Make today awesome don’t wait until tomorrow

Did you make it to the Girls on the Run Bexar County 5K this morning? I did!

Waking up this morning was hard. I’ve been sick all week, so I didn’t want to get out of bed early on a Saturday. But, anything for Girls on the Run Bexar County, right?!

I rolled out of bed put on my blue Heart and Sole shirt, my colorful tights and coffee in hand I made way to Comanche Park. Upon arrival, there it was, that adrenaline boost, that boost that only a race as special as the Girls on the Run 5K can bring! All the daughters with their moms, dads, coaches, guardians and mentors at their sides lining up for the start. The smiles, the laughter, the pure JOY is addicting.

I am the Marketing team lead for this wonderful organization. I chose to take on this volunteer role to get Project Management experience and I not only am getting that, but I fell, FELL deep in LOVE with the idea, the mission and the purpose of this organization.

You see, I have two boys, 3 and 5- no girls. But, a niece and some close younger cousins that I cannot wait until it is there turn to cross that Girls on the Run finish line! Like, I am literally counting the days.

I say this organization and race is amazing and if you are still wondering why, here’s more. Today at the race, a young girl showed up after the race had started, she was there to run a 5k, but the 5k had left without her. But, do not fret, our fearless leader, Executive Director, Minka Misangyi without hesitation, raced by her side.  She stayed by her side every moment of the race. The race may have started without her, but Minka made sure this young girl made it to the finish line. If this doesn’t get you, then I have more.  

A young girl was running out on the course today, she fell hard during the route was bleeding and bruised. They taped up her leg and asked her if she was done, she was not done, she wanted to finish. With a white bandage wrapped around her knee, a slight limp across the finish, and a fellow runner at her side, she finished the race. It didn’t matter the time, she made it!  The courage these young girls show every step of the way, makes me the most proud to be a part of Girls on the Run Bexar County.

Now, it’s your turn, come race with us in May or join the fun and volunteer with us! You will be GLAD you did! 

Riverside Bliss at Maricopa

This place was such a gem, I must brag about it. My family and I stayed at Maricopa Riverside Lodge in Canyon Lake, Texas over Fourth of July weekend.
We stayed in room 120, the Deluxe Balcony Suite. We were pleasantly surprised to walk out a to a 20x20 ish private balcony. (Shared with room 121) It was equipped with a two person rocker, (2) recliner style chairs, a picnic table and a George Foreman Grill. There was also electricity! And, if you listen closely at night you can hear the tunes from Whitewater Amphitheater while gazing at the stars from the comforts of your own balcony
The rooms was nice, super clean, and perfect for out getaway weekend.  If you are expecting fluffy comforters and a 4-5 star property, then look elsewhere. The listing states limit 4 guests, however there is a pull out futon in the front room, so if your children are small enough that they fit in your bed, there may be room for another person. The only odd thing about the room was that the shower was not actually behind a wall! We made it work, though.
The price for the room was $275.00 (this includes tax) per night, however for the 4th of July weekend and for being right on the Guadalupe River (with a pool) it was expected.
I looked at renting river houses, but a lot of them were booked and were $500.00 plus per night, and many were not riverside and did not have swimming pools. All of which Maricopa DID have!
The swimming pool started at 2.5 feet and went up to 5 feet which was perfect for my 2 and 5 year old children!
The Guadalupe River was at our fingertips, we were able to get in quickly and easily with our personal tubes while we watched the long lines at the public entrances. We floated on by from the Maricopas's private entrance and saved plenty of time.
They also had two playground sets one for bigger kids with swings and a slide facing the water and another for younger kids with small swings, and a seesaw.
Another plus, the office has ice for purchase, so we never had to leave the comforts of our suite! Our room had a mini fridge as well as a microwave which was just what we needed for the kiddos.

Mom Time

shallow streams 

Last, the river access near the lodge had access to flowing streams and a neat waterfall too. And, there were plenty of shallow points in walking distance. Perfect to have some mom time or bring the kiddos too.
If your planning your next staycation getaway weekend and want to have a happy family, choose Maricopa! I'm glad I did!

 http://www.maricopariversidelodge.com/

Private balcony for rooms 120 and 121, grill and recliner chairs, picnic table too! 

My favorite deluxe rocking chair !

Let your little one be the lucky one to fill this chair! (poolside)

Beach to Bay I love you- but won't make it this year!!

I have ran Beach to Bay for the last 11 years, most of those as Team Captain. But, today I am not leaving work early to head to the island because we had some team injuries, my sister in law will welcome a new baby soon, and other circumstances. So, I decided to put together this blog with items I have learned the last 11 years.

My suggestions are as follows:

1)   Have a team meeting where the discussion includes

a.    Each leg should be told the mileage and leg they will run, and each member should give the captain their predicted “very best” time they will run the mileage in so the captain and the team member they are handing the baton to will know what time they need to be waiting at the hand off point.

b.    Have a plan for how you are going to get to each hand off two vehicles or more is highly suggested. (see details per leg below) Prepare the team to wake up early, this well depend on the leg and where they are staying, but just let them know early is always best!

c.    Have a plan in case your team is not able to find their handoff person at the designated spot. As captain, I have all phone numbers and know estimated finish times and each time a person finishes they call my cell phone directly or send me a text. Usually calling is best because text messages sometimes do not go thru with all the phones in use. I then alert the person waiting at the next hand off point so they know their person has taken off and can determine how much time they have. My first year running when I was not the captain, a runner on my team could not find the other runner so he ran both legs. The other runner was disappointed because he had paid to run, etc etc but if there was a plan this could have been avoided.

d.    Will anyone be at the finish? It’s a great party and social time for everyone. We always purchase a tent, so we do not end up in the sun,  and we bring the kids and party until they kick us out. But, I know some teams don’t make it to the finish at all. To each is own, but we enjoy getting that team photo at the finish line and celebrating!!

 

e.    Be prepared for bus delays, full buses or buses stopping all together.

2)   Have each team member carry something that will stand out in the crowd so incoming runners can find their team member easily. There are 1,000s of runners looking for their team member. I often see runners very frustrated because they cannot find their runner. Swimming noodles and American flags are very common, so think outside the box. We used the bright colored fishing nets that we found the CVS on the island, because we had forgot to purchase something in advance. They were perfect!  

 

We have also used those tropical themed yard signs that they sell at the dollar tree. And, pinwheels you can reuse in your garden after.

3)   Leg 4 and 6 should carry a water belt of some kind as the water stops are sparse and the water is often hot.

 

Example of How to get runners to each legs: (options depend on where you are staying and how many cars available) Make sure you are aware of the time buses are leaving or available (this information is on the website or the website).

http://www.beachtobayrelay.com/run/legs-transportation/

It is always better arrive to your legs early and waiting than missing the bus, etc. We have missed buses for being late and risked getting our cars towed because where we had to park to make our start times! (keep these items in mind)

*Note, these are only suggestions based on what we have done before. You can message me if you want more specifics, but after reading below, main point is that a plan must be in place, you cannot expect to wake up in the morning and everyone know where they should be like magic.

Legs 1 and 2 runners, need to be over the bridge by race start, so if you are staying in CC (Corpus Christi), the two that are running need to leave about 4am-5:30am in order to make it to the buses that take you to the starting line. Legs 1 and 2 should have one car together.  If you are staying on the island, you can have someone drop off 1 and 2 to the closest point they can get or you can walk, depending on how close you are to the start. We often walked because the traffic is congested.

 Leg 3 (runs over the bridge)/Leg 4- runs the base- the handoff for Leg 3 is at Flour Bluff.  Leg 3 can drop off Leg 4 early, and then drive to their handoff immediately after. Or Leg 3 can drop off Leg 5 early and then go park at their handoff. Leg 3 needs to get to their buses before 6:30am.

Leg 3 will have driven to the leg so they will have their car with them. Leg 3 can then drive to Leg 4 finish and pick up Leg 4 or Leg 4 can get on the bus and the bus will take them to the parking lot that Leg 3 is in. However, the buses may be full, not available etc. at Leg 4 finish. So, it probably is best if Leg 3 goes to pick up Leg 4 and they drive together to the finish. Leg 4 will need to walk to the Texas A&M parking lot which is about 1.5 miles from their finish, but it’s not a bad walk and a lot of people are walking as well.

·      If you run into a bind and need to park at the start of Leg 3, Leg 2 will need to pick up the car, as your car will be covered by the tide coming in, if not.

Leg 5/Leg 6- Leg 5 can drive to their hand of on their own and hand off their keys to Leg 4, and Leg 4 can drive to Leg 5 finish and pick them up or (what we usually do) Leg 5 take the keys from Leg 6 and drive their car to the finish. And, leg 4 drives to the finish in Leg 5’s car.

Leg 6- can drop off Leg 5 at their start (early of course, because traffic begins to build) and then drive themselves to their hand off point after.

Or, Leg 6 can drive themselves to the hand off and can also drop off Leg 4 or drop off no one at all.  Leg 6 hands keys to Leg 5 and Leg 5 drives to the finish.

Note, Leg 5 hand off is not far from Bayfront hotel or emerald beach. But, what we do is leg 6 drives themselves to the hand off for leg 6, then leg 5, gives the car keys to Leg 5, and Leg 5 drives to the finish.  And, leg 6 finishes and that is a short walk to Bayfront and emerald beach hotels.

 Advice: When handing off you can either hand write a note of where you parked to tell the other runner or stop and tell them or have sent them a text prior with a photo of where the care is, etc. 

 

If you made it to the end of this post, most importantly, have fun, stay hydrated and celebrate the finish!

A thought becomes reality- FIESTA 2017

What is FIESTA? To those born and raised in a City that is not San Antonio, they may mistake it as an excuse to party. Don’t get me wrong: it is a time to party, meet up with friends, eat a lot and sometimes drink a lot. But, It’s more!  It’s about Family Traditions, and the true culture of San Antonio. 

Three weeks pre-FIESTA I shop Amazon, Goodwill, online stores and my own closet for my perfect FIESTA outfits- I mean it’s 10 days long, so I must prepare. 

There are those events my husband and I attended since he moved to San Antonio from Chicago, 11 years ago.  We are blessed that those events now turned to family outings with our 2 and 5 year old, boys. 

Attending the mini parade at the State School FIESTA stays close to my heart because my late grandma, Elisa attended every year. She sat in the shade under “her” tree, waved during the parade and had that smile I will never forget. Her spirit is still alive under that tree. To me that is the true meaning of “Viva FIESTA!” 

FIESTA is different for me this 2017. It started with a thought 2 years ago-  my son Wrigley was three months and I was struggling with marathon nursing sessions, pumping 4 times a day at work & sleepless nights. FIESTA Medals are another tradition and are created in support of local eateries, animals, not-for-profits, sports teams, etc., but there was one missing!  Not anymore! This year, that thought became reality, the “Breast Medal” made its debut this 2017! Because breastfeeding deserves a medal too!

Click Here to get your very own Breast Medal. It's great for FIESTA and even to gift to a nursing mother on mother's day!  Cost is $8.00 and $1.00 of each medal sold will go back to a local non-profit in support of breastfeeding, La Leche League of San Antonio.

I have many more thoughts, watch me move those thoughts to reality. 

Follow me on Facebook:  San Antonio Run Mom 

 #vivafiesta #breastmedal #fiestamedalmaniacs #normalizebreastfeeding

Wrigley's last drop of breastmilk

The day my first born son stopped nursing, I remember it, it was December 24, 2011 and he fell asleep in my arms after nursing. I was seven weeks pregnant with my second son. The day my second son stopped nursing, I can't remember it. It was after the new year, 2017. Its 16 days into the New Year now and Wrigley has not nursed for 9 days. the last day I remember he asked for milk, "momma milk, momma milk" or "boob" or "i said I want boob" He is two and half years old, and i'm sad, i'm really sad, I thought it would last forever and it didn't. I was often uneasy when he woke up at night and wanted milk. And, now its over. I feel like I need to write an entire novel about my last time nursing, but I cannot, because I'm having memory loss of all the time we spent together. The last nurse session I remember is him looking at me and saying what sounded like, "Where's the Milk?" And, it felt different, it felt like I was empty. But, I wasn't empty, because the milk was still dripping. I think I knew it was coming to an end soon, so I felt it. That was about January 3rd. I've been waiting to finalize this as I wasn't sure if he would come back for more. Yesterday (1/14/17) was the first time he mentioned something, I was changing and he asked...."Mom, is there milk there?" And, I said, "I don't think so, I think you drank it all." Then he started quietly saying "milk, milk, milk, milk, milk." And, that was it, he didn't try to jump on me to see if I was telling the truth, he just kind of went on to the next toy. This journey has been amazing, I may not be working at my dream job professionally, but I realized that my real job is to be the best mother that I can to my children and that I know I am doing. One of the things that I put my whole entire heart into was nursing both of my boys until they self weaned. This was a huge sacrifice (to say the least), personally, mentally, emotionally and professionally. But, here at the end of the road, I would not change it for anything. I have nursed or been pregnant for the last 5 and half years and I consider myself extremely blessed. In that time, I managed to take several family vacations, pump successfully at work, donate over 100 ounces of milk to a mother in need, run two full marathons, 5 half marathons and many 5k and 10ks. If I can do it so can you. There was blood, sweat, and tears but I made it, and you will too!

Resell your clothes and shop online for cheaper!

My mother taught me to bargain shop and always use a coupon. And, that mentality has stuck with me throughout adulthood. I am referred to by my co-workers, my friends and my family as the keen, savvy bargain shopper. That person that always has a coupon. Whether it is purchasing a flight, a pair of shoes, rental car, groceries or my latest obsession, reselling clothing- I have advice for everything. It’s true, I seldom purchase a product without a coupon or extreme price point research. I must know it’s the best deal. When I do make that ‘without a coupon’ purchase my stomach begins to ache and 80% of the time it ends up in the return pile. Just in time for spring cleaning I will share the best ways to get the most money when you resell your clothing all from the comfort of your own couch. And, some tips on how to purchase wisely. Tradesy.com- I use this site to purchase Ann Taylor, The Loft, Express, and Gap. I only purchase items when tradesy.com sends a coupon code or when the item is marked on “sale”. When you subscribe to tradesy.com, you will receive email alerts of sales and coupon codes. So, be patient, my friends, a sale and coupons DO exist. If you use the following code to join tradesy.com, https://www.tradesy.com/invite/catherine-herrberg-376326?utm_source=RFL&utm_content=RFL0001_376326&utm_medium=link You will get $20.00 of your first $50.00 purchase and I will get a $10.00 credit. Tradesy has excellent prices on practically new bridesmaid dresses, designer shoes, purses and much more. I also use Tradesy to resale my personal clothing and also designer clothing pieces that I find at local thrift shops. On Tradesy, you take photos of your item, then upload them to the website. Tradesy will take one photo of your choice and make it professional grade at no charge. Your item will remain online available to purchase until it is sold. Tradesy gives you the option to include a pre-set shipping amount in the purchase price and they will mail you a ship kit once it sells. Hence, eliminates the hassle of packaging and creating a label. The ship fee starts at $10.00. You may also ship on your own and add your own ship amount to the item. If you want further details about Tradesy.com and your options as a seller go here: https://www.tradesy.com/how-it-works/ Thredup.com- This site is similar to Tradesy, however it has more items at a lower price point. If you sign up thru this link, http://www.thredup.com/r/KF612V- you will get $10.00 to spend on your first purchase and I will get $10.00. My advice is to wait until the site offers free shipping, then you can probably get 1-2 items, depending on your price points for free! However, sometimes you can find an even better deal than free $10.00. For example by searching at ebates.com (will describe more later), on my first purchase I was able to get 40% off and free shipping, which was better than $10.00 off. It depends how much you purchase to determine the best deal. I have read several reviews regarding selling clothing on thredup, often times you may get less than .50 cents per item and sometimes nothing at all. However, the upside to thredup is that they send you a “clean out” shipping bag and you can send them the bag with your items and they pay the shipping. Read about thredup.com and selling options here: http://support.thredup.com/hc/en-us/articles/203415096-UPFRONT-Everything-you-need-to-know- Bottom line is, if they choose not to take some of your items, you can pay to get the items shipped back to you or they will donate them. Selling on thredup makes sense for some extra pocket change if you would get rid of the items either way. Ebates.com-For every online purchase I make, I go to ebates.com before pressing “Submit Order”. Ebates.com is basically a cash back shopping portal that pays you by check for making purchases from a large array of merchants. You must first sign up for the website by either clicking the referral link, http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=2xGceNFx2hsOFA7xDCv%2F7A%3D%3D&eeid=28187 You may also go to ebates.com directly and following the directions. If you click the referral you will get either $10.00 in a check or $10.00 in a gift card from a choice of retailers after your first purchase. Yes, free money! To start your cash back journey, you enter the name of the retailer in the search icon and the results will show you how much cash back percentage you can get at that particular retailer or zero results if it is not a participant. In these results, you will also find promotional codes and coupons, for online and sometimes in-store. Another great thing about ebates is that you can search by item. For instance type in: “Brooks Adrenaline 8 Women’s running Shoe” in the search, and the results will show the best selling price for this shoe based on several thousands of online retailers. The results will show the price to include the cash back. This is a great gatekeeper to make sure you are getting the best deal. In summary, if you want to buy or sell from the comfort of your own home try out some of the above bargain trends that I hold very dear to my heart. I have so much more to share. Stay tuned for my ebay tips, my favorite local fashion consignment shops and even my list of my favorite GoodWill Stores. And, my infamous travel bargain tips. Happy Bargain Hunting and Spring Cleaning- get that overflow of clothes sold!

30 days

#late post: Disclaimer: This blog chronicles 30 days from 9.22.16-10.22.16 The last 30 days have been filled with some of the most unusual to put it lightly experiences of this moms life. They have allowed me to even more so treasure every moment and take every second to heart, literally. On Thursday, September 22nd my body paused for two minutes. Like by pause, I mean, I literally could not move. I was leaving my bosses office post meeting and felt this sensation in my right leg, I could not move my leg to walk, I made it into the hallway to a set of cubicles, and this is when my coworkers noticed I looked different. They sat me down, and there it began. I was stiff, as much as I tried to speak or get my behind off the chair I could not. They called 911, and shortly after I snapped out of it. I could speak, walk, move and was okay. In this time, they called my husband and told him I could not move. He arrived to my work in literally minutes. I cancelled the ambulance and we went to the ER. A cat scan, and bottle of antibiotics later, I was sent home. Diagnosed with a complex migraine and sinus infection with orders to see a neurologist. And, this my friends is why I have not been running lately. Stay tuned for my full blog that will detail the remainder of these last 30 days. My advice, when you think the worst has happened, keep praying. On Friday September 23rd my 4 year old baby boy went to his third opinion on his eczema breakout. Day 23 of his breakout and 3rd times a charm, this time a dermatologist. For obvious reasons, I could not be there. My husband calls me from the appointment and starts with, "the doctor wanted me to call you...." Dad's, don't start your sentences with this phrase when speaking to your wife while she knows your son is in a doctors care. He continues, "the dermatologist wants to do a biopsy to test for Celiacs Disease." I gasp, my poor baby, but agreed, if this is what was needed to get to the bottom of this, then so be it. They got home and Lincoln had two very tiny holes on his leg covered by two Itty bitty stitches. He took it like a champ, said my husband. I cried. I then cried again as my husband recants the following: Four year old: "Dad, when I grow up I want to be a doctor." Dad: "that's great son." Four year old: "I want to be a doctor so I can help mommy, because she's sick" After all he had been through this day, all he wanted to do was help me, because I was sick. Fast forward to day 12 out of 30. I was on my way back to work from lunch with a coworker. We were minding our own little business, and then it happens. A car rear ends us on the highway. She was driving. And, since then, lower center back, and upper neck/shoulder pain for me. I'm now on my second trip to the chiropractor and still pain. I can't do any of normal activity like run or lift my children without feeling .....pain. Fast forward to the follow up appointment with the dermatologist. Still as red as can be, but negative for Celiacs. We, however are keeping gluten out of his diet and as of today, thanks be to God, the rash is pretty much gone. Fast forward to yesterday. We received a phone call we had been dreading the last five months. Our Aunt Jane had ended her journey with terminal cancer. About 7am my husband came into our bedroom, his face to the floor, and I knew before he spoke words, "Aunt Jane died." And from one day to the next, we are now in flight headed to be with our family. How has your last 30 days been?