Posing during a Disney Run.

It can be extremely hard to pose for a picture when you are running and sweat is pouring from your head. On top of that I am not at all photogenic, so even though I really wanted a nice photo I didn't think I would get one. But I ended up getting tons of nice photos during my 10k and even a few really nice ones during my half marathon. Thanks to Disney's amazing photo team and a few helpful tips, you can get some amazing photos too. I hope this helps!

1. The reason why I got more pics on the 10k was because it was an easier run for me and I was able to keep a look out for the photographers. So do yourself a favor, train for your run! The easier the run is for you the more aware you will be of your surrounds to spot the camera people.

2. Don't stop to get your picture taken, unless you take a picture with a character on the side lines. If your running pass one of the camera members just look at them and smile, slow down your pace, but keep a decent speed. If you stop someone running behind you is probably looking at the camera guy and well run into you. The camera staff is amazing at getting pics of you in motion, trust they can get one. In all my pictures I am on the move.

3. Even tho it does feel extremely weird to pose for a picture when you are running. Do it!! Who knows when you will get the opportunity to run a Disney run again. You trained for it, you want the pictures. Hold that smile, that wave, that thumbs up, no matter how weird it feels.  Strike that pose!

4. Dress up for some fun pictures! If you want you can wear you regular running gear. But whats the fun in that!? I recommend dressing up as a theme character or your favorite character to get some extra special pictures.

Have Fun!

Some of the Biggest Disneyland Half Marathon Mistake

The amazing Disneyland half marathon!! This is a wonderful but painful goal that I decided I wanted to experience. Don't get me wrong! It's totally worth the pain and the 2:30 am wake up call. Not only did I train for this run I also read blog after blog on advice and tips.  Besides the obvious of making sure you are actually training and can make the 16 minute mile pace, here are a few of the most important tips.

I did the 10k and the half marathon this weekend. My biggest mistake was thinking the 10k was anything like the half marathon. The 10k is a real race that you should train for, but a lot of people that do it are not overly concerned about their time. They have fun with their custom choice and props. The half marathon also has some who decide to wear customs, but for the most part they have minimal customs like run skirts that sparkle and short tutus that neither cover their butts or weight them down.

Look at me in the picture above!!!! What was I thinking! As soon as I lined up in the corral and took one look around I knew I was in trouble. I by far had the biggest tutu I could see. About 7 miles into the run I was completely  miserable and the thought of how much my tutu was weighing me down kept playing in my mind over and over again. So what I promised myself I wouldn't do, I did! I stripped off my fluffy bo pee tutu and never looked back. To be honest I heard a women behind me say "That's totally ridiculous!" But I read on another blog before my run that throwing things down on the side that you didn't want was acceptable and would be donated to Goodwill.  So I don't know what that ladies problem was...maybe my tutu got caught in the wind and flew back and hit her in the face...

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This brings me to my second tip. Whatever you do prepare for the weather!! I don't know how I could have planned for how hot it was but I wish I would have trained in hotter weather. My corral started at 5:20 am and it was already 84 degrees. 

"Water water I need water." Said a girl on the sideline sitting on the ground with a bunch of people huddled around her. Okay, so a  lot of people out there say don't bring water there are enough water stands that you run pass. I'm going to give those people the benefit of the doubt, and say they must be trained athletes. Because if they are not, they're either lairs or murders trying to kills us or trying to win the race.  I am telling you right now, running and drinking is not the funnest or easiest thing I have attempted. Although it must be pretty entertaining for the people on the sidelines. On top of that the sip of water you get from those cups that actually make it in your mouth and not down your chest is definitely not enough to quince any normal person's thirst. So bring your own source of water, unless you are comfortable on long runs without it.

I hope you fined these tips helpful! Next week I will post about getting some great Disney Run pics during your run.

Disneyland 10K Tips

Hello Everyone!!

Thousands of people each year signup for the Disneyland 10k. I decided to do the double dare. Which means running the 10k on Saturday and then the half marathon on Sunday. Why would anybody do that??!! For me, it’s my love of running and medals.(lol more medals then running)  Not only do you get the 10k and half marathon medal you also get an amazing double dare medal. This year double dare medal was an awesome Pixar themed metal.  Instead of writing about both and getting things all confused I will first share my thoughts on the 10k.

The 10k is an amazing opportunity for anyone who enjoys or doesn't enjoy running. You get the chance to run inside of Disneyland and California Disney. Some of the race is outside of the main park (you end up running by some equipment) but I didn't mind it at all.

Main things to be prepared for:

1. This is a real 10k! Yes, what other bloggers say is true there are some distractions along the way. But the excitement of cute characters waving at you, and funny customs running alongside you soon fades at about the 3rd mile. The heavy reality of only being about half way soon hits you like a ton of bricks if you don't train. You don't have to run the whole thing but if you plan on enjoying Disneyland at all when you are there, make sure you can keep up with the 16-minute mile pace without killing yourself.

2. You will be waking up at about 2:30 - 3:00 am every morning for a 5:00am race keep that in mind. I thought this would totally kill me because I had to do it 2 days in a row. But it wasn't too bad. Just make sure you go to bed early!! Your family is going to want to hang out, they don't have to get up and run so don't feel bad for turning in early. Also  have all your gear picked out the night before, know what you will eat in the morning, and keep hydrated.

3. Be prepared for the heat! With a 5:00 am run, this one got me. If anything I was prepared to be cold. But when I lined up in the corral with sweat lightly collecting on my forehead from the 80 degree temperate at 5:00am, I knew my arm warmers were unneeded. 

4.  For the 10k about 50% of the people dress up like a Disney character. My suggestion is that you wait to hear what the Disney theme will be and then get an outfit to coordinate. But if you aren't particularly happy with the theme, don't worry you can dress up as any Disney character of your choice as long as it follows Disney's costume rules. Test that costume!! I went as piglet for the 10k and about half way through the run, my ears were killing me and I had to hold them. 

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5. Have fun!! Remember you have been planning on this run for quite awhile so dress cute, take pictures and enjoy your surroundings!!

What is mommy time?

What is mommy time? I have to tell you that this is an area I struggle with greatly. All mommies need time to themselves! Raise your hand if you feel guilty leaving your kids, even though you’re ready to get away? The joys of motherhood, right?

The important point is that you actually take time for yourself. Money may be tight and you can’t pay for a sitter, so how do you spend time by yourself? One of the ways you can spend time with yourself is to swap childcare with your mommy friends. This is sometimes harder than it seems because everyone runs the other way when it’s their turn to watch the kids. Just try to stick to the childcare swap and follow through with your promises.

Have your husband or significant other watch the children for you. I know a lot of dads are scared to spend that alone time with the kids, but it needs to happen. Even if he watches them for a few hours while you just get out of the house. Don’t pawn your kids off on a stranger, but there are ways to find childcare for little to no cost. In some cases, it might also be appropriate to just hire a sitter. Everyone can afford a once-in-a-while sitter….right?

Mommy time just makes you a better mom. It helps you appreciate those times that you spend with your kids. It doesn’t mean there won’t be poop, pee or vomit involved, but it’s worth the risk.

What to do while your kids play outside...

It’s spring time and that means our kids are going to be spending a little more time outside. Well, let’s face it; they will be spending a LOT more time outside. What are we mommies supposed to do while our kid’s play outside? First of all, it’s good for the whole family to be outside playing and having fun, but it’s not really all that appealing when you’re an adults. Here are some ideas for you to have fun while you are outside with your kids:

Lay out in the sun

It’s not impossible to relax while your kids are outside playing. Layout in the sun and let the warm breeze relax you. At least you can look tan if you’re going to spend a lot of time out in that warm weather. J

Exercise

What is exercise? You know it’s that thing you do (or that you’re supposed to do) to keep in shape. While you are outside with your kids, feel free to do lunges, squats and run in place while your kids run around. All of these little fitness features really add up, but it’s up to you to actually do them. There are about a million and one things you can do outside while your kids are playing. Just learn to be creative!

Play with your kids

Kids are in shape because they actually run around and burn their energy. You may not be able to keep up, but you can still run around and do what they do. You’re in the comfort of your own backyard, so no one will notice. Have fun with your kids and before you know it, you will be losing weight too.

Staying fit is important, so you can remember those precious moments with your kids. After all, Mommies Priceless Moments is about witnessing those hilarious, precious and downright amazing moments with your children.

Potty Training Disaster

Poop is that “one word” that moms hate to hear. There are tons of horror stories about parenthood and poop. I’m sure if you think back, you can recall at least one or two of your own poop stories. Here is a story a young mom shared with me about her poop adventure:

My son is turning three this week, but potty training has been quite the journey. He has decided that peeing on the potty is not a big deal, but pooping on the potty is something he will not do. A few nights ago, my husband put our son to bed. My husband had a friend over and I was working late into the night. Here it is going on 10 o’clock and my husband was still not successful in getting our almost three year old to bed.

Finally, I gave up and decided to go check on our son myself. I walk into the room and my son is completely covered in poop. He had decided to poop and try to cover it up. He had taken off his diaper; poop was all over the floor. He had determined he wanted to use his hands to help wipe up the mess. When I walked in it looked as though he had finger painted with poop. He also looked like a warrior because he had taken his hands and wiped his face with it.

I spent a long time cleaning up the entire mess and laughing to myself because if you don’t laugh, you will cry.

Can you share your worst poop story with us? After all, we are all parents on here and it’s good to laugh at each other.

Sorry Safeway!

My husband and I decided to go pick up some dessert at our local Safeway. I bundled up my two year old Tyson and rushed into the store. I let him down and we all headed to the dessert area. As my husband and I looked at the selection of cookies I heard a crackle to my right. I quickly turned my head and there was Tyson. He had grabbed a cake out of the refrigerated area and was holding it upside down. “Oh No!” As I leaped toward Tyson he froze and I was able to grab the cake from his hands and flip it right side up. My husband I examined the damage, the cake was smashed to the top of the lid.

“That’s alright” my husband said. “They are use to kids doing that kind of stuff.”

We put the cake down and headed over to the dairy section. As I was looking at the eggs I glanced over and notice a women looking down at my legs with a very strange look on her face, a look of utter disapproval and disgust. (Thinking back at it I wish I could have slapped that look off her face, but anyways) I immediately looked down and saw my son with a carton of eggs in his hand. He somehow managed to flip the carton upside down and an egg was rolling toward the lady with the ugly face.  I quickly grabbed the eggs from my son picked up the roll-a-way egg shoved it back into the carton and put the eggs back in the freezer. I grabbed my son under my arms and rushed over to the next row where my husband was looking at cereal.

I told him about the ordeal, we both agreed it would be safer for Safeway’s products if we put Tyson in the cart. We shoved him in the front of the cart and quickly rushed off to the fruit section. My son loves strawberries and it’s about the only fruit he will eat so I grabbed him a basket. He got very excited when he saw the strawberries so I handed them to him to hold. When we were about 6 feet away from the line he dropped them. I was so embarrassed; I got down on my knees and began to pick them up. One of the clerks saw me and told me it was okay and to go get another basket. I said okay and rushed off, grabbed another pack of strawberries and head back to the line. I was in such a hurry to get back to the line I was flapping both of my arms like a wild chimp. All of a sudden my arm hit a carton of small tomatoes and they went flying in the air. I couldn’t believe it! I fell to the floor and picked up all the tomatoes in a matter of seconds. I had the crumpled carton of tomatoes in one hand and the basket of strawberries in the other. I ran over to the check-out-line where my husband and son were waiting. I couldn’t believe how much destruction one family could cause in a matter of minutes. I was sure that the next time I went to Safeway our pictures would be posted on the wall with a note that told the employees not to let us enter. J Unbelievable I haven’t seen one yet!

Has anyone else ever had a traumatic moment like this with your child?