Remember the story of the girl who came in last in the “running club”? Well that was before this:

please click over to watch the video if you can’t see it. It is so cool!!

I gotta admit, before Nike I never really paid much attention to my kid’s shoes. Like my own personal shoe collection, they were far more about fashion than function. And my girls really don’t want to wear tennis shoes under any condition so when it came to gym shoes I just went to Payless and bought whatever was cheapest.

I learned so much about feet at Nike. A learned about a ton of research that they use to develop the shoes that bear their logo. I found it interesting because I am a research nerd and it brought back all of my physical therapy days. So I could write paragraph after paragraph about how awesome their shoes are. You however might tune out around paragraph two.

BUT. But the truth is I loved my new Nike free shoes they minute I put them on, way before I knew one lick of research. They were a tennis shoe that felt like a slipper. Truly. And my tennis shoe hating girl? Well I can hardly get them to take them off (it certainly doesn’t hurt that they are hot pink).

mine are a rocking bright green

The week after Lily and I went to Portland, she laced up her new shoes and headed out for track again. I kind of drifted off as I watched them run the 2 mile because I knew Lily would be at the back of the pack, but suddenly I noticed she was smack dab in the middle of the runners, not walking way in the back. Better yet she had a huge smile on her face.

And of course so did I. I trotted over to her and said, “Look at you!!! You are running so well!! What happened?” She looked at me like the answer was the most obvious one around. “Mom, it is the shoes.”

Is it possible the shoes made a track star out of my Lily? Well who knows? But I do know the cheap shoes probably weren’t helping. And I do know that she suddenly loves to run and told me her Nike’s were the comfiest shoes she has ever had. And since I pretty much feel the same, I tend to believe she is telling the truth and it isn’t just the fact Nike lavished her with attention, fun and sugar. Although let’s be honest, that can’t hurt.

Kids Nike FREE Run: If your feet flex, shouldn’t your shoes flex too? Must-have flexibility for young feet.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nike via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nike.

Girls on the Run is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

Sometimes posts make me want to yell until everyone I know has read the words contained in them. This is such a post::: Where Is The Mommy War For The Motherless Child?

If you have ever lost someone dear to you I think this post will resonate with you::: Inappropriate

I love these lessons from our kiddos::: Stuff They’ve Taught Me

This post is linked up to Saturday Linky Love at Vanderbilt Wife

What I’m Reading is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

So you know if you have read this blog for any amount of time that I believe strongly in marriage. And I believe one of the worst things you can do in your marriage is talk badly about your spouse in front of other people. Most CERTAINLY you shouldn’t talk badly about your spouse on Facebook, Twitter or for heaven’s sake a blog!!

However……..

Am I the only one married to a…. how should I say it….. “searching challenged” spouse?

Let me explain. There are many mornings where Ryan is leaving for work running around looking for his keys, watch, wallet, etc. and I tell him to look in a place I last say that particular thing. He goes, he looks, he comes back and says “it isn’t there”. I go, I look, I come back with the keys, watch, wallet that he JUST looked for.

Tonight my mom called and said she was missing her robe and slippers and had she left them at our house (I was out of town with Coke in Atlanta and she stayed here to help out- more on that next week). I was coming home from visiting my new nephew in the hospital (more on that next week) and called home to ask Ryan to look in the car to see if she had left them there.

He went, he looked and reported that they weren’t in the car. When I got home I went in the car, looked in the same spot and there a bag sat with my mom’s robe and slippers. I literally started laughing and asked Ryan how he possibly missed them. He said, “you told me to look for a robe and slippers, not a bag.”

FACE PALM!!

Oh babe. Thankfully there are a million other things you do right. And thankfully you married such a rock star wife who keeps all your ducks in a row (still waiting on that humility thing……).

An “Almost” Perfect Hubby is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

I don’t know how you take people who I didn’t know 4 years ago, only see each other once a year, yet feel like they are some of my closest friends. But when you blog, it happens. I so love these girls.

Staci, Becky, me, and Mandi (noticeably absent is Amanda who was home with sick kids)

I am in Atlanta for a few days with Coke learning about some of their initiatives. I’m not going to lie. Seeing these ladies was a big incentive for coming. More to come soon…..

Sisterchicks Forever!! is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

If you have been married awhile and added a couple kids to the mix you know how hard you have to work at keeping the romance alive. Oddly enough poopy diapers, stacks of unwashed dishes and leg hairs that have been sorely neglected during quick showers while the kids tear down the house outside don’t really set the mood.

So when the stars align, the mood strikes and the kids are actually asleep you should take advantage.

The hubby and I found such a moment last night but something unfortunate happened as we began to kiss. There is no great way to dance around the subject. Ryan’s breath just stank. Stink. Stank. Stunk.

And since I am clearly not so great at dancing around the subject I told him so. Well I was kind of polite about it!! But I may have told him his breath smelled like hot dogs. He protested that he had just brushed his teeth and as far as he could recall, had not had any hotdogs in the recent past. Not wanting to risk the moment passing he went off to brush again.

But after he left I realized the smell was still strong. It was like one of those smells that gets trapped in your nose and won’t leave. I may or may not have expressed loudly that this was the case as my hubby brushed his teeth in the next room.

Until he came back in, took a big whiff and noted that we clearly had a skunk right outside our window. Whoops. My bad.

Love Stinks is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

I think I’m past the wishing away years. If you are a mom you know the ones I speak of.

The “when will the sleep already?” years.

The “when will they just be able to tell me what they want?” years.

The “when will they stop telling me what they want over and over and over and over?” years.

The “when will they be able to do it themselves?” years.

The “when will they just give me a break?” years.

The “when will they stop whining?” years.

The “when will they stop fighting?” years (oh wait, I am still waiting on that one).

Now as my biggest one is needing me less (although she doesn’t realize she needs me more), my middle one is determined to be independent and my littlest one is telling me how big he is every day, I am changing my wish.

Please stay little. Just a little longer.

Stopping Time is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one::: The Advice that Changed the Way I Mother

A beautiful post for those of you who might struggle with Mother’s Day::: Mother’s Day For The Motherless Daughter

As someone who is only about 4 months away from having a nine year old this one stopped my heart a bit::: Nine is Halfway to Eighteen

This post is linked to Saturday Linky Love at Vanderbilt Wife

What I’m Reading is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

Thabiso Setona was orphaned at 14. At 14 he was left to parent his younger sister and raise his father’s cattle. He lives in Lesotho where most people live on less than $1.25 a day.

Where he lives cattle are a precious commodity. To tend to them he must live in huts in the hills with only the most basic amenities. His job is to make sure his cattle survive. Even if it means he himself will go hungry. Herd boys are isolated and nomadic. They are also uneducated, having to drop out of school to work for their families.

This is Thabiso’s life.

When Ryan asked me today what I wanted for Mother’s Day I honestly had a hard time thinking of anything I needed. I mean I could think of a lot of “stuff” that I suppose would make me happy. I am forever chasing after stuff. But my life is a charmed one. “Stuff” is the last thing I need.

Read the rest of the post over at the World Vision Blog…

A Mother For The Motherless is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

In about a month I will turn 37. I had to do the math in my head before I typed it because apparently when you get my age you lose track of how old you are unless it is a big one.

I have never been one to freak out about my age. Turning 30 didn’t phase me in the least. I have no fear about 40 nearing (mainly because 40 is the new 30). I haven’t paid much attention to a birthday since I turned 21.

I came into my own in my 30s. I am confident as a mom, confident as a wife, confident in my self. Do I still question my parenting decisions? Well if you read my blog you know I do. But I don’t dwell on it like I used to. It doesn’t paralyze me.

I am fine with the fact that I am not a crafty mom. Cause I can play a mean air guitar in our family band. I am not the mom who serves her kids warm cookies when they come home from school. But I do rock at hiding kale in their smoothies without them noticing. And I’m not the cool mom who lets her kids stay up late watching whatever they want on TV. But I hope I’m the mom who will listen when my kids need to talk.

In a week I will celebrate 11 years of marriage. We are in our groove there too. Marriage takes work, for sure. But we have learned that staying on top of our marriage, checking in with each other frequently, and making sure we stay connected in the craziness of kids, work and our schedule is the key. I am comfortable in my role as Ryan’s wife and thankfully have a husband who lets me know I am appreciated.

When I look in the mirror I am getting better at making peace with what stares back at me. This belly birthed three of the most gorgeous babies on the planet. These wrinkles around my eyes are from a life spent smiling. And the gray hairs. Well screw the gray hairs, that is what a good stylist is for.

So as I stare down 40 which is just around the corner I say bring it on. I wouldn’t go back for anything. And anyway, I make “old” look good. (I hear humility comes in your 40s……..)

In My Skin is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.

At any given time a day you can find me on my computer (not all day I promise). At at any given time I am on the computer you will find Skype open and chirping.

Throughout my time in the blogging world I have made close friends all over the country. But Skype makes it feel like they are all in my living room. Sometimes all at once, all “talking” at once, with emoticons everywhere. It is my happy place.

Sometimes Ryan travels for work. And we all miss him desperately when he is gone. But when his face pops up on Skype it is almost like he is sitting across the dinner table asking the kids about his day.

And on the rare occasion Ryan and I get away together Skype is what makes us be able to focus on each other. Because we know we can check in with the kiddos and they don’t miss us near as much. And we can usually tell by the weary looks on my parents faces how things are going back at home.

Cards, letters, emails and Facebook updates are all nice. But there is nothing like being able to see the faces of the people you love. Mother’s Day is coming up. Wouldn’t your mom love more than anything to see you face to face (unless you are my mom who sees me every day. She frankly probably wants a break for Mother’s Day).

So of course you could do a boring old card for your mom for Mother’s Day. OR you could send her a rocking greeting from Skype’s “Mom’s You Rock” Facebook app. It is a fun way to rock out with a band and let your mom know how much she means to you. And the best part is, with every video created Skype will donate $1 to a fantastic charity, Save The Children.

I am really excited to announce that I have been chosen as a Skype Ambassador and will be doing some fun Skype experiments in the next few months. I actually have something really fun planned for June and am hoping you all will join in the fun. In the meantime tell me:

How do you use Skype?

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Skype. I received Skype credits to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Skyping My Way Through The Day is a post from: The Diaper Diaries. Need more of The Diaper Diaries? Subscribe, Join me on Facebook, I'm All the Rage on Twitter and I Pin All Sorts of Things I Will Never Do.