She Runs By Faith

Happy last day of March! We're one day closer to spring-like weather and I love it. Today is an inspirational Tuesday on the Fit Dish link-up with the [optional] topic: To INSPIRE means to influence or impel. While the opposite of inspire is to discourage, dishearten, depress, deaden. (Thanks, dictionary.com ) Life isn't always full of positive inspiration. Often, lies or hurtful words can sneak into our minds. Things like you're never going to make it, why even try, just give up, you're crazy, you can't do that, you're just wasting your time, what does it matter anyway! We all battle some sort of negative thoughts on a daily basis. To combat those negative thoughts, we can choose to think of whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8). Hold closely those special people who inspire you; who mot

Patience. Joy in the right now. Presence. That's my focus for the next two months. Week 30 is here and I'm feeling a tad bit impatient, like pregnancy has gone into slow motion in the third trimester. I am so excited to meet and cuddle our baby! I miss cuddles now that E is getting so independent. Plus, I'm dying to find out if we have a baby boy or girl ! Whew, breathe. Until week 37+ comes, I need to just calm down, enjoy the miracle of growing a baby, get some sleep while I can, and have patience in knowing this is God's will for my life right now! Take life one day at a time. Yes, I'm still running. Though it may look more like wogging (waddling + jogging). My weekly runs are 3 to 4 miles and I'm sticking to the 10:00-minute-mile zone or slower now. My energy level is feeling pretty low lately so I'm listening to my body and am just thankful to be able to run! I've been opting for the treadmill this week because the weather has been wi

We had a wonderful baby appointment with our midwife yesterday and the countdown is down to only 10 weeks until baby's "birth day"! Energy level is decreasing; Belly size is increasing. Newborn outfits are sorted out; Toddler bed is set up. Miles are run slowly but surely. And Leo's sourdough waffles taste extra amazing. We're in the homestretch! My goal for the next 5 weeks is to prepare healthy freezer meals and snacks for the family. My mom was the meal-freezing all-star with my first pregnancy and I hope to follow in her footsteps this time! Freezer meals are so easy to just pop in the oven and they are a healthier choice than fast food. When you're exhausted, running short on time and/or you just don't feel like cooking, freezer meals are the way to go! This week's the Fit Dish [optional] topic is: My Freezer Meal Favorites: Here are a few of my favorite freezable meals. While I hope to get a few of these made before ba

I'm loving the sunshine and the warm weather this spring! After a gorgeous weekend and lots of family time, it's not always my favorite to jump into another Monday but I do love that it's time for another Fit Dish  link-up with Jessica ,  Jill  and the #fitfam! This week's [optional] topic is "Be Present: Do You Live in the Moment?". Being present is an everyday battle for me. It's so easy to start thinking ahead to what needs to happen this week or this month or what didn't happen last week. While planning ahead is wise and To-Do lists are helpful, allowing myself to be distracted by the list or whatever is scheduled for this week is not beneficial. Jesus said it Himself: So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. MATTHEW 6:34 My #1 Biggest "Being Present" Killer is: Distraction. This week, I read an article by Beecher Proch called "Why You Should Kick Distract

Each pregnancy is different. I have heard that line countless times but now I really believe it. In the same way that our children will have totally unique personalities, each pregnancy has it's own unique characteristics, too. I have been amazed to see the differences and similarities between our two babies. Here are a few pregnancy things I've noticed the second time around: Belly Size: Showing Sooner, Measuring Bigger. Though my weight gain is now close to identical to my first pregnancy, I have been measuring ahead with Baby #2. The growth is starting to even out as I'm measuring only 3 weeks ahead now versus the 6 weeks ahead at our 15 week appointment! We only have 3 bump pictures from the first pregnancy so I have been much more intentional with pictures this time around. The nine months flies by way too fast and it's fun to look back at the bump pictures... though it is a little scary to see how much bigger my bump is this time at 7 months pregnant!

As a Moms Meet blogger, I was selected to review   ORGANIC INDIA 's Moringa Leaf Powder and Capsules . When the ORGANIC INDIA box arrived in the mail, I was so excited to check everything out! Along with a container of Moringa Leaf Powder and capsules, ORGANIC INDIA also sent me a stylin' mug, 4 different flavors of tea, an assortment of recipes and 2 more supplements to check out. Of course, I had my trusty sidekick's help in sorting through the variety of products! You may be wondering what Moringa is, what it does, where it comes from and what it can do for you. ORGANIC INDIA has all of the bases covered: What is Moringa? ORGANIC INDIA Certified Organic Moringa products are made from the powdered leaves of the Moringa oleifera tree. This amazing tree is native to India and has a rich history of traditional use. Moringa is a nutritionally complex whole food naturally abundant in vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Dried moringa leaves concentrate nutr

Sunshine brings an instant smile to my face. Maybe, just maybe the bitter cold of winter is leaving us! This week has been beyond gorgeous and it looks like there is more to come: To celebrate the sunshine and above zero temps, my "running group" and I headed out a few miles. (a.k.a. our dog and little man in the stroller) 3.4 miles down and, who knows, maybe I got a little sunburn :) The dog trails behind us after the first mile as he's a bit out-of-shape after this winter. E passed out at about .5 mile. Even at 2 years old, he is still my stroller-napper! On to #dishthefit! Today's [optional] topic for the Fit Dish is: The 20-miler is the most daunting workout for me personally when training for a full marathon. Why? Well... usually I end up doing them solo and that means I spend 3 early morning hours stuck with my own thoughts. That can be scary! Some 20-milers have been awesome times of prayer and time alone with God. Other 20-milers h

It's Friday already!? This week flew by and I have a whole lot of favorites to share with you. Make sure to stop by the Fitness Friday  and Mommy Moments link-ups! Let's start off with our family favorite recipe >>>  Homemade hot pockets are a hit with all of us because the toddler will actually eat them, my husband approves and I'm happy with any opporutunity to sneak veggies in. Plus I love the homemade bread crust. The recipe easy-to-follow and very flexible. Depending on your dietary needs, you can make the below variation or try a gluten-free or meatless version instead. Homemade Hot Pockets Whole-Wheat Crust: 1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp) 2 teaspoons white sugar 1 cup warm water 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt Insides: 4 eggs, scrambled 2 cups sausage, chopped handful of spinach, shredded 1 cup cheddar cheese 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese Preheat oven to

Today is a very special day because it's E's second birthday!!! We are starting off the morning with Mickey Mouse-shaped banana choco-chip pancakes. As a person that could write a book about my "Pinterest fails", I'll let you know how those turn out :) It's also time for another  the Fit Dish  link-up! The [optional] topic is this week is: The term "Move, Nourish, Believe"  is the Lorna Jane philosophy. Check out her site movenourishbelieve.com for more details and inspiration. My Inspiration to  "MOVE NOURISH BELIEVE" As a parent, each day we have countless opportunities to teach our kids. What I didn't realize was how much our child would be teaching me! Here are three ways E has inspired me over the past two years: Just ran a half marathon? No excuses, mom!  Climb, climb, climb! MOVE. If E isn't sleeping, he's running... climbing... crawling... jumping... you name it. No matter how old we are, we sh