Lady Bug Recycled Craft

Lady Bug Recycled Craft

If you're looking for a cute recycled craft for your little kiddos try making a recycled lady bug craft!

A quick and easy craft

Supplies:  A clean cap from milk, peanut/almond butter, nuts, etc., googly eyes, a marker, and glue.

Instructions:
1. Using marker draw a semi circle on cap and fill in
2. Draw dots on the rest of cap
3. Dot two spots of glue inside semi-circle
4. Place googly eyes on dots of glue
5. Let dry and enjoy your new lady bug friend!

MiddleCoast Etsy Shop

It's official! MiddleCoast is open for business.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MiddleCoast

"The Body Book" Book Review

"But you can't just read this book and nod along in agreement. Thinking about it isn't the same as taking real action. You must actually commit to it. You must want it. And then you must go after it. Every time you make a better choice, you are strengthening your discipline and changing your habits. These little shifts in awareness will set you up to create more and more healthy habits that will sustain you over a lifetime."   -Cameron Diaz

"The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, The Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body" was a very enjoyable read by Cameron Diaz! I was surprised at her fun combination of humor and scientific information that made it less ominous and more fun to learn about health and the body.

Some people may jump to thinking that well it's easy for her to be healthy she's already skinny! Health isn't about being skinny. She shares that before she made the movie Charlie's Angels (at 26 years old) she mainly ate fast food and never ever worked out. Since the actresses did their own stunts she went through vigorous training beforehand. Her trainer in fact told them, "Pain is weakness leaving your body." She learned from that experience and shares, "if you have never trained please be gentle with yourself. Be forgiving. It took your whole life to create your body as it currently is at the moment. It's going to take time to make changes."

The books has three parts:

Part 1: Nutrition-Love Your Hunger
Part 2: Fitness-The Body Wants to Be Strong
Part 3: The Mind-Now You've Got This

Each part was informative, and I feel like I left the book being updated on current health news and how to strive at treating the body well every day.

"And that my experience-learning to connect to my body, to love my body, to truly live in my body-has been the foundation of everything I have done since." -Cameron Diaz

"The Body Book" is an excellent read!

For the month of May, I have decided to switch it up, and read a book on the philosophy of crafting called, "Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman" by Peter Korn. Korn went from a middle class, Ivy-educated child to being a successful furniture craftsman for many years. His past books focus on the "how-to," but he finally decided he wanted to explore the meaning of creating.

Happy Reading! <3MiddleCoastMommy

Running: A New Beginning

Happy Easter everyone! And thinking of Easter and spring I'm always reminded of new beginnings. So really it's the perfect time of year to start a "running new beginning" for yourself!

Since you have now discovered your goals, rewards, and created a rocking playlist here is a starter guide for beginning to run:

1. Gear up! Make sure you're wearing comfortable running gear, prepared for the outside or inside, music and water on hand.
2. Either Outdoors or on a treadmill start with a slow or comfortable walking pace. Walk for about 5 minutes.
3. Now that your muscles are warmed up, stretch them! I'm not talking a quick bounce here or there, it's helpful to give your legs, torso, and everything really a good stretch!
4. After stretching, begin intervals or walking and jogging with each song. EX: Song 1 walk, Song 2 jog, Song 3 Walk, Song 4 Jog, and so on. These intervals will help your lungs and body grow stronger so that you can jog/run longer. Plus it's motivating and fun!
5. After about 30 minutes, conclude with a cool down of 5 minutes walking followed by stretching.

*If you're using a treadmill, I recommend setting the incline at 1.5 since it is a more natural impact for your body. Sometimes while I'm walking on a treadmill I will raise the incline to anywhere between a 3-6 to help strengthen my leg muscles.

*Make sure you take time during your week to practice strength training. Building muscle will help improve your speed and endurance for running. It is important to train your entire body, because whether you realize it or not your entire body is being used while you run (not just your legs).

*Eating healthy whole foods and drinking plenty of water is wonderful fuel for your body!

*As time goes on start trying out new intervals, such as jogging 2 songs and walking 1 song, or jogging 5 songs and walking 1 song. Play around with the intervals, but LISTEN to your body! Your body will tell you loud and clear if you're pushing yourself too far! There is a difference between pain and injury! Our goal is strength so be kind to your body, listen to it, and help it guide you to a beautiful and stronger you!

Good luck and happy training! <3MiddleCoastMommy

Spring Painting Kids Craft

If you're looking for a fun craft to do this spring with your kids try this one! It can either be an umbrella with rain boots or a colorful egg with ducky feet. Last Friday I led this craft to a variety of 2-10 year olds, and they all seemed to have a lovely creative time!

Early Elementary Students

Finger Painting Fun!

Supplies: Paper plates, yellow or orange construction paper, pencil, scissors, tape or glue, and paint (use a paintbrush or sponge if preferred)

Project Instructions:
1. Cut a zig zag or semi circle line through a paper plate
2. Draw and cut out two rain boots or ducky feet shapes on construction paper
3. Tape or glue rain boots or ducky feet onto back of paper plate
4. Finger paint or paint with a brush on the paper plate (can be polka dots or designs)

Preschool Students

Happy Painting! <3MiddleCoastMommy

My Running Beginning

Now that you've set your goal(s) and rewards for running I wanted to share my history on how I got into running, and no it was not a glorious beginning.

Most of my life I always thought running was about speed, and no wonder when speed tended to be the definition of being a good runner. In school you were measured by your mile run and how fast you were according to state standards. I never remember once anyone teaching me how to run properly and how to build up distance or speed. So go figure that I not only was a slow runner, but I hated running.

It actually wasn't until my physical education course in college when I figured out how to love running. You ask why or how? Well to be honest, I was dating a boy that I had a mad crush on in my class, and out of the blue he broke up with me. The class was a ton of fun up until that point. We always played basketball during class, and after the breakup I had to decide between playing basketball with the boy who broke my heart or running the track that I hated with a passion. I picked the track. Since I had to spend the entire class period on the track I had plenty of time that semester to make friends with running. Not only did I make friends with running, but also with my body. It was the start of a beautiful friendship that has lasted to this very day! :)

Until my next running post, please start creating an awesome workout music playlist. It will jazz up your body and mind!

The Journal of Best Practices Book Review

"L A U N D R Y. Late one night I wrote the word in large, sloppy capitals in my journal, then underlined it twice. Beside it, I wrote: Better to fold and put away than to take only what you need from the dryer."
                                                                                                              -David Finch

You may read that and think, "Okaaaaay? What's your point? What's so life-moving about that? Well, for the author, David Finch, it is/was a life-changing point for him.

David Finch was married for 5 years with 2 children before finding out that he had the high-functioning autistic disorder, Asperger Syndrome. You may imagine that this was devastating news for him and his wife, Kristen, but actually he saw it as a relief.

Asperger's is a high-functioning form of autism. There has been more research on the topic currently to help children and adults with this syndrome. At the time for David Finch, however, Aspergers was not as big of a hot topic as it is today.

So, he developed a journal of best practices, which he turned into the book, "The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband." As he lived his daily life he would jot down philosophies on post-it notes, cards, napkins and eventually into this journal. It helped him process and understand "proper" social behaviors, such as putting away the laundry instead of taking out only what you need from the dryer or don't change the radio when your wife is singing along to the song.

Personally, this book made me laugh out loud. David Finch is a hilarious and fantastic writer who really gives the reader insight on what it is like for someone with Asperger Syndrome. Not only that but it is inspiring to everyone to work hard for a happy marriage and for those who you love. Many professionals have taken interest in his book including NPR.

Finch Family

Even though I enjoyed the book, I do know that most people tended to take sides with him or his wife. Some people thought he

was a terrible husband and others thought she was a terrible wife. But here's the thing; it takes A LOT of courage for David Finch to share such personal stories, and it is written from his perspective not his wife's. So, it is easy to judge his marriage dynamic, but keep in mind that you still are not seeing the full perspective of what it is like to be in their shoes. Enjoy the book for what it is, and try not to judge or think what would I have done. Enjoy his humor, his care, and his knowledge. I luckily was able to see him give a speech about his book, and it was very fun to see him in person! Even his wife and children were there. He had such a fun personality and voice, and luckily he narrates the audiobook version of his book so if you'd like to hear his personality I would recommend that. It was a fun and great read!

Considering my past couple posts on swimsuit season and beginning to run I thought it'd be a great time for "The Body Book" by Cameron Diaz which was recently published with a fun health edge for April's Read. "

Happy Reading!

Running for Beginners

Yesterday I joined a "Walk 2 Run" group for my friend who wants to become a runner. Upon speaking with the group leader, she thought I was too advanced for the group, but said it'd be fine for me to join in support of my friend. To my surprise there was about 100 people there ranging from kids to the elderly. It starts off with intervals of running and walking eventually running for 30 minutes straight (over the time frame of 10 weeks).

Since this was not the first time I have been asked for running help or to partner run, I thought it'd be fun to share a "MiddleCoast Mommy's Guide to Running for Beginners." I have plenty of tips that I've picked up over the years having trained myself to go from a 17 minute mile to an 8 minute mile (my fast pace) and my longest distance of 10 miles. I'm not a doctor, physical therapist, or personal trainer, but I am someone who went from running in misery to running for fun so hopefully I can help you become a happy runner!

MiddleCoast Mommy Running for Beginners: 
The Beginning

Way to go! You've made this far without shutting down your computer and singing "La! La! La!" trying to block out the memory of my little soapbox speech. Give yourself a pat on the back! But really, way to go!

First things first, if you have any health concerns please speak with your doctor first before starting a running routine. You want to make sure that you're in tip top shape before starting an exercise program.

Right now is the time to get pumped. Ask yourself why it is you want to be a runner. This will help you set a goal for yourself. I advise not to give yourself one goal, but a few. Your goals could be amount of weight you want to lose, distance covered, speed improvement, 5k runs, etc. For each goal reached have a planned reward, and I'm not talking unlimited pizza and beer for a completing a 5k! I'm talking healthy rewards, which could be a pedicure, a sweatyband, cute running apparel, new music for your iPod, etc. I have even heard of people putting money in a jar for pounds lost or miles run, and at the end of the month they treat themselves to an adorable outfit or a girls night out!

Once you have set your goals and rewards make sure you have good running shoes (make sure they're the right one for your feet and stance not just cute ones), and comfortable running clothes. For both indoors and outdoors make sure you have water, and if you're running outside make sure you protect your skin with sunblock. Feel free to start setting up a playlist of your favorite tunes. I personally tend to like running to music that makes me want to get up and dance.

Instead of jumping right into running please take time to think about your reasons, goals, and rewards. You want it to be meaningful to you to keep you inspired and pushing past difficulties to reach that goal.

Happy Planning! Running tips to come :)

<3MiddleCoastMommy