens in our house. After breakfast, I was still exhausted so Daddy hung out with the boys while I laid back down in bed for a nap.

When I awoke, we showered and got everyone dressed and ready to head out to Chuck's family picnic. His Mom and Dad sweetly arranged a lunch of hot dogs, fried chicken, potato salad, and chips at one of our local parks. We watched all of the grandbabies run around the playground and just soaked up time with each other. They blew bubbles, climbed hills, and flew kites. It was one of those days where you want to take a mental picture of every second because it was just too perfect.

By the time we headed out, it was way past naptime for both boys and they were done. I promptly put Crosby in his crib and then laid down on the couch with Charlie to watch a movie. I wound up falling asleep before he did and settled in for nap #2 of the day (which let's be honest, was probably my favorite part of Mother's Day- two naps in one day?!).

We all woke up late in the evening and didn't quite know what to do with our time since we were off schedule and bedtime was looming. Chuck fed the boys some leftover hot dogs from the picnic and then we decided it might be fun to go out for ice cream. It was messy (shocker), but the boys loved it. When we got home, we settled in on the couch for another movie before putting the babies to bed for the night.

It was a sweet, simple, no fuss kind of day and I loved every minute. I'm so happy I have my long-desired DSLR because it absolutely prompts me to take more pictures at all our family events and I know I'm going to treasure having them in the years to come.

My 30th Birthday + Bachelorette Shenanigans

I had every intention of publishing this post at the beginning of the week, but it's now Thursday and I feel like I've needed all week just to recover from the past weekend.

As you may recall, I celebrated my 30th trip around the sun on April 26. Since it was a big milestone year for me, I wanted to DO ALL THE THINGS. It might have also had something to do with the fact that this was the first birthday in four years where I wasn't pregnant or breastfeeding. So yeah, it was kind of a big deal.

What I wanted more than anything for my 30th birthday was a girls' weekend away. So when it happened that one of my college besties was going to be celebrating her bachelorette party the following weekend, I decided it was divine timing and promptly booked myself a plane ticket.

On my actual birthday, I dropped the boys off at daycare, went to work in the morning and then left at lunch. It was a beautiful day so I considered going for a run, but before I knew it, I was a couple glasses of sweet red wine in and spent the afternoon day-drinking in the sunshine of my back porch and talking to friends and family on the phone. It sounds kind of lame, but honestly, it was exactly what I wanted to be doing at that moment and I had the best time.

The following day was Friday and I went out for a birthday lunch with my officemates, followed by a quick run. That night, my birthday mate, Kirsten and I, invited friends to a local establishment. They make their own hard cider with local apples and have such a fun, cozy ambiance. Although I was familiar with the place, it was my first time actually drinking there with friends and it was a lot of fun.

On Saturday, I managed to squeeze in my first-ever NINE MILE run. That evening, Chuck and I finally got our long-awaited date night. We hit up Thai 9 in Dayton because I'd been wanting to try it out for ages. We loved the food and our server was great, but we felt rushed out at the end of our meal which bugged me.

The following Friday, Chuck took off from work so that he could drive me to the airport. I flew into Philly where the bride-to-be picked me up and we got to spend over an hour together just catching up on life before we arrived at her family's beach house in Ocean City, NJ for bachelorette shenanigans.

We spent Friday night drinking cocktails and playing silly bachelorette games. When we woke up the next morning, I wanted to make everyone breakfast. I borrowed Laura's car to run out to the local grocery store and then made everyone my family's favorite breakfast casserole. My Farmers' Market has locally raised pork and it's become our weekly ritual to make this dish with yummy, local pork sausage- it's SO good!

After breakfast, we headed out to do one of those little painting parties. It was another thing on my bucket list that I was happy to cross off! I don't know that I would do one again, because as it turns out, my inner perfectionist gets incredibly frustrated by my lack of artistic ability! There just so happened to be a craft fair in Ocean City that weekend, so after painting, we walked through the streets checking out all the crafty goods. I got myself a fish taco and a salted caramel donut, so I was a happy, happy girl.

After the craft fair, we headed back to Laura's beach house. Some girls opted to take a nap, but since I hadn't yet seen the ocean, I went for a long beach walk with two of the other party girls. It was admittedly a little chilly, but I was just so happy to be on the water again, that I was still walking on Cloud 9.

When we returned from our beach walk, we started getting ready for dinner. The restaurant was decent, but I think the live music was our favorite part. The singer was killing it and I had a very strong margarita, so although the bride-to-be was reluctant to dance at first, I decided I would create my own dance floor and have a good time. (Little known fact about me: if there is really good live music, I almost feel like it's insulting to not dance. If I'm sober, there's a 90% chance I'll be dancing. If I'm drinking, there is a 100% chance I'll be on the dance floor). I knew I could wear her down, so eventually her and a few other girls joined me and we had so much fun shaking our groove thangs.

After dinner, we returned home for a night of more adult beverages and hilarity. I drank more and stayed up later than I have in years and truthfully- I had a blast! It was just really fun to let loose with some fellow Moms and talk all things marriage, sex, and babies.

Despite being one of the last girls to go to sleep, I was the first one awake on Sunday morning. I made myself a cup of coffee and sat on the front porch for a few hours with the book I was reading and the chilly ocean breeze wrapping around me. It was absolute perfection. Laura came out eventually and the two of us had some more one-on-one time together. We've been friends since freshman year (12 years?!) and whenever we get together it feels like absolutely no time has passed and we're still just talking about our hopes and dreams on our lofted dorm room beds.

On Sunday afternoon, most of the girls slowly trickled out until there were five of us left. We packed up our cars, then headed into town to do some shopping at the cute little boutique shops before Laura eventually drove me back to the airport. Chuck picked me up around 10:00 PM when I landed back in Cincinnati and I was more than ready to be back in my own bed with my little family snoozing softly nearby.

I am so thankful that I got to reign in my 30th year with a week's worth of fun and celebration with some wonderful people by my side. If my birthday was any indication of how my 30's will be, I am so ready for this new decade.

32 BEFORE 32

If you read my 30 Before 30: Final Check-In earlier this week, you know that I only managed to accomplish about half of what I set out to do before my 30th birthday on April 26. I'm not giving up on a lot of those goals, though. I've decided on my 32 goals before I turn 32, and I'm carrying a lot of those pre-30 goals right on over to my new bucket list!

32 Before 32: A 2-Year Bucket List

1. Take an international trip | This was the very first item on my 30 Before 30 bucket list and one that I definitely hope to accomplish before my 32nd birthday. So where am I wanderlusting for? The number one on my travel to-do list is to visit the Christmas markets in Germany and Austria. I'd also really love to visit Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Kenya, and South Africa (in no particular order).

2. Host a foreign exchange student | I've been bugging Chuck about this for ages. Our finances haven't been great, and our bedroom situation would need to change, but I'm hoping we can commit to this in the next two years.

3. Pay off a student loan | This is another one I'm carrying over from my 30 Before 30 list (sigh).

4. Return to work full-time | When I quit working full-time after Crosby was born, I didn't know how long it would last. I thought maybe we would just conquer his first year and finish breastfeeding, but then I started my part-time marketing job and I've grown to love it. Our current arrangement is kind of amazing for our family, so I'm not sure what the time-frame will be. I do know that I'm feeling more ready to go back than I was when Crosby was an infant, so I guess now I just have to wait and see where life takes me!

5. Visit a new state | Although I was born in California, I haven't been back since we moved away when I was four. I'd really love to visit Northern California so that's probably on the top of my state to-see list. This is also another goal that I didn't get to before my 30th birthday.

6. Convert attic to a fourth bedroom | This was number one on my house to-do list from the time we bought our home. (See a "before" of our attic/bedroom). However, it's going to be a more expensive project than we anticipated so it's gradually gotten pushed to the back-burner. There's asbestos in the attic that we need to get rid of before we even think about making it Charlie's bedroom. Then, we need to install a heating duct and window. Once those three things are complete, it's just a matter of painting, furnishing, and decorating.

7. Take an anniversary trip | Honestly, I don't even care where we go. I just really want an anniversary getaway with my hubby. I was hoping to have traveled last year for our 5th anniversary. However, I was still breastfeeding Crosby and we couldn't really afford a trip anyway, so we decided to postpone it.

8. Adopt a four-legged friend | For some strange (and slightly heartbreaking) reason, I've developed a dog allergy as I've gotten older. We always had a dog when I was a kid and I never had any issues, but I lost my resistance to animal dander, apparently. I miss having a dog around and both my boys are very skittish around big dogs, so I think it would really benefit them to have a pet of their own. I've done some research into hypoallergenic breeds, so we'll likely go with some kind of poodle or schnauzer.

9. Run a half marathon | The bad news is, I didn't check this one off before I turned 30. The good news is, I'm training as we speak and should be checking it off by the end of 2018!

10. Replace our back porch | Our back porch was kind of shoddily put together and we've had multiple stairs break in the time that we've lived here (less than three years). It's not the safest it could be for the boys and we'd like to be able to grill and hang out back there without worrying.

11. Visit Frankie's grave | I had hoped to check this off my 30 Before 30 list, but I never managed to make it to DC in the last few years. This is one that I'm determined to make happen, however long it takes. I miss Frankie so much and I really want to pay my respects.

12. Attend a cooking class | By now, I assume it's no secret that I love anything having to do with food. One of Chuck and my favorite things to do as a couple is to watching cooking shows and explore new restaurants. I think it would be so much fun to take a cooking class together for one of our monthly date nights.

13. Pay off all credit cards | This is another financial goal that I wished we could have done before I turned 30. But with some discipline, this is totally within reach to do by 32!

14. Renovate our kitchen | If I'm being honest, I don't think this will likely happen in the next two years. It's more of a cosmetic project versus our other projects that are needed for the safety and functionality of our home. That being said, I'm including it on my list because I don't really like our kitchen in its current state. It's galley-style which I'm not a fan of and the dark, olive green walls make it feel even smaller than it is. I'd really like to paint the walls a lighter color, paint or stain our cabinets, install new counter-tops, add a tile back-splash, and install a farmhouse sink. We actually already have the sink, but the other things will definitely take up some time and money.

15. Get a fourth tattoo | I got my third tattoo before I turned 30, so now I need to get a fourth before my 32nd birthday. I've known what I want for ages, I just haven't been able to justify the expense with two little mouths to feed.

16. Take a family camping trip | I think the boys would have so much camping! We've already got all the camping supplies we would need, handed down from my Mom. And we actually have a really nice lake and campground just a few miles from our house. So this one is totally doable for Charlie and Crosby's first family camping trip!

17. Update my wardrobe | I haven't purchased much of anything clothing-wise since having babies. My body and style have changed so much since then and I could really use some more professional dresses, slacks, and blouses. I don't know exactly how to quantify this one for blogging purposes, so let's say that I'll be content when I have three weeks' worth of nice, business-appropriate outfits.

18. Add a railing to our front porch | This is another project that has needed to happen since we bought our home back in 2015. We have no railing around our porch and it's about a 2-foot drop so we basically never have the boys in the front of our house. I want this for safety, as well as for aesthetic reasons because the front of our house just looks awkward without it.

19. Try 10 new restaurants | This is another goal that I think would be fun to tackle with my lifetime date.

20. Enroll Charlie in pre-school | This will probably be the easiest goal to attain because it's happening this Fall, whether I like it or not. It feels surreal that my first baby will be old enough to be in pre-school, but as someone who's always been an academic, I'm really excited for the school age to start!

21. Landscape our front yard | The yard in front of our house is kind of torn up and crappy-looking after we had to address some basement flooding awhile back. Realistic goal: Plant some flowers or shrubbery. Lofty goal: Have some planter boxes built. I'd also like to power-wash the front of our house. It feels silly to make that its own goal, so I'm including it here.

22. Meet a blogging friend | I've developed some amazing relationships with a few bloggers I've followed over the years and I would love the opportunity to meet them in person.

23. Plan something for Chuck's 30th birthday | The secret's out- I'm a cougar. I'm about a year older than Chuck, so I want to plan an event or activity that he would love. Whether it's a surprise party or a dude's disc golfing weekend, I want to plan something super fun to thank him for being such a wonderful husband and Daddy. (He will likely read this, but I'm 99% confident he'll completely forget before his birthday next year).

24. Purchase a minivan | I want a minivan so badly. My little Kia Forte has been so good to me, but I can't wait to finally pay it off. And I especially cannot wait to not have to cram two ginormous car seats into such a tiny car.

25. Take a photography class | I have my long-awaited DSLR, now I need to have to figure out how to use it. I've been playing with it for about three months now, and I still have no idea what I'm doing.

26. Pay off all medical bills from Crosby's birth | Due to a really stupid mistake (that I'm still kicking myself for) that I made with my insurance after Crosby was born, we wound up owing much more in medical expenses than we had anticipated. We have three bills left that shouldn't take too much longer to pay off. I can't wait to have that burden lifted!

27. Run a race in 3 different states | I've already mentioned my desire to run a half marathon this year. I also want to go a step further and make it a goal to run a race in three different states. Whether it's a half marathon or a 10k, I think this would be really fun to do over time.

28. Visit the American Sign Museum | This is a museum in Cincinnati that I've wanted to visit for awhile now and just haven't made it a priority.

29. Paint and finish decorating our master bedroom | I already have a lot of the prints and decor I want to hang, now it's just a matter of painting.

30. Take the boys to an amusement park | Whether it's Sesame Place this summer when we're in PA, or just a hop, skip, and jump over to Planet Snoopy at King's Island, I want to take my little dudes on some rides!

31. Visit Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills | I've had this on my bucket list ever since moving to Ohio.

32. Attend a concert | It can not be overstated how much Chuck and I love live music. Concert-going hasn't been on the top of our priority list these last few years, but I'd really like to change that.

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So there you have it, my bucket list for the next two years. I'll be checking in on my progress every six months, so stay tuned!

WHAT I READ: Spring 2018 + Book Challenge by Erin 8.0

Last year was not a great reading year for me. I'm so thankful that now that I'm not consumed with sleep deprivation and keeping two under two alive, I have more time to devote to my beloved books.

This was the first book challenge I did in over a year, and I had so much fun with it. Book Challenge by Erin 8.0 ran from January 1-April 30, 2018 and this is what I checked off my list:

What I Read: Spring 2018

      

5 points: Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages (February 9, 2018) | THE ACTOR'S LIFE by Jenna Fischer (★★★★)

10 points: Read a book that starts with the letter “L” (January 6, 2018) | LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS by Hazel Gaynor (★★★)

10 points: Read a book that has a (mostly) red cover | SHRILL by Lindy West (different cover)

15 points: Read a book with a character’s name in the title (March 12, 2018) | Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by JK Rowling (★★★★★)

I don't feel like I really need to review Harry Potter at this point, right?

20 points: Read a book from this list: BOOK RIOT’S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS WITH PLOT TWISTS | CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein

20 points: Read a book with the words “house” or “home” in the title | HAPPIER AT HOME by Gretchen Rubin (In progress)

25 points: Read a book by an author whose first and last name begins with the same letter (February 22, 2018) | THE DIRTY LIFE by Kristin Kimball (★★★★★)

30 points: Read a book that was originally published in a different language than your own | A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman

30 points: Read a book where most of the action takes place on a form of transportation (February 10, 2018) | PAPER TOWNS by John Green (★★★)

35 points: Read a book with a character that suffers from a debilitating physical illness (March 9, 2018) | Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (★★★★)

This is one of those books that I likely wouldn't have read if not for this challenge and I'm so thankful for that. Morrie is the kind of person we should all be so lucky to know. In light of my Dad's health condition, I felt like this book came into my life at the perfect time. Morrie had some incredible insights about death and I felt so fortunate that they were recorded before his own passing for us all to meditate on.

PREVIOUS POINTS: 70
TOTAL POINTS: 120

I'm mildly disappointed that I didn't complete my book challenge, but I read a lot of really great non-challenge books and at the end of the day, that's what matters to me!

  

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter (★★★★) I received an ARC from NetGalley. This is a genre that I normally don't go for, but I love Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones on Netflix and I was excited to see whether she could actually write, too. It turns out she can, and it's completely unfair that one person should have so much talent. This felt like a much more sinister Erin Brockovich-type story. I felt that the ending was a little sloppy, but overall, I loved the suspense and couldn't put it down.

The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen (★★★) I needed another light fluffy read to fill my Taylor Jenkins Reid void, so someone recommended this author to me on Instagram. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read or the worst. I enjoyed it and it was the chick lit read I wanted it to be, so no complaints.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (★★★★★) After I finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I really wanted to keep my Harry Potter run going. Since I had already started reading them out of order, I decided I would forego reading them chronologically and just read whichever one spoke to me. I forgot a lot of the minor details in Book 6, so I decided to read this and GAH! I just love picking up something new every time I read these books.

  

Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines (★★) I received an ARC from NetGalley. I was on a big Fixer Upper binge last month, so I decided to read Chip's recent book. I wasn't expecting a great work of literature, but I also wasn't expecting essentially a re-branding of The Magnolia Story. Sorry Chip, not impressed.

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin (★★★) I received an ARC from NetGalley. There was a time when Emily Giffin was my go-to chick lit author, but I've been so disappointed by her most recent books. This one was no exception. I literally had to go back and read my own review because I couldn't even remember what the book was about and I read it about three weeks ago. 

Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey (★★★★★) I bought this book when there was a Kindle sale a couple years ago. For whatever reason, I just never felt in the mood to read it until recently. As religiousy as this sounds (and I do not consider myself religious), I genuinely think it was divine timing that led me to read it in the last month when I did. Sarah Bessey's writing resonated with me so deeply in this season of motherhood, life, and lukewarm faith. I would implore all my Christian friends (especially Mom friends!) to read this book. It was fantastic.

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Now that we're moving into summertime, I have to know- who is your favorite "beach read" author?