Photos from the school year...

I have not posted in FOREVER!  I love sharing pictures and am going to share a few today.  Happy Sunday everyone!

At a movie in the park.  Milwaukee skyline at dusk!

We got a dog this year!  PeeWee and DH took her for a car ride in this picture, I think!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2017-18.  Junior, Freshman and 5th grade!

Took in a few soccer games...

On the 50 mile bike ride with Boy Scouts

A fan at one of the Cross Country meets!

Our dog, Lanie.  Rescued in March or April?

Boy Scout Court of Honor

PeeWee always doing gymnastics.

Off N Running,

Annmarie

Soccer Season is over

 I love this photo of my Buddy.  It was one of his first High School photos and the one were I looked twice to see if that was really my boy!  He has grown up so much in the last year.

He decided to go out for the soccer team this fall.  He spent time over the summer at Captain's practices to get ready.  Our school doesn't have enough boys interested in the sport to field two full teams, so many of the boys play on the Varsity as second string.

After "Hell Week", Not sure why they call it that, as they only practiced once a day for 2 maybe 3 hours.  The swim team meets twice a day for 2 weeks, but I am not the coach and I am not a player, so it is what it is.  Anyway, after the first week of practice, Buddy was in the top 10 for the fitness testing.  This meant he was going to get to play more on the Varsity team.  Or that is what I understood, anyway. LOL!

He did start all Junior Varsity games, when they had a team to play.  One day, I worked my schedule out so that I would come to the JV soccer game and see him play.  The other team wasn't there and when coach called them, he was told they forgot they had a game.  REALLY?!?!  How do you forget you have a game?  What a lame excuse.  The next week, there was another JV game on the schedule.  I was torn, do I go to the Cross Country meet to watch SwimChick or do I go to the soccer game to see Buddy play?!?!  He told me to go to Cross Country, because I am bad luck.  When I come to soccer games he doesn't play.

We did go to the first game of the regionals.  He did get to play part of the first half and we cheered loudly for the team.  They won that game.  I missed the second game of the Regional play offs because of cross country.  The team lost that game.

Great job, Buddy!  Now to gear up for baseball?!?!

Off n Running,
AnnMarie

I'm baaack!

The starting line at Division 2 Sectional 8, WIAA Girls Cross Country

Here we are, October 25, 2017.  I have been thinking about this blog for what seems like a million years!  I am failing on this New Year goal, of blogging more.  I cannot believe how quickly this past year has gone.  I need to update everyone on myself, but I am going to brag about my kids in this post!  😜

This year, I have two high school students!  SwimChick is a Junior this year.  She decided to go out for Cross Country AND Swimming this fall.  We have had an average of two swim meets and one cross country meet a week since Labor Day.  ChessMaster, who needs a new name on my blog, is a freshman and went out for soccer.  I will post about him on another day.  

Today, I am going to write about my daughters great Cross Country season.  I pray she doesn't end the season and say, "I wish I would have..." because this has been an amazing season.  First let me tell you, that to do two sports in one season you must get the permission of the Athletic Director and both team coaches.  SwimChick has wanted to do both since being a freshman.  I was not too sure how her grades would go, and her swim coach that year would not allow it.  So, she swam.  She did well for a freshman.  She swam Varsity, to the annoyance of the upper class-men.  She swam well enough to go to the State meet as an alternate on a relay (or was it two, I don't remember and she didn't swim at the meet.)  Her sophomore year, she had a couple of hard classes and a new swim coach.  We had tossed around the idea of just running CC and not swimming, but she loves the water too much.  So, she only swam.  It was another good season, that ended at State as an alternate again.  

So, here we are Fall of 2017.  Sometime in the summer, we were told we had a new swim coach.  AND a new Athletic Director.  SwimChick and I drafted some emails to both and they said, "let's do it!"  DO WHAT?  Well, SwimChick had decided to run Cross Country AND swim.  All the coaches were on board and so was the AD, and on August 8, 2017 she started swim practice.  We really love the new young lady swim coach.  She is fun, as long as you don't cross her or break any rules.  The CC coach is really laid back and understands that swimming is SwimChicks first sport/love.  A week or so, after swimming started, CC started.  The rag tag group consisted of my girl and a freshman girl, and two boys, who are also on the boys soccer team.  

The first meet, coach put SwimChick in the JV race, so she could test out the grass and get a time.  She finished in 4th place!  She wore her regular old running shoes over the 5000m course in a time of 23:34.9.  The next week, we went to the shoe store and bought her a pair of racing spikes!  She was so excited.  The next race, she ran a 21:32.5 in the Varsity race.  Her fastest time of the season occurred at the Conference meet on October 16.  She traversed the 5000meter course in a time of 20:49.9 and placed 14 in the Conference.  Woo Hoo!!!

Saturday October 21, 2017 was the WIAA Division 2 Sectional race.  My rock star ran the course in 21:06.5 for an overall finish of 10th place!  There are two ways you can move on to the State competition, first is by being on a team that finishes first or second.  OR you be one of the top 5 individuals, not on one of the top 2 teams.  SO, my girl finished 4th individually, sending her onto the State meet this weekend.  

We are so proud of her.  She will be running at the State Meet, representing her school.   We are still waiting to find out the last time someone did this for her school!  

Go Get Em Girl!!!!

Just signed up for a challenge

Happy Week Two of 2017!

How did week one go for everyone?  Remember I said I was going to blog more?  Sorry, time was not on my side, and the basement is cold, and ...  I was lazy and thought about posting several times.  I just didn't do it.

I also said I was going to start my better eating plan too.  Well, I found some candy and cookies and fell flat on my face off that wagon.

This morning, before taking my gymnast to her first meet of the season, I was trying to catch up on emails.  I subscribe to too many blogs and things, so I get behind in my reading/looking at them.  Today, for the first time in a VERY LONG TIME, I stopped and read a few that I have just opened then deleted.  Today, I read the post/email from Another Runner Mother.  I think reading it before made me feel bad because running was causing me pain, so I stopped back in August.  So, I didn't want to read all about other mother runners doing what I couldn't without pain.  Today I sucked it up and read the post.  Today was the last day to sign up for some of the fun training stuff they offer.  Last year, I was very tempted to sign up for their heart rate training program.  I was tempted because many of the mothers were saying they were able to run pain free.

Today, I took the plunge and signed up for the STRIDE INTO THE NEW YEAR Challenge.  It is a 35 day run, walk or run/walk plan.  I just printed it off and am putting it on the fridge when I get done posting this.

Today, my husband and I also got signed up for his companies insurance incentive program.  They have a new fun app to track your workouts and join challenges and stuff.  So, my "rally age" is 47, same as my real age.  With my Running program in hand, and my calendar a bit empty this month, I hope to lower that age before lets say April!

Some of the challenges I signed up for were to do Yoga twice a week.  Something I want to do for real, so hopefully this will help.  Declutter for 10 minutes.  This I want to do for real every day, the app says once a week.  Again, something I need/want to do anyway.  Eat more fruit and veggies.  Get enough sleep.  Do something creative.  This is a fun app.  Rally is part of our insurance incentive, does your company do this?

PeeWee is in bed and waiting for me to tuck her in.  Best get to that...

Off N Running,
AnnMarie

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2017!

Remember me, Mama Kolb?  I feel as though I have been away for far too long.  Lots of changes in my life since 2014. Remember back then????  Life was simple and I was running and ... then I fell and broke my wrist!

God sure has a crazy way of changing the direction of your life.  After I ran the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, my neighbor/friend called me up looking for help at her office job.  I have known Mrs. P for at least 8 years now.  We met either on the massage table or at church.  She lives maybe 3 blocks from me.  She and Mr. J introduced us to dog fostering!  Well, anyway, when she called me way back in 2014, all I knew was she worked in an office.  I did not know where or what she did. She called me because she needed help for a week during Insurance Open Enrollment and maybe for a few other odd jobs. I took the job, thinking it might lead to something more, but oh well if it didn't.  

It did lead to more.  And thank goodness because maybe two weeks after I started I fell and broke my wrist.  I had to have surgery and couldn't do my massage job so this was great.  

Fast forward to October/November of 2016.  Something in me had had enough.  I heard blips of stories saying sitting at your desk was as bad as smoking!  What?!?!  Over the past two years, I put on at least 30 pounds.  A year ago, I signed up for a running challenge: to run 2016 miles in 2016. One of my massage clients and I made a team: Running Yogis.  (I was running and doing yoga a year ago.  That has since stopped, too.)  We were excited.  (Side note:  I ran the Lakefront Marathon in October 2015. It was painful.  Training was hard both mentally and physically.  I didn't lose any weight!  It was frustrating.  I needed a goal.)

I slowly got into a running grove again, but everything hurt.  I developed a leg issue.  I believe it is an IT band thing and saw a doctor about it. Starting Physical Therapy next week!  So by August of 2016, I stopped running.  Not sure how many miles the Running Yogi team really completed of the 2016, I only contributed about 500.  ☹️

Sometime in September or October, my Ironwoman neighbor found out about a new gym opening in our area.  Has anyone heard of Burn Bootcamp?  She won a free month trial and I signed up for their 30 days for $30! Man has that been tough. But amazing!!!!  I didn't lose weight but did lose inches.

This class/gym got me to thinking about my family, my lifestyle and my real dreams and goals. I decided that I need to focus on my health and my family again.  So, I gave my notice at my office job.  Starting next week, I will be working more at the Wisconsin Athletic Club. 

Today, January 1, 2017, I am working on my plan to become a better me. I am going to start with my diet.  I had success years ago with Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover. So, I dusted off the books I have and started reading them this last week.  The 30 Day Makeover started on Wednesday.  Now to get my menus together and get some groceries to be successful.

Off n Running,

AnnMarie

PS.  I wrote this early today.  It is now 5pm, and the kids and I wrote up our 2017 Goals.  I will post about them tomorrow!  One of my goals is to get back to blogging.  Wish me luck!

Shaklee Life Plan - The Best, Most Comprehensive Nutritional System in t...

Baby its cold outside!!!

So, I have been staying in and doing some reading the past few weeks.  Today I am going to try to update you all on my list...

I have completed the whole 50 Shades of Grey series.  I enjoyed the story-line.  I read the series because of the movie being released.  I found myself wondering what Anna was thinking and comparing my relationship with hers!  Why do we keep going back for more?  Because we love them and know they need us!  I did skip over the sex scenes, and not because I am a prude, but because they didn't have much to do with the story after awhile.  

I had lunch with a friend last week. She read the series back when it came out.  We both agreed that we skipped over the sex parts in books 2 & 3!  I felt many probably read the first book because of the hype about the sex scenes. Those who saw around that kept on reading.  I read the series on my iPhone with the Kindle app.  I borrowed the books from my public library! I thought that was pretty cool to borrow library books to read on my iPhone!

I got into the 50 Shades and didn't finish The Fred Factor yet.  I am enjoying this self-help book.  However, because I have not been able to do my massage work I have lost interest in this book.  I do need to finish it up before next week so I can return it to the person I borrowed it from!

I have a stack of books from the library to get through  in the next day or so!  These include the following titles:

100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake  I found her blog one day, as I do many blogs, someone recommended it and I hit the search button.  I started this book at the introduction and was hooked!  She grew up eating like I did:  meat, potatoes, Oatmeal Cream Pies...  She decided to get healthier after she had kids and they had some health issues.  Hello, isn't that what we are all doing?!?!  I like her comparisons and how to read the label lessons.  I have made a few of her recipes.  I will have to blog about that another day.  :)  Check out her website too: 100 Days.

The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila  I flipped through this one, as it really is more of a cookbook.  I do not know if she has other books, but I love that she has a recipe for almost everything I buy for convenience.  I am drawn to the cover with the homemade toaster pastries!  I want to try her ketchup recipe and the toaster pastries.  LOL!

Suddenly Frugal by Leah Ingram

10 Day Smoothie Cleanse by Jessy Smith

The Best Homemade Kids Lunches on the Planet by Laura Fuentes

These I am considering self-help/personal growth books.  Would you?  I am learning a lot from them about cleaning up my diet and how to save money. 

For fun I read Swim the Fly by Dan Calame A Young Adult book series about 3 boys on a summer swim team.  It is light reading and funny.  Takes me back to high school days and liking boys and hoping they ask me out!  I really liked that it is the boys story for a change.  I hope that my son will read it to know his body is not the only one going through these changes!  I really liked this book it made me laugh out loud several times!

SO, that is it for now.

Off n Running,
AnnMarie