She Runs By Faith

After cool and windy days for the past two weeks, the summer warm weather returned and then came the rain. The two inches of rain was welcomed as it gave me a day off garden and grass watering! I'm really just not the most dedicated gardener but I'm trying. We did pick our first crop of spinach this week and that was fun. Something actually grew! Dirt-fresh and so delicious... after rinsing, of course. A big milestone this week was W, now 2 years old, being done with his pacifier (not by his own choice). The process wasn't too painful, only tears one night, and him asking over and over again, "Where paci go? Paci went bye-bye??"  Oh that boy loved his paci but the world is a better place without it. Now onto potty training in the next couple months. The little boys and I did get to see "Baby Rocket" this week at our 21 week ultrasound! Getting a 2 and 4 year old to sit still during a 30-or-so minute ultrasound process was quite an accomplishme...

Gaining 10 pounds over the course of five months can be a shock to the system! While this is perfectly normal (and healthy) during pregnancy, your body goes through SO many changes, SO fast, while growing a baby. This pregnancy with our third baby has been identical to my pregnancies with the boys. Up ten pounds at week 20 and enjoying the "golden" second trimester. Though my belly is feeling bigger than last time and my Gabrialla maternity belt is being used on every run. Besides being tired from usual life with two littles and sporadically waking up at night (night potty training struggles and cutting 2-year molars), I'm feeling really great. My motivation to exercise does decrease during pregnancy, partly because my "competitive fire" disappears while growing a baby, but I know exercising regularly is one of the main reasons I DO feel strong right now. It certainly helped during pregnancy and postpartum with our boys! Exercise takes time but it is ...

Disclaimer: I received 2Toms FootShield  to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! I've been majorly house cleaning/sorting/nesting lately, getting rid of various things we don't need and bringing some order to things we do need. Part of the cleaning episode is due to the fact that we now have new windows in our house  and de-cluttering feels necessary before another member is added to our family. ( Sidenote: We have had windows that were not open/close-able for the past 3.5 years and I'm so excited to have functional ones, praise the Lord!) Anywhoo, back on track here. All this cleaning made me realize that I have a lot of shoes but wear socks very infrequently in the summer! Since our warm weather arrived, it's been either my running shoes, slippers, flip flops or dress flats/heels. With all my cute little shoes, I would love to tell y...

Our oldest will start preschool this Fall and I'm experiencing a mix of emotions. As this marks the beginning of our homeschooling journey, I feel overwhelmed with the great amount of unknowns but also excitement with following this calling God has placed on our lives. It's just preschool. I get that. But, I will say, for a brand new homeschooling mom there are so many mixed messages and opinions flying around. That does get overwhelming! Thanks to a few veteran homeschooling moms who I greatly admire, key Scriptures God has placed on my heart and the writings of Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, Charlotte Mason and some wonderful bloggers, my mind is at much more rest as we prepare for this preschool year {and the birth of our third baby, too!}. Leah Martin is a blogger at My Little Robins , homeschooling mom and former teacher trained in the Charlotte Mason philosophy. Add "author" to her list as well as I just had the pleasure of reading her ebook, "Habits ...

Our weather is now WARM & WONDERFUL! The thunderstorms have been on a roll lately too.  The kids and I have been enjoying a lot of pool time in our backyard and at the city pool to keep cool. We paid for a family pool pass, better make it worth it! I need a way to cool off through this pregnant summer and playing in the pool is a nice form of cross-training. Going to the pool with a 2-year-old and 4-year-old this year has been  really fun ! Not that our trips are without tears or whining, but as I look at my "big" boys, I'm thankful for how they are growing up and for the time we have together. E bravely swims off in his "puddle jumper" floaties and W rides along with me the whole time (he is getting more brave though!). This pregnancy has been funny. Besides being really tired and having a belly, I forget I'm pregnant occasionally. The kids aren't that interested in the whole baby thing yet. That is, until our midwife comes over! Baby...

The first official day of summer is fast approaching and why not kick it off with a stylish GIVEAWAY! Rhea Footwear and, the newly emerging e-commerce app, To The Tens , are teaming up to giveaway a pair of Eva Sandals to one of my readers (like YOU!). My summer style includes Eva Sandals in Pastel Green  by Rhea Footwear. I know I will spend many hours in these outside at swimming lessons with the kiddos, working in the yard and they even dress up nice for church. Eva Sandals come in a variety of fun summer colors and feature Rhea's patented non-slip outsole. To The Tens is an interactive platform allows you to shop tagged pieces from your feed, purchase them within the app and tag all of your favorite brands in your own looks. You even earn cash rewards every time someone shops your feed. This app is simple to use and full of creative style inspiration! To The Tens Step 1: Take a picture of your favorite look. I posted this picture with Rhea's Sap...