Its very easy to be altruistic...even if you are short on time & money :)

I think in the New Year many people start thinking about how they can make the coming year a better one than the year before.  I have always wanted to be a person who volunteers their time and resources as I feel life has been very generous with me...but I've faced a few obstacles in the time and money department at not in any order :) 

So I thought I might share some of the ways I've been able to do something, even if it is small.

I use a goodsearch browser bar.  At their website goodsearch.com you can designate a charity after downloading their search bar.  Every time you search the advertisers donate to the charity you have chosen.  Additionally when you purchase items through the internet you can do it through their website and get extra toward your charity. 

You can also designate thehungersite.com as one of your homepages...and in similar fashion you can click a button & shop through them... advertisers donate every time you click and you can earn extra for shopping through their extensive listings.  Additionally there are many sellers on the site offering handmade unique gifts who come from impoverished areas throughout the world.

While in the past I haven't been able to donate much of my time because most of the things I've wanted to volunteer for weren't age appropriate for my children...they are older and there are many ways available to us this year.  On the LBI 18 mile run which is less crowded they were able to volunteer while I run...its a win-win because I look forward to seeing them and they had a blast cheering and handing out the gatorade and water. So this year I am am going to volunteer myself at one or more run.  If running isn't your thing...there are plenty of other opportunities....

If it is time that you have available...By visiting volunteermatch.com  you can find volunteer opportunities that fit all time/age/$ restrictions. 

And don't forget to volunteer in your community...there are so many ways in our communities to donate...donating surplus veggies from too many tomato plants to your local church, donating blood (visit redcross.org for locations), donating time at your local library (kid friendly), cleaning out your closet and donating to your local goodwill. 

There are so many ways to give...big and small...even during a recession..when its most needed!

And just so this post isn't all sappy and serious...my son told me this joke yesterday....

Lou commits to 500 miles!

Got my husband to do the mileage challenge, but did he really have a choice...I guess not. So he added it up and came up with 500! Yeah Lou!

Oh and I took a pic of my treadmill screen for evidence of my indoor gym run. Don't know why I didn't think of that before.  The gym was packed and I had to wait for a treadmill, but once I had it I figured I'd keep it for awhile.

Poorly taken picture of my treadmill screen....

Tackling tough topics...a story of truth and alliteration.

Being new to the blogging world I have made a few discoveries and have certain questions. I've learned that the more successful (most followed) blogs have lots of pictures. Are motivating and/or positive. Tend toward a central theme. And the people hosting them are all handsome and well put together. Every. Day. Ok so that may be an exaggeration, but it seems a good deal of primping is included. Well I barely have the time to write this sentence so please do forgive me if my blog/person is not handsome or well put together. I am going to put it out there, as it happens with as much honesty as my boundaries regarding shame will allow. Over the holiday season my craft room has become the resting place of most of the stuff that needs to be hidden because it requires too much time to put away properly. On top of that I have gone from one project to the next with the reckless abandon that holidays require. I've started some scrapbook pages, rushed through gift card holder making for bus drivers and trimmed ribbon onto my carpet. I know...it's awful.

So in true honest spirit here is what it looks like! I don't know if that's too much honesty but there it is.

I suffer from having an inability to enjoy cleaning...and even further I am able to drop it in favor of fun or laziness or just about anything really. But having said that, as a busy stay-at-home mom-wife-runner-small etsy store maker etc,etc, I benefit greatly from an organized clean home. Dastardly dilemma (more alliteration)! So as part of my agreement with myself to catch myself during wasting time I've begun the arduous task of organizing my crafting room...thereby presenting my presence with pleasant peaceful places.

How much honesty is too much to share?

Anyone else starting the organizing of a household room? Any tips?

Feel free to alliterate!

The Beginning of organizing my very large stamp collection...I was so excited when they developed the acrylic stamps as they do not take up nearly as much space...ie I can get more...but sometimes it is hard to find the right one when its called onto the field...

Seems like the water should be an easy one...however it has been floating around in different spots throughout my house for maybe 6 months or more...it's waiting to become beer someday... 

Last run of 2011..first run for my ticker!

At 11:00am on Dec 31st in New Jersey it probably should not be close to 60 degrees but today as I set out for my last run in 2011 it was. I can't imagine ending the year on a better note. The sun was shining and my injuries appear to be on the mend!!! 6 pain-free miles!!! What a wonderful thing. There is not much that is more frustrating to me (and I assume most runners) than having the will but not the health. But doing the right things, stretching, listening to the pain and stopping before it's bad, good nutrition, enough sleep, and meds when necessary...are what have helped me! There are some really helpful videos on runners world for itb stretches on a side note.

While I ran I thought about all the other times I passed those landmarks and how each run was a little different even though I had done that route so many times before. How lucky I felt and how grateful I am to have the opportunity...even on those crappy days where my legs felt like two lead refrigerators filled with scorpions.

My hope for the New Year is for people to realize the gifts they have and for those moments to be plentiful!!!

Have a happy and safe new year!!!

Working on New Items for Etsy

It's been so busy with the holidays and having kids home I haven't been creating new cards. I really love the creative process...which is a bit messy but always fun. I'm going through a simple is better phase and designed these cards with that in mind.

Ha what an overacheiver I claim to be...

Do you know that person who you invite over for a friendly game night who is super annoying because they take Scattergories way to seriously...well sadly that is me...but I am in a several step program since having cleared a chess board with my arm...sadly it wasn't an accident.  See I am on the road to recovery!  Anyway... yesterday I computed the amount of miles I thought would be good for my countdown clock challenge..!  Apparently I am competing against me and upped my miles above the maximum threshold by 100.  Stupid,stupid,stupid!  And today is my day off running..how many miles can I claim for P90 yoga...there has got to be at least .15 running in place, no?


I have also decided that my corgi will run 200 of those miles with me and I might even get the hubby to commit to a number.  He must really hate that.  I am always signing him up with stuff like that.  He's such a good sport though and I'm sure he will rise to the challenge!  Going to add those countdowns later this evening...stay tuned...

I need a new gadget clock thingy...how about a mileage challenge clock...wanna do it with me?

Since my marathon clock on the right hand side has run its course ( I swear that just happened, no cornyness intended)!  Now the countdown it does is kind of mean...it is basically saying" hey it's been a month since you did something great...oh and it will only get worse as the days accumulate". 

So I have been thinking about all the OCD things I could get.  Countdown til planting time, target weight clock (OMG that sounds worse than my backward marathon clock).  So I don't just throw on a Christmas countdown clock...plenty of time for that right, I decided to set a mileage goal and count backward.  It will begin now...why cause I'm an adult and adults can do anything they want (that is a line from the classic Christmas story The Ref)!

I will update the clock  and to prove I'm an honest Abe, I will hook up the garmin through The Daily Mile & upload my miles when not at the gym.  If my word isn't good enough (while at the gym) I could ask whatever person is on the treadmill next to me to sign off...but that might get weird so you'll just have to trust me on the gym days!

So now the question is...how many miles is crazy enough for the year 2012 (plus this week of course)! Ok so here comes the boring math part, feel free to take a power nap...52 weeks running a goal of 25 per week results is 1300 miles for the year...while running every other day results in 180 running days with an average run of 5 miles will get you to 900 miles...so my goal will be somewhere in between...I like moderation...

365 days a year...running every other day or approximate per week?  Stay tuned...suggestions and comments welcome!

Found this Countdown to the opening of "The Hobbit"...feel free to duplicate!