not necessarily in this order

Long background story short : problems with my right foot I at first assumed was plantar fasciitis because I was a new runner but then thought was a stress fracture after further Googling…   I guess I got what I deserved in trying to self-diagnosis myself. (or, as the Mr. often says, “ Doctor Google isn’t a quack! ”) My lack of knowledge about foot anatomy also played a key role, as well, in both my misunderstanding of what was going on and how I actually made it worse throughout June.   The good news is that  I don’t have plantar fasciitis nor a stress fracture !    The bummer news is that I have this thing called  posterior tibial tendon dysfunction  or  PTTD . My rough understanding is that this is a tendon that connects your calf muscle to the bones on the inside of your foot and supports your inside arch. When you mess it up, it can cause pain on the arch where the tendon connects (hey, that’s me!) and up through your ankle. To be honest, it ...

  5 small things that bring me a surprising amount of joy One : My line a day journal letting me end my day reflecting and not on a screen Two : Lil Momma coming home from her YMCA camp having made a new friend Three : AC in my car commute home during the heat wave Four : Picking up library holds Five : Convincing an entire breakout room in an work meeting to watch the new  Doctor Who  season   3 things that make me feel like me  (inspired by my current binging of the  Lazy Genuis  podcast) One : sitting on the couch reading a book Two : comfy jeans and a tank top and sandals Three : baking / cooking something on the weekend when I have time   1 thing bringing me down Sigh, I think I might have a stress fracture in my right foot; plantar fasciitis may have been a red herring. I have a podiatrist appointment tomorrow with an x-ray and we will see what actually is wrong and what it means for my summer plans….   1 reframe of what’s bringing me d...

What a week it’s been! Matilda Memories Well, we did more than survive Lil Momma’s long-awaited and bumpier than expected journey to playing her first lead/main character role for her musical theater class recital! The  drama  of the lead up weighed heavily on us both – waiting to leave for the  5pm  show on Saturday felt ENDLESS – but she was able to get her head in the right place and go in with an equal amount of nerves and confidence. Let me tell you, from the moment she said her first line to the moment she screamed her last and ran from the stage, the girl was on FIRE! My parental bias is balanced with an undergraduate focus in theater criticism / reviewing, but I have to say she was one of the best parts of the production. She got a ton of laughs, a few gasps here and there, and made it through the hard song like a boss. I think we all are so relieved that this is over, but I’m so glad it can be reframed as a lesson (or lessons) and a good experience vs. what ...

  What a rollercoaster of a week. It’s sometimes hard to share about Lil Momma’s big life; her privacy is always the priority. However, we went through a weird parenting and social experience that I think I can explore a little without breaking the trust I have with my girl.   Getting a “lead” in her musical theater class’s recital show has been a goal for LM since she started lessons 5 years ago. She’s seen her elementary school classmates who also go to this school excel; lead roles, asked to be on the competition team, etc.; and it’s been a lot of long conversations for us about opportunities and timing and growth and proving herself and, on the other side, how “fair” is a social construct and we don’t control some of these things and how there will be other opportunities to perform there and other places in the future. She has a whole life ahead of her and also has a very fulfilling set of dance classes and competition teams at a different studio, too.   So, when LM g...

  Some recent purchases from around my carts!   Milani Color Fetish Lip Stain – 160 Bitten Berry Lil Momma’s newest YouTube obsession is makeup tutorials. She only watches them with me, so I’ve done some deep diving on finding some creators who do natural looks, are tween appropriate for us, and also focus on skincare. The bonus for me is that I’ve been discovering some new products from all my “research”, haha! This lip stain makes such a difference for video calls on my work from home days when I don’t do my “in-office fancy routine”. After brushing my teeth, I put it on, let it sit for a minute, and then wipe it off. With a swipe of a lip moisturizer, I’ve staved off pale lips for the day. Who knew?   AZMED Plantar Fasciitis Night Splits As I’m sure I’ve mentioned, I’ve been having some ridiculous calf problems. First, I hurt my left calf going a bit too fast on a run a couple of weeks ago. I let it rest and did all my stretches and all that only to set off plantar fas...

  I think I’ve been letting the false idea that I’ll find the perfect time to write a post and edit and tweak a nd etc. get in the way of actually writing anything. So, here’s to a June of rambles and randoms and not replying to things in my head, haha!   Lil Momma and I have been taking walks in the woods on the weekends in our year of living dangerously with the pollen counts and working on our endurance. Also, we are doing a 2-mile Walk to End Alzheimer’s in the fall, as well, and she wants to be super ready (she specifically asked that we find a “walk” and not a “race”, but she still wants to train, haha). 2 weekends ago, she was super whiny from mile 1 because she actively chose not to bring water even though her mother recommended it multiple times, haha sigh. We’ve been watching all these ultra running documentaries, so I decided for this weekend’s adventure to be inspired by them by both making her carry water AND bringing fun snacks to “fuel”. Let me tell you, a lemon...