My Five Running Must Haves!

*Disclosure: I have received the running belt and towel for free through Tomoson.com to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I agreed to review these products because I found them useful in my daily life.  All opinions expressed here are my own and are not influenced in any way!  I hope you enjoy and find this post helpful!

I am so excited to be signed up for another virtual race!  This particular race will be run on my birthday this year, December 21st!  I will be participating in Elf On The Run 5K!  I am most excited about the medal!  I love race bling and this particular medal has the cutest little holiday elf on it!  Christmas is my favorite holiday probably since I was born just three day before.  I love all the twinkling lights and holiday cheer that comes this time of year!  I plan on running my race in the evening in hopes of seeing lots of Christmas lights along the way.  I have put together a Small list of my five running must haves to share with you!

1. First on my list is a comfortable pair of running shoes.  the shoes must fir properly to avoid blisters, and for me must have a well cushioned sole to ease my knee pain!  Everyone has their favorite brand and fit.  As for me, I am really loving my K-Swiss Tubes right now!
2. the second thing on my list is comfortable running clothing.  You want something that fits properly and that you are comfortable in.  I personally like Capri running pants, but again everyone has their own preference.  just be comfortable!
3. Number three on my list is a running belt!  I am so excited I have finally found a belt that is comfortable and is able to fit my phone in it.  I have tried different products in the past and they either slid on my arm or my phone just did not fit.  I am going to be using the SKMEI LED Running Belt for my virtual race, because it not only holds my phone in a comfortable belt, but also my money, I.D, a small towel, and house key!  I love this new belt not only because it holds all my essentials but it also has an LED light on it so cars can see me while running at night! You can check out the belt in action here!
4. Four on my list is a small towel.  This may be TMI but while running I sweat A lot, not only that my nose begins to run right along with my legs.  So I have learned to bring something along to wipe my sweat or my nose if the need arises.  During my virtual run I will be using a Ultra Compact Sporten Microfiber Towel!  I love this towel because it fits perfectly in my belt and comes in very handy for any natural disasters!
5. Number five on my list is a head band!  There is nothing more maddening than fly aways sticking all over your sweaty face while running!  I love the buff style head bands so I can adjust it to the conditions.  If it is cold I can have it cover my ears which keeps more more comfortable in the cooling temperatures!

That is my top five must haves.  Do you have a must have while running?  What is it that you can not live without while out on the trails or running paths?  I would love to hear about it!

SKMEI LED Running Belt

A real life fairy tale...

Once upon a time there was this little girl, her hair a golden blonde, her eyes a mysterious shade of green, born on the first day of the winter.  The girls daddy was a submarine sailor and her mom was always in her eyes site.  She had a feisty big brother with fiery red hair, who often would pick on her, but she loved him anyway.  She traveled to far off lands as a baby and came to settle in a small California gold mining town in the eastern mountains of San Diego county.  At the young age of four the fierce flames of a very hot fire took her home and every last belonging from her.  Her favorite blanket, her dolls, her winter coats and even her shoes...gone.  The girls family had nothing, they found themselves living off the land with no home, running water, or electricity, but she was happy!

This girl had a big smile, she was told it lit up the room!  She had scraggly hair, freckles, and her bones were long and lanky.  She grew up playing in the dirt, making forts in the bushes, and climbing trees.  She had no cable television or telephone.  She was happy, she was fun, and she was loved.  While other kids were busy growing with the outside world, she was busy growing her heart.  One day she would find the one to share this big heart with.

Meanwhile there was this little boy.  He had blonde straight hair, and eyes the color of chocolate.  He had a dimple in his chin and an honest tongue.  Unlike the little girl He grew up in the same house in the city with a manicured lawn, and paved streets.  He loved to ride his bike and play with his neighborhood friends.  This little boy was the baby of his family with two older sisters.  The little boy grew up watching the relationships around him and one day would be able to share his findings. The little boy's dad was a hard worker and great provider for his family, his mom always had children in the home showing him love and compassion for babies.  One day this little boy will grow up to be a great provider and a daddy.  One day he will share this with the one.

The day had come that the little boy turned eighteen, thirteen months later so did the little girl, they were now adults!  Coming from two different worlds, the two were about to cross paths.  Their whole life seemingly leading up to this point.  It was a dark quiet night In a far off land, another country to be exact.  The little girl and the little boy crossed each others paths.  She noticed him from across the smokey dim lit room.  He approached her and asked her to dance.  He bought her a single rose and they exchanged numbers.

It has been 22 years since the two crossed paths and today marks their 15th wedding anniversary!  The little girl has found the one to share her heart with, and the little boy is a hard working husband and daddy of three beautiful children and an angel .  The little girl believes these two were put on this earth for one another. They lived happily ever after.

The end....

Holiday craft time!! Reindeer gift set :)

Hello, Thank you for visiting today!  It is a rainy day here in Buckeye, so what better thing to do than some crafts with the kiddos!  We set off to the dollar store to pick out some supplies.  I saw these cute reindeer online and thought they looked simple enough for me to tackle!  I am one that some may call, "craft challenged".  I don't really have a craft bone in my body, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it any less!

This reindeer was super simple, and only took a few short steps!

Here is what you need:

• (1) Wash Cloth
• (1) Bar of Soap
• (1) Rubber Band (to secure ears)
• (2) pipe cleaners (for antlers)
• (2) Craft Googly eyes
• (1) red pom pom (nose)
• Ribbon or bow

 Instructions:

• place wash cloth in shape of a diamond
• place soap in center of wash cloth
• pull the top and bottom corners together and then roll down towards soap
• pinch the two ears together and secure with rubber band
• bend first pipe cleaner into a v shape, cut second pipe cleaner to construct antlers
• stick down in between ears secured by rubber band
• add eyes and nose
• wrap bow around the ears
• Finished!!!  Isn't he adorable!?

These make wonderful teacher's gifts!!

Meat Lovers Spaghetti and Meatball Garlic Bread Hoagie :)

Today I would like to bring to the table something like non other!  The Meat Lovers Spaghetti and Meatball Sandwich  served on a garlic toasted hoagie bun.  Now before we start I am not claiming this little handful of heaven to be healthy, diet food, gluten free, all natural, vegetarian, or anything else you may wish it to be.  You are more than welcome to adjust it to your liking or preference!  The truth is, it's full of carbs, meat, cheese, butter, and everything good (or not so good) in your life.  Now you have been warned, so don't be blaming Ronda over at Buckeye Moms Meet for ruining your diet.

I got the inspiration for this sandwich from my nine year old son.  We were sitting at dinner one night eating Spaghetti and he says, "wouldn't it be weird if someone made a spaghetti sandwich?"  Ding...Ding...Ding, I'm weird, I can make a spaghetti sandwich!  So without further ado, I bring you The Meat lovers Spaghetti and Meatball sandwich!

  Warning:  This is super delicious and just might wreck your diet!

Things you need:

• Hoagie buns or french sandwich rolls
• Spaghetti noodles
• sweet Italian sausage
• meatballs (you can make your own or buy ready to eat)
• spaghetti sauce (again, make your own the way you like it or buy a jar of your favorite)
• red bell peppers
• onions
• minced garlic
• butter
• honey for taste 
• fresh basil for garnish

How to get this handful of heaven on your plate:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil 
• add spaghetti noodles to your boiling water ( boil according to package directions) then strain and set aside
• brown Italian sausage in a skillet 
• add diced onion, bell peppers, garlic, Italian seasoning to the sausage
• add spaghetti sauce and meatballs to the sausage mixture (let the flavors dance for a good five minutes on low)
• I like to add a little bit of honey to my sauces to balance out the acidity.
• add the cooked spaghetti noodles to your sauce and stir
• butter your bread sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese, place in toaster oven until lightly browned
• add spaghetti inside  your toasted bun
• top with meatballs, Parmesan cheese, and basil for garnish!

Enjoy :)

Why I Have Taken a Break From My Blog...

Hi, It's me Ronda!  I wanted to stop by BuckeyeMomsMeet.com and give my apologies, for I have stepped away from my office for a bit.  I will start by saying, I love being a blogger!  I started blogging a little over a year and a half ago because I LOVE writing!  I have always kept a journal since I was a young child.   Writing has always been an escape for me, an escape from the thoughts stuck twirling around inside my mind.  I have almost every thought documented since the age of eight.

I started out blogging sharing some of my old poetry and writing fun little creative pieces about random things such as lost socks.  I was then introduced to some opportunities where I could sample some free products and write reviews about them.  I thought this was fun and I got some cool free products in the process.  Blogging was still very much a hobby for me.....and then I went to my first blogging conference!

I love attending blogging conferences!  I mean what is there not to love!?  You get treated like royalty at fancy places all over the US.  You get to learn so much from very talented people.   You walk away with a ton of knowledge and new friends, and don't even get me started on the swag!  I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people at the top of their game, leaders of this industry!  Everyone is always so very nice and forth coming of their knowledge.  Every person I have met at these great events have been very supportive!  You make friends and acquaintances, you follow each other on social media sites, it really is like one big blogging family!

I attend these conferences like a big sponge.  I am eager to learn!  I started taking all the little advice and new found knowledge I had heard and learned, and started trying to apply it to my blog.   So here are the thoughts twirling around in my Brain.   You need recipes!  You need pinnable images on your posts.  You need to monetize your blog.  Ad placement.  Subscription pop ups.  Hashtags.  Videos.  Better picture lighting.  I need to invest in a better camera.  Do I need to re brand?  What is my niche anyway?  Am I helping people?  What kind of products can I sell?  I need to charge more,  raise my price.  Don't work for free.  You are worth it.  How is it I get more followers.  numbers. numbers. numbers.  numbers.....

Some of these women and men make a lot of money at what they do!  They have this blogging thing down to a science!  How are they so successful?  Why?  Because their blogs are their passion!  They write about what they love!  The moment I started writing about bladder leakage just to get paid, I sold myself out!  I was no longer writing because I enjoyed it, I was writing to try and keep up.  I was trying to make a dollar, rather than just doing what I am passionate about and enjoy.  My blog was becoming work that I hated.  I was worrying about who liked me and how many followers I could get so I just might get picked for a high paying campaign.  It became about money.  It became about competition.

Blogging is not easy!  It is not a way to sit at home on your butt and make easy money while getting lots of free things.  It is not for the weak at heart.  There is a lot of applying for campaigns and pitching brands.  There is a lot of being turned down.  There is a lot of feelings of failure.  There are deadlines and contracts.  It is a lot of work, which takes a lot of time...and a lot of PASSION.  Without passion you have just another forgotten page lost out in the cloud.

This world is driven by the dollar sign.  I refuse to sell my self short and cause myself to hate what I am doing any longer.  I stepped away for a while to get back on track.  Life is not about numbers, or followers.  I am not defined by the number of opportunities that pass me by because my numbers don't add up.

I am taking back my blog.  I will not work for my blog any longer!  My reason, that old wonderful quote that says,  "if you choose a job you love, you will never work a day in your life"  :)

Thank you for understanding my need to take a step back.  I am excited to bring all the things I love back to BuckeyeMomsMeet!  Have a beautiful day!

Today...Choose Kindness!

I wanted to share something with you all.  I stopped watching the news years ago because it was too sad.  Story after story was heartbreak and despair.  I decided I didn't need to know of all the sad things happening in the world, and that I could be happier in my naive little bubble.  It's not that I don't have compassion for the struggles of others, I have too much!  I feel deeply.  Floods, tornadoes, wars, third world countries starving and having no fresh water, earth quakes, tsunamis, school shootings, theater shootings, children dying of disease and cancers. There is so much sadness in this world when I see it, I think about it, I pray about it, I cry about it, and I obsess about it!  So I turned off the news.  Every morning and throughout the day I am on various social media channels trying to engage with my following and I have learned I cannot hide from the sadness, because everyone EVERYONE is going through something!

I started blogging a little over a year ago, mostly because I enjoy writing.  I have kept a journal since I was eight years old.  I attended a birthday party of some of my friends in elementary school and I won the "pin the tail on the donkey" game.  My prize was this pink puffy diary with hearts all over it and a magnetic closure.  My first entry into my diary was that night at the sleepover birthday party talking about how I won the diary.  Over the years I have used that diary to write down my thoughts, mostly to get them out of my own head.  I keep my diary hidden...really hidden.  If someone were to read it they would probably be very concerned, mostly because that diary is like the news it's full of sadness!  I am not a sad person, most people say their favorite thing about me is my smile.  I love to laugh and have fun, because the only way to fix being sad is to be happy!

I have been through a lot in my lifetime.  I have seen a lot, done a lot, and survived a lot.  I often disregard what I have been through because as they say someone has always got it worse!  This is so true!  Everyday I log on to Facebook I see people close to me losing family members to suicide, children missing from their homes, cancer taking the lives of children.  I see people asking for help to lift their families up in prayer.  We as a world need to be more kind!

Life is hard, really hard!  Everyone is going through something and to each one of these people it's a BIG something to them!  We don't need to watch the news to see the sadness because most likely it's right next to you hiding behind the smile of your neighbor.  Be kind!  Give someone a compliment today.  For God's sake let that car in, in the school pickup line.  Hold the door for someone.  It all goes back to that lesson in life we have all heard, treat others as you would like to be treated.  People are always trying to prove something, prove that there is still kindness in the world!

Have a beautiful day, and please be kind!