My son is 4 months old now.  It seems like it was ages ago I just had him.  Almost as if he should be a year old already!  I know I had this with my first kiddo but it was stronger with this one - I'm talking about the desire to get into a "normal" routine and feel like I could go about my life almost as if I hadn't just had a baby.  I feel like you go through phases when you finally have your baby.  First you have the overwhelming joy, excitement, and astonishment that you actually grew this live being inside of you over the past forever amount of months.  Then you go home and you start feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and frazzled (when did I last shower?). 

Most of the time you kind of start understanding how things work... baby cries a lot and there isn't always something you can do about it, showers are not very easy to come by but they have never felt better, you are amazed at how fast you can fall asleep when you feel accomplished knowing your little one is happily sleeping as well, and I am always amazed at how well I can hear.  Then comes my favorite yet least favorite phase - the one where you decide that things are mostly normal again and you can go about life almost how you did before you had a new infant.   You start making more plans, you start venturing out of the house more, you actually feel somewhat confident inviting people over to your house!  Before you know it... you get so into "normal" life and routine that you soon find out you are EXHAUSTED!!!  (read more here)

When life is going “good” for you, what do you find yourself saying internally?  “When life is going good, I’m just waiting for something bad to  happen.” Or maybe “when life is going good, I try to enjoy it while I can.”  How  about when life is going “bad?”  Do you think to yourself, “When life is going  bad I just want to give up because I feel like I can never get ahead” or “When  life is going bad I know I just have to keep pushing through because it’s just  got to get better?” 

How you answer these questions may have a lot of influence on many areas of your health and well-being.  Typically your answers will fit into a pessimistic  view or an optimistic view.  Mayo Clinic states, “The positive thinking that  typically comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management.  And  effective stress management is associated with many health benefits.”  (find  article here)

 I used to not have the most optimistic outlook on life, especially when I was making my way through college.  I felt like nothing was going my way. I was  constantly stressed out from dealing with one thing or another.  The thought  that frequented my mind was, “Can’t I just catch a break?!”  (read on here...)

Today I ran the color run . If you haven’t heard about this 5k that’s sweeping the nation as “The Happiest 5k on the Planet,” then let me catch you up.  This is a 5k that is not timed and is a “unique paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness, individuality, and giving back.”  THOUSANDS of people sign up for this race (600,000 in 2012 and over a million already in 2013!), decked out in colorful tutus, wigs, socks and clothes, most of which starts out white and ends up covered in a nice variety of purple, green, blue, and orange. (Color Run)
 
While I was running with a friend of mine, we decided to take a walking break and have a little conversation.  I asked her why she thought so many people get so into a race where people throw colored cornstarch at you that gets EVERYWHERE – hair, face, eyes, and mouth included.  We concluded it is rather bizarre.  You either get it or you don’t but I’ll tell you one thing, this race is open to anyone and everyone.  We saw young children, older couples, bridal parties, teams running in memory of someone special, people in wheelchairs, on knee scooters, and walkers!!  There is no pressure to finish within a
certain amount of time so people just cruise along at their own pace, enjoying the company of a friend or someone they just met.  

What is it about that colored cornstarch though?!  (read more here...)