2013

2:00 AM – I hear Henry crying on the monitor.  We follow a sleep training plan pretty religiously, but I can tell the difference between “wah, wah, I’m awake and shouldn’t be” and “Mommmma! I need you!”  It’s a “I need you” wail, so I go upstairs, change him, give him a bottle, and we [...]

Wahoo! Back home again.  And this time, it’s for a while. Henry learned lots of new tricks while I was gone.  He can stand up from a squatting position really well now.  And whenever he sees Maggie or James, he always shouts out “DAH!”  I love that dog is his first word!    Getting out [...]

When I first found out that I needed to stop eating gluten, I was so sad. I thought my new diet would be terrible and that I would miss cake, bread, pasta, and beer so much.  In reality, it’s really not that bad (or hard) once you get used to it. That’s because many foods [...]

Cranston, Rhode Island. At least in my humble opinion!   Hello from Connecticut!  I’m in New England yet again for another Operation Beautiful presentation.  If you’re keeping score, that means I was in Boston on Monday, Cincinnati on Tuesday, Charlotte on Wednesday, and now I’m in New Haven!  Whew.  It’s been a fun week. I [...]

Check out the original Ironman March post for a printable training plan so you can follow along, too!  It’s not too late to start – you can always make it Ironman March + One Week in April. Today concludes the first week of the Ironman March challenge – my mission to swim, bike, and run [...]

Seriously… how do I accumulate so much STUFF?  I end up de-cluttering about twice a year or so, and it’s still not enough to keep the pile of crap entirely at bay (especially now that we have a kid).  I use three techniques to keep clutter to a minimum… at least for a few months!  [...]

Nay:  Not only was I stuck in the middle seat for both of my flights, but on flight #1, I sat next to a Stage 5 talker (you know – the kind that ignores subtle and not-so-subtle hints that you want to be left alone), and on flight #2, I was stuck next to a [...]

Ready to talk speed?  But first… here’s what I’ve been up to the in last 18 hours or so. I was in the Cincinnati area to speak at Northern Kentucky University about Operation Beautiful.  The presentation went well!  I was surprised that so many students came out because the weather was quickly turning from bad [...]

Fun fact: I’ve written 4,283 posts since I started this blog.  Well, I guess we can make that count 4,284 now!  Sometimes, really great posts just get lost in the archives, so it’s fun for me to flip through my favorite oldies but goodies and share the most memorable.  Here are 10 random old posts [...]

I said yesterday that my travel goal for this week was to eat healthy and workout regularly. Yesterday was a bit of mixed bag. I had French fries and Sour Patch Kids for dinner (which, while delicious, made me feel super blood sugary and grouchy), but Tina and I had a great workout. We headed [...]

Have I got a fun giveaway for my fellow Carolinians!   The Ramblin Rose event series is really something to get EXCITED about. The events, which take place throughout North and South Carolina, are designed to be fun, inspiring, and accessible.  The races and triathlons are exceedingly well-run, the swag is great, and the atmosphere [...]

Hello, beautiful Boston! Look who I found in the great state of Massachusetts… Murphy the pug. Oh, and Tina, too! Boston colleges sure seem to love Operation Beautiful – I’ve been to the city so many times for so many presentations.  And every time I come, I get to stay with Tina, which is always [...]

Other Baby Gear Posts:  Newborn Baby Gear and 4.5 Month Old Baby Gear Toys and Books -  Henry loves to play, so I’m always looking for fresh ways to keep his mind engaged. We do a lot of games like peek-a-boo and “I’m gonna get you.” We make forts out of pillows, and I set [...]