Tag Archives: Havaianas

Beach vacation.

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This place is amazing.  It’s one of those vacations where everything falls in to place, almost.

The kids have been jumping the surf at 8am each morning, and MM and I have managed to get a couple of beach runs in to burn off the calories from the excesses of each evening.  Yes, we’ve even managed to light the charcoal grill:)  Nothing better than burgers with Prosecco!

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My afternoon margaritas have been cunningly disguised in my coffee cup.

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The house, fortunately, is perfect – basic, but right on the beach.  It’s amazing how easy the day becomes when you don’t have to pack bags and food for a day at the beach.  Not to mention we can all chill out away from the sun when we feel like it.  The only thing we’re missing are the dogs – they don’t deal well with the heat – I hope they are behaving for the house sitter!

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I’ve been relishing living in bikinis, shorts and t-shirts.  I packed light, and living with a capsule wardrobe is fabulously freeing.  No decisions to make except choosing which shorts are clean.

denim shorts

Shorts – JCrew selvedge shorts (old – similar here) // t-shirt – Target // hat – Target

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Shorts – JCrew Factory bermudas // t-shirt – Target (old) // hat – Target // Flip flops – Havaianas // sunglasses – Ray-Ban Wayfarers

Of course we can never go away without drama.  Poor Poppy managed to get half the deck in her foot on Sunday evening.  I tried removing the splinter but she was obviously in pain.  Monday morning we headed to Urgent Care.  The poor wee thing had to have a huge needle in her foot for anesthetic then the Dr. had to use a scalpel to remove it – it was embedded in her foot so deeply!  I held on to her for dear life – I never want to hear screams of pain like that again.  I was in tears and shaking – and I wasn’t even going through the pain!!  She was an absolute star and once it was all over all she was concerned about was the color of her bandage.  I think she is feeling quite the hero now.

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The azaleas are out!

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Spring must be here!  The Masters begins next week and our azaleas are out in preparation!  It looks stunning around here with all the cherry blossom too – it’s my favorite time of year here in Atlanta – not too hot, yet good flip flop and t-shirt weather.

I nipped into Target again on the way home from work – still umming and ahhing over the Fedora I tried on the other day.  Today I tried on a pink floppy hat – I love the idea of it – but I think at the very least I need long flowing locks beneath it to really pull it off like Ali MacGraw:)

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Trousers – JCrew wool café capris (old) // Shirt – Zara (old) // Shoes – Zara // Bag – Alexander Wang Diego

So I ended up bringing the Fedora home and I love it!

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T-shirt – Target (on sale $10!) // Jeans – Levi 501s // Flip flops – Havaianas // Hat – Target // Nail polish – Essie Avenue Maintain

I’m off out tonight with the bus stop Moms.  We rarely get more than 10 minutes to chat while waiting for the school bus so tonight I’ve got them all to meet up over a bottle of wine!  I can’t wait! What to wear?:)

 

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Rising temperatures.

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Are the forecast today.  Lovely – I’m going to head to the Y with Poppy in tow, workout and then hit the pool there so she can get up and down their slide a million times.  We had a fabulous time at the pool yesterday – it was quite cute how she kept telling me ‘I love it just you and me mom, no boys’.  As much as I love it when the the four of us are out there is something special when it’s just mommy and daughter time.  I hope it stays like that always – and it’s made me even more excited about spending some time with my Mum in June when I take the children back for a couple of weeks, the girls are beginning to be outnumbered with the birth of my nephew.

Our contrite contractor arrived yesterday apologizing for ‘getting carried away’ when taking us to look at fixtures and fittings.  Damn right – why he thinks I want to spend 10% of my house value on a new bathroom I’ve no idea…now of course if money were no object that would be fine, but I think the budget we have already set is pretty extravagant and we have no need for Italian designer taps nor marble flooring shipped directly from the Vatican.  I sometimes suspect that contractors arrive at your house have a good scan around and assess how much they think you really have to spend, rather than what we want to spend.  What he doesn’t realize is that I still want to get to Europe every year and maintain a bad clothing/shoe/bag addiction – I have no intention of being house poor.  So I’ve laid out what I refuse to compromise on – that being my tub, new big window, and the granite I selected for the vanity – we now have to cut corners elsewhere – which is fine especially if I get my new hardwoods and walk in closet.  Certainly no extravagant YSL handbags this year that’s for sure – maybe just a little splurge on the Boden Fall preview that should be here in a month or so!  Now if I can just get them to dig a hole outside for the pool while they’re here that would be perfect!

Pool bound in my Boden retro bikini and radish stripy tunic.  This tunic’s fit has improved with wear and wash – it’s much softer and a little looser.  Navy slim Havaianas.

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Sun and storms.

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That goes for the weather and my mood today…I decided to work from home as it was Poppy’s last day at school and I needed to get some chores done while I still had time on my own.  It worked out well – I managed a run and completed most of my work by lunch – I’m always much more productive at home.  So I rewarded myself and nipped off to the pool for a bit.  I was actually hoping I would be there most of the afternoon as Poppy was off to a friend’s pool party to celebrate the end of the school year.  How cool is that to be able to go to a pool party?  It’s times like these that I really appreciate being in Atlanta – I just used to hang out on the swings on the rec.  Her friend had even called MM’s cell phone to talk to Poppy and invite her personally.  She was over the moon at receiving her first phone call – I could see my 6 yr old transforming into a 13 yr old before my eyes – terrifying.  Anyway the pool for me didn’t last as the storms rolled in and I headed off to complete my chores.

While I was out I received an email from our contractor.  We’re due to start the renovations in the next couple of weeks and I’ve been SO excited about the planning and design stage and I’m just ready to get going with the dirty work now.  That was until today when we were told we’re over budget with our list of items we want to install.  I’m livid – he knew our budget before we started so why take us to the most expensive stores for fixtures and fittings? – I feel so deflated and of course don’t want to compromise on anything we’ve picked out.  MM feels the same way – so I hope Mr. Contractor has a good solution tomorrow that doesn’t involve us having to pay more or compromise too much on our choices.  Mad as hell…yes I am – plus I wasn’t going to drink this week but now find myself with a glass of red next to me to calm my mood.

Pool wear:  Boden Pool Party Tunic from Summer 2011, Havaianas slim, Boden retro bikini 2012 – I love this bikini by the way – it fits great and has ample support for a bigger bust!

 

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My new goal weight.

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After deciding to embark on my first marathon I have been assessing everything I need to do for optimal training and preparation. So far I have identified the following:

1. Find a running group so I can benefit from the camaraderie of a group of runners with similar objectives

2. Strengthen my knees and hips so they are less prone to injury

3. Use my foam roller daily and stretch thoroughly after every run to prevent injury

4. Use Fartlek techniques to get faster

5. Settle on a pair of running shoes that I like and keep me injury free

6. Improve my diet for optimal energy and try and lose 15lbs to get leaner and faster

Numbers 1, 2 and 3 are pretty much all in hand and I’ve been doing my clam shells and squats, and using my roller in front of the t.v. each evening:)  I found out that our local running store, West Stride, has a summer series of runs that should help cover 1 and 4 – though I might have to grab my running partner too in order to do some speed training on the local school’s track.  After reading Runner’s World I’m already confused with distances, rest intervals and paces to run at – not having a background in track and field makes me feel like a complete amateur – though I guess I am!

Number 5 is a trickier one.  I’m currently running in my Newtons but I’m not sure my form has perfectly adapted yet and in order to stay injury free I’m considering buying a pair of New Balance W890 v2 to alternate with.  Of course this does mean spending a silly amount of money on running shoes until I find my perfect pair but maybe I just need to shift my clothing budget over the next few months into a line entry for ‘running expenses’?

Number 6 is one I didn’t think I need to plan for, but if anything I have found my weight gradually creeping up due to all the running I have been doing.  I have taken ‘carb loading’ to heart unfortunately and have lost all sense of portion control.  So knowing that I need to fix this fast I headed back to my Jenny Craig center non Friday.  It’s only the other week I was telling Running in Mommyland to treat it like hitting the ‘reset button’ and now I find myself heeding my own advice.  I already feel much better after just 3 days back on the plan.  I know there are cynics out there (I used to be one of them) who think diet plans are money making, quick fixes that don’t generate long lasting results, but in 3 years, excluding the past couple of months, I’ve managed to pretty much maintain my weight and I am confident that I can reach my new goal weight quickly and stay there again once I’ve convinced my mind and body again that I can survive and run strong perfectly well, even with smaller portions.

I just successfully passed one of the biggest tests in my new weight loss journey.  We have just taken the children to a fund raising fair at the elementary school and on the way home we called for frozen yogurt.  Normally I partake with the kids and get a huge lashing of yogurt covered in crushed peanuts, white chocolate chips and syrup – yum!  I’m very proud of myself that I avoided all temptation – even though I did have to go and lock myself in the restroom while they served themselves!:)  It’s 90 degrees here today so I’m wearing my lovely J.Crew gingham shorts, AllSaints tee and navy slim Havaianas.  This weather is playing havoc with my attempt to grow my hair – the humidity is adding volume and frizz – nice!  I might have to opt for a selection of hats and headscarves throughout the coming months!

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The day before…

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After spending so much time recently at the YMCA I’ve decided to try playing tennis again.  I say ‘again’ but I’ve never really played.  I had lessons when I was young and had all the gear – the Donnay racquet (Bjorn Borg’s brand of course), the white skirt and the green flash trainers.  I then didn’t play again until probably 2000 when we moved here and we discovered tennis courts everywhere.  We hit a ball around in a futile attempt to stay fit before going to the bar for a pitcher of bud light.  Anyway here I am again trying not to make it a fad – I haven’t splurged on an unnecessarily cool racquet (yet), instead I sensibly bought a cheap one that will suffice until I can actually hit the ball.

While out fulfilling my dreams of becoming an all around athlete by buying the requisite gear, I popped into New Balance just to see what tennis shoes they had.  I am now completely brand loyal when it comes to New Balance and their running shoes, after falling in love with the previously reviewed W890s.  As soon as I walked in the store I was mesmerized by their new minimalist running shoe the Minimus Zero.  The lovely Brandon encouraged me to try a pair and all thoughts of tennis shoes evaporated.  As an ex-brander I have to say I fell in love with the New Balance store experience.  The store itself is open, spacious and well merchandised and within a minute of being in the store someone was there to help.  What blew me away though was it was the first time in years where a sales assistant pulled out the old style stool with the foot rest on it so he could put the shoe on and tie it for me.  Talk about a Cinderella moment!  And of course the glass slipper fit and I walked out with these gorgeous things.

New Balance WR00SP

Now I just have to adapt my running style and see if this minimal running lark is for me – obviously this will be done after the race tomorrow.

As the countdown continues to the Georgia Half Marathon tomorrow morning I’ve been trying to stay calm and take it easy, or at least distract myself from the building nerves and adrenalin.  As much as I have been trying to restrict myself from any form of exercise, and use this week to rest, yesterday morning I found myself climbing the walls so I packed myself off to 90 minutes of hot yoga.  Yet again I left the class wondering why on earth I don’t do it every week – even my instructor said I looked physically different when I left – all the tension had left my face and body.  I tried not to overdo it and just go with the flow and at the end of the class I was detoxed, stretched and strengthened, I felt like I could conquer the world.  13.1 miles tomorrow will do though.

Spring is well and truly here and though I am happy for a little sunshine tomorrow morning I’m a tad nervous that it will either be a) way too hot and I’ll get dehydrated or b) there will be a thunder storm and they will stop the run.  As of now the forecast is for high 50s at the start of the race and only a 20% chance of a storm so fingers crossed the weather will be perfect.  Of course by 9am it could be a lot warmer and though the race starts at 7am I am in the 8th corral so it could take some time to even start the race and get going.  I know the way well downtown to the start at Centennial Park but with roads closing etc. I decided to do the drive down there today and make sure I knew where parking is and so on.  My friend was also supposed to be running but after many miles of training she fell and hurt her knee so sadly has had to pull out this year, however she very kindly passed on her VIP pass to me.  This fabulous package entitles me to parking right next to the start, a continental breakfast, post race massage and a VIP lunch – needless to say I feel a bit of a flake using it after just running a half as there will be many more deserving 26.2 mile runners, but it certainly helps reduce some of the pre-race anxiety.

Fortunately everyone else was happy to drive downtown with me as we promised to take the kids to the St. Patrick’s day parade.  MM was somewhat reluctant as he still can’t get to grips with the U.S. celebrating St. Patrick’s day in such an over the top fashion.  Well at least 3 of us were in our green to avoid a pinch, and I shed a tear as soon as I heard the military band.  I’m not sure what it is – I inherited it – but I always cry when I see/hear a marching band.

Here’s how I wore my green for the day: JCrew green 4″ chino shorts (4″ are available online only), Boden long sleeved Breton which coincidentally I LOVE – it’s so soft and I love the neck line, and navy Havaianas slim.

JCrew shorts, Boden Breton top, Havaianas

I accessorized with this little beauty bought a couple of years ago from Anthropology.

Anthropology

So for this evening it’ll be the second weekend night in a row alcohol free – unheard of in my neck of the woods…but hopefully worth it.  The coconut water and chia seeds will be my beverage of choice tonight – maybe I can make it green and join in the craic?

Coconut water and chia seeds