Call me crazy....

...because I am pretty sure that I am. I will explain why in a minute.

Last Friday, as I drove to work, I began to pass a bunch of runners/walkers. They were a part of the Portland to Coast Relay, which is a subgroup of the annual Hood to Coast Relay.

Hood to Coast is a massive event held every year. The relay race includes over 1,000 teams of anywhere from 8-12 and treks along 198 miles - from the top of Mount Hood all the way west to Seaside, Oregon. It starts Friday morning and finishes on Saturday with the biggest beach party on the West Coast. I only know a few people who have participated, but people come from all over the country to take part. There are 36 legs of the race, which means each runner must do at least 3 of them - each one is anywhere from 3 to 8 miles. When you aren't running, you can *try to* sleep in the team vehicles.

So what does that have to do with me being a little crazy? Two things.

1. While passing the runners this morning, I thought to myself, "I should do that next year." Never in my life have I had an urge to run a marathon, a half-marathon, or even a 5k. I am NOT a runner. So where did this come from? I don't know...but it would be something to work towards throughout the next year and would be an amazing accomplishment afterwards.

2. This proposition: Who wants to join my team? ....this is the really crazy part. After I thought about participating in next year's Hood to Coast, I thought, "How awesome would it be to get 11 other bloggers to join me in this?"

My plan was this - if we could get a group of 12 ladies to come together, we could spend the next year encouraging one another in our training, sharing tips and ideas for healthy recipes, and get to know each other personally. Then, at the end of the year, we would be able to meet everyone in person. I know some of you have met other bloggers in person already - but I haven't gone there yet. There are a couple of details I should include.

The cost to enter the race is $1,404, which if you have a full team of 12 works out to $117 per person. This is the rate from the 2013 race, which took place this past weekend. I would imagine the price might increase a bit each year...Also, I already mentioned this is a HUGE event. Participation is based on a lottery system. For example, this year over 2,500 teams entered, but only 1,050 were able to actually participate. This means that even if we get a full team together, there is a chance it may not happen. Registration must be post-marked on ONE DAY and ONE DAY ONLY. So it has to be done on time (this year's registration was due last October). I believe the lottery winners are announced within a couple of weeks....late October or early November. I would think that if our team is not chosen, the fees would get refunded...but I would need to look in to that for sure.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is in and around Portland, Oregon. Obviously, that may mean traveling from all over the U.S. I would be more than willing to open my home to you ladies for a few nights before and after the race - it could be one big slumber party!

Do you think I'm crazy yet? Because I'm still not sure myself....I guess if this actually happens, I must be somewhat sane! I know that there are others of you out there who are working on losing weight or eating better or just getting healthier in general and in better shape. I would love be able to build a small community with you girls over the next year with the goal of participating in this event.

This would be a big commitment - especially if you live outside the northwest. But how amazing would this be? If it is going to happen, we will need to try to pull the team together as soon as possible. I would imagine registration will be sometime in October again. I am going to start scoping out the official website and start watching for information for next year's race. If you are AT ALL interested, even just a "maybe, kinda sounds fun but I don't really know if that's my thing", PLEASE PLEASE send me an email. I would love to talk to you more about it. My email is kaeley *dot* a *dot* mull *at* gmail *dot* com. {YOU CAN ALSO JUST CLICK THE LITTLE ENVELOPE ICON IN THE SIDEBAR I GUESS...}

Just writing this makes me wonder what in the world I am thinking - but I am throwing it out there and I'm not taking it back. So - any takers?!?!?

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I'm not sure how many times I have mentioned it - probably too many - but I LOVE black & white photos.  So - even though I was excited about the above proposal, I had to make sure to link up for Black & White Wednesday, too.  Here are a few more images from Seattle - tomorrow I will share the rest.

Guest Post Tuesday: Sunshine in Minnesota

I am so excited to share Sarah's post with you all today.  To be honest, all I think of when I hear "Minnesota" is snow, farms and funny accents.  But Sarah's photos below are BEAUTIFUL!  I may have to add Minnesota to my to-do list!

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Hi everyone! I was so excited when Kaeley asked me to be apart of her Guest Post Tuesday!
My name is Sarah and I blog over at My Small Ray of Sunshine.

I'm off on a family vacation right now, traveling from central Minnesota to the east coast and up to Ontario. I had thought I might show you all photos that I've taken so far on my trip, but then I felt the need to show you all around the lovely little city that I call home.

Welcome, to Duluth, Minnesota.

This is what we call the Lift Bridge. It connects the Canal Park area to the little inlet that has some houses, parks and a small plane airport on the tip. The bridge has been here since the early 1900's and used look very different from what it looks like now. It's one of my favorite land marks in Duluth!

In the summertime there is a festival called Tall Ships that goes on for a long weekend. It brings in huge  numbers of tourists and is so much fun. Old sailing trips travel through the Great Lakes from Chicago to Duluth (and back again) and it's a weekend full of history and food! Tons of fun :)

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There's an old estate that sits just down the road from downtown. It used to be the home of the Cogdon family back in the late 1800's- early 1900's and is now a museum owned by the University that I attend. The interior is full of original furniture and decor from the 1908 era and the grounds are beautifully kept up. It's one of my all time favorite places to visit and just walk around. I have an infinite number of picture of this mansion....haha.

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This is one of the calmest and most beautiful places in all of Duluth, in my opinion anyway. Chester Bowl is a park full of hiking trails right in the middle of the city, and running right through the center of it is Chester Creek. Just like the Glensheen Estate, I have a million photos of this area, and yet I never get tired of visiting it. It brings me peace in a crazy and hectic world. We all need that sometimes.

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Not far from the Lift Bridge, which you can kind of see in the picture below, is the Rose Garden. It's a part of the Lake Walk that runs from the Canal area up the shore line for a few miles. It's a beautifully kept garden space full of color and a great place to take photos for weddings or any other kind of shoot! I love photographing flowers, so this is always a place I go a lot in summer. If I could get paid to take photos of flowers, I would so do it!

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And there we have it! I hope you enjoyed seeing this little city through my eyes (and my lens). I would love to hear about your favorite places in your town or city! Let me know in the comments below or head on over to my spot on the net and tell me there!

Thanks again to Kaeley for having me! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

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If you are interested in signing up for a week of Guest Post Tuesday, you can send me an email by clicking the mail icon in the left sidebar.  Or, if you are interested in sponsoring My Mind's Lens, click here to be taken to my sponsor page and ad store.  It only takes a minute to get started!

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Here's a little preview of our weekend trip to Seattle this weekend. There will be more to come later this week, but I wanted to at least get a few out there.

 

Have a great Tuesday!

Blogging with a Purpose: I Said I Would Never...

I have had a lot of experience with children, young and small, in my 25 years. I have also seen a wide variety of parenting styles and types of relationships. However, although I was able to tweak the last couple of weeks of "motherhood" related topics, this week I decided to reach out to my sister-in-laws. I think we all have this idea of what the perfect mother would look like, and have a mental list of all the things we should and shouldn't do, or see someone else treating their child a certain way and think "well, I would never do that." But you know what, life happens. There will come a day when you are so tired of hearing child cry that you will give up and resort to the pacifier, or let them have ice cream for dinner.

Here are some of my sister-in-laws' responses:
*Bribe my children with a toy or candy in order to get them to behave in a store
*Use the TV as a babysitter
*Let my baby sleep in my bed {sometimes that's the only way they will sleep...and Momma needs her sleep!}
*Let them run around naked outside while playing in the water

After the great feedback I got from them, I decided to reach out to some friends who have kids, as well.
*Lay my baby on their tummy until they can roll over
*Base my child's milestones on other children's {this friend actually stuck to this one-you've got to let your kids do things in your own time}
*Mix up the babies {this came from a Momma of twins...lol}

The responses from one of my friends were so amazing, I couldn't begin to summarize them, so I'm quoting her instead:

     "I said I would never be one of those moms that lets their kid walk around with a binkie. For a long time we weren't. Binkie was just for naptimes and bedtime. But with our recent move, she has decided she absolutely has to have it when we are just hanging out in the house. We have tried to take it away, twice, and both times she has screamed until she puked because she got so worked up. It isn't such a huge deal once I remember she isn't even two. If it gives her some extra comfort then fine. I've never seen a college student using one so I think we'll let it slide for now.
     I could never figure out how some stay at home moms could keep their houses spotless, while others... not so much. They were home all day. Why couldn't they just keep it clean? Now I totally get it. My living room is clean from 9pm until 8am. I used to pick up after my daughter religiously, then she became a toddler, and toddler is just slang for little tornado. If the toys aren't strung out all over, there is probably the remnants from a blanket fort or bits of breakfast that she hid in her pocket and discovered a few hours later. Toddlers are gross. Toddlers live in your house. Adios clean, orderly house.
     I still refuse to do a toddler leash, but I can see where they could come in handy. It gets exhausting saying "hold Mommy's hand please" or "stay right here please" and never being listened to."

I decided to try one more perspective: friends who do not have kids yet. 
*Compare one of my children to another, or play favorites
*Dress in drag as I escort my child on a date to a school function

When I asked Tristan this question, he said that he would never make his kids feel like they weren't loved.

I completely agree with him. It would break my heart if my kids ever thought that. While I want my kids to feel loved, though, I also am not going to be the parent who does absolutely everything and agrees to anything just to keep my kids happy. I don't think it hurts them to not get their way or to be punished if they do something they know they aren't supposed to. They need to learn some discipline and responsibility or else they will end up spoiled and think the world is there to serve them. The challenge is going to be to find a happy medium.

Thank you to my friends who pitched in to help me pull together this post. I loved getting all of your comments!

To see what some of the other momma's in blogger-land have to say about this, click over to From Mrs. to Mama.


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UPDATE: I just saw that one of my favorite link-ups is starting up again today. So I wanted to make sure to get in on that. If you have never participated, 5 for Five is a great way to keep yourself accountable in your goals for the week.

1. Get caught up *and keep up* on the laundry. This is one of my biggest challenges when it comes to my role as a "housewife." When you work outside the home full time, and have other activities (such as blogging and photography) that also demand your attention, not to mention taking time to make your significant other feel loved, it is so easy to let things like the dishes and laundry slide and slowly pile up. Not. this. week.

2. Plan out next week's blog posts. I love the feeling of having all of my posts for the week already scheduled. It makes me feel accomplished.

3. Work out at least 4 times. I have a second work-friend that now goes to my gym and I am hoping that will help motivate me to go. However, there are a couple of evenings that I have plans after work so I will have to work extra hard to get out of bed and go in the morning.

4. Drink 8 glasses of water EVERY DAY. I am so bad about drinking enough water. I have been better about not drinking much soda, but I feel so much better when my body is fully hydrated.

5. Write down daily tasks, and stick to them. Writing things down is a huge motivation for me to get them done. I love checking things off a list.