All posts by Little M.S. Runner

Forty-something, married with two kids and two dogs. Trying hard to live every day to the fullest with multiple sclerosis, impaired vision, and deafness. Couldn't make it without my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Health, ItWorks, Multiple Sclerosis

Product Feature: Chocolate Greens

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I am the kind of person who once I find something I love, I stick with it. I commit. Seriously. I wore the same pair of Doc Marten sandals until they were literally falling apart (and was devastated to find I couldn’t replace them because they had been discontinued 10 years prior). I’ve been using the same scent of body wash since college (sweet pea & violet). I’ve been married to the same man for over 20 years. And my favorite band has not changed since the 90s (R.E.M.). I’m loyal, and I’m not crazy about change, especially if I’ve found something that works.

So believe me when I tell you this is a product worth trying. The greens was the first product that I tried from It Works many many years ago, and I still love it. This is a powder that you can mix with just water. It is soy-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, and vegan. Its loaded with 34 fruits and veggies and 52 herbs and nutrient rich superfoods. It also has a blend of magnesium and potassium to fight acidity in your body. Y’all, this stuff is a game changer. I love to eat my fruits and veggies, but I know I still leave a lot of nutrition on the table. This is a super easy and delicious way to give my body the fuel it needs to function every day.

I first tried the orange flavor greens from a vendor at a hot air balloon show several years ago and what I remember most is that the day after I drank it, I had one of the best bowel movements I had had in a long time. Because this was way back when I was still struggling with constipation and that was kind of a big deal. So I’m sorry if you think that’s too much information, but come on. We all do it. They even wrote a book about it.

Moving on though (no pun intended ha!!).. They didn’t keep the orange flavor greens, which makes me kind of sad, but they kept two great flavors with the chocolate and the berry. If you like sweets, you’ll love the berry. If you’re a chocolate lover like myself, go with the chocolate. I’ve been trying to make a point to drink this stuff every day because I feel very strongly that it’s contributing to how great I’m feeling lately. The mental clarity I have when I’m taking it is significant. The brain fog that comes with multiple sclerosis is very common, and its both frustrating and scary. To be honest, I hadn’t really noticed that the brain fog was gone until I stopped drinking the greens regularly for awhile and it came back. I was starting to feel crummy again and it dawned on me that the only thing that had really changed was that. So now I’m making a point to drink the stuff every day, and my brain is back to its happy self again.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in trying, or if you have questions, let me know! Or if you just want to chat about your health journey and what’s working (or not) for you, I’m all ears! I am always eager to talk with others about their successes and struggles. We people gotta stick together, right?

Coffee, Deep thoughts, Exercise, Faith, ItWorks, Kids, Piper

Change of plans

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Our house came with a really awesome metal gazebo thing on the back deck. It had a cover, and when it ripped we replaced it. Then it ripped again, we replaced it again. That one ripped… I think we are on our 4th cover, but we are crossing our fingers that this one will last a little longer. Our backyard is in a wind tunnel so it gets some rough treatment. We shall see.

All this to say that one of my favorite spots at this house is on that back deck, under the gazebo. Since we put up a new cover I’ve been spending every morning out there. Piper loves it because she can play with her ball while I read my Bible and drink my skinny coffee and chocolate greens. Today was no different than any other day, except that when I first walked out I noticed it was sprinkling a little. No worries, right? What’s a little sprinkle when you are under a canopy? But within a few minutes it had turned into a downpour. Even Piper was unwilling to stay out in that mess and she quickly led me to the door to go back inside.

I am finding lately that I can handle a little change in plans. I can’t remember the last time I had a panic attack, and I know that’s a miracle. I can’t take any credit for that because all I’ve done is lean into God’s arms and let Him change me from the inside out.

Rather than be upset about having to go inside, I was okay with the change. And it turned out even better, because my son happened to come downstairs for breakfast and we ended up just sitting and talking. He’s really great to spend time with when he’s not being an energetic spaz, and I’m sure to tell him that (wink wink). We ended our little impromptu time together with some Xbox Kinect fitness game. He beat me on all the challenges except for the last one. Mom’s gotta win sometimes, right?

There’s a moral somewhere in this mundane story. I think the lesson is that sometimes our plans don’t work out, but when they don’t, we need to be on the lookout for the positive, the silver lining. If I had not been forced back inside the house, I would have missed that opportunity to spend that quality time with my son. So sometimes failed plans open us up to better opportunities. But we must be open to seeing them. So there. Stick that in your back pocket. It may come in handy some day.

Disability, Exercise, Food, Running

Annoying habits

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I have this tendency to latch onto a thing – an idea, a method, or a new habit – and become obsessed with it. It’s crazy annoying. For awhile there I was obsessed with running, and one might say I still am, but I think it’s just become something I really enjoy. I don’t have to remind myself to run regularly. I just do it because I want to. I feel “off” when I don’t.

So right now I’m still a little obsessed with my new eating plan. It’s going well, I just am waiting for it to become a true habit so I don’t have to think about it so much. It will just become “the way I eat”. I’m really hopeful I can get to that point, because I’m loving the energy I have now and I don’t want to go back to battling fatigue.

I’ve been running three times a week, and on the other days I’m doing exercises at home. I think the exercises are helping my running. I’m still having knee pain when I run but I went to a free injury clinic at the local running store and they assured me there was no damage. So they said I’m okay to run, with caution, and encouraged me to keep my appointment with my primary care doctor. So I’m running short distances (2-3 miles), but with walking breaks in between as needed. I’m doing lots of stretching, elevating, and using Icy Hot to manage the pain. My hope is that I’ll be able to keep building my stamina for the half marathon while waiting to see what I can do about the knee.

It occurred to me yesterday that I am in a major state of boredom. All this energy, and I’m running out of things to do with it. Without giving it much conscious thought, I have apparently turned to online games and shopping. The online games are harmless, aside from being colossal wastes of time, but the shopping could be more problematic. I am spending money on things we don’t need, and that’s not a good thing. We live on a budget, and we don’t borrow money, so the money I’m spending comes out of necessary budget categories, like food and utility bills. Stuff we have to pay for, right?

So I’ve decided I need to find something more productive to do with this energy. I just don’t know what that is yet, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something. I’ve got some crochet projects to start and finish, and a couple people I would love to send notecards to. Also, I haven’t vacuumed in awhile, so I might get to that this week. Maybe.

What are you up to this week?

Kids, Photos

Girls’ Trip to Valhalla

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Saturday was a beautiful day. Not too hot. Sun was shining, there was a slight breeze. Just gorgeous. And the boys were off doing their thing, so we decided to pack lunches and ride our bikes (me on a trike) to Valhalla Park. This is a great local park with a picnic area, playgrounds, and a small lake (aka giant pond) for swimming. Natalie loves to swim so she was more than willing to bike the three miles to get there. Not only that, but she packed our lunches for us!

I let her swim while I sat and relaxed on the shore. We ate our lunches and then she dried off in the sun. It was just a really relaxing day. We had no place to be, no responsibilities to attend to. We just enjoyed the time and each other. It was a lovely day.

Earlier in the week she had asked me if I had a favorite kid, and I told her no, of course not. I loved both of them equally, but sometimes in different ways. However, on this day, our day at the park, I told her that day she was my favorite. And what she said surprised me. She said thank you. Because I think she just needed to hear that encouragement. I think her heart had been doubting a bit because she’s the younger child. Her brother is very active with sports so often it probably feels like he gets more attention. I don’t ever want her to feel like she means less to us. So that’s why this was an important day and an important outing. I plan to make more trips like this with her this summer.

ItWorks, Writing

Why I joined It Works

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So I signed up back in April to be a distributor for It Works health and beauty products. I haven’t been as vocal about it as I would like to be, because it’s an MLM business and most people tend to associate MLM with pyramid schemes. Which they are not, but I think they sometimes use very similar tactics, and that just plain sucks. So I don’t want to be lumped into that scummy pyramid pool, and am trying hard not to use those tactics.

It’s hard though, because I think there is a really fine line. The truth is, I’ve been using these products for years and I love them, and I just want other people to love them too. So how can I share something I’m excited about without people thinking I’m just trying to take their money or persuade them to buy something they don’t really want or need? I guess I just can’t control what people think, can I? So I am just going to share what I’m excited about and see what happens.

My current plan is to post once a week about a product. This might be a product I’ve been using for a long time, or one that’s new to me, or one I haven’t yet tried. I don’t want to bug people with advertisements and requests to buy, so it will just be a product feature, and just once a week. The rest of the time I’ll still be going on about my kids and my running and all that good stuff.

Does that sound fair enough? I hope so. I’ve been trying to weave this into my web spaces without letting it take over. I didn’t want you all to feel like you were bamboozled. I’m still here and I’m still writing about my life. Rest assured, I’m still Mindy.

Cochlear implant, Deafness, Disability, Multiple Sclerosis, Visually Impaired

How my phone is like me

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I use my phone every day, all day. It has tons of useful features to support my life. It helps me keep myself and my family on track. Lately I had a thought I wanted to share. My phone is like a metaphor for my life. Let me explain why.

I was canoeing a couple years ago and the canoe tipped over. My phone was in a Ziploc bag, in my running belt, and water leaked into the bag, damaging my phone. I was able to soak it in a bag of rice for awhile, which restored most of its functions, but the one thing I can’t do is use the back button and that other one on the bottom left (the one that shows you all your open apps).

However, I found a workaround by using the s-pen to use those two buttons. The phone responds to the s-pen, just not my finger. A couple weeks ago I was replacing the pen into the phone and it snapped on me. It still works the way the pen should, it just doesn’t have that spring action needed to get it back out of its slot. So now if I want to use my back button, I need to bang the end of the phone on the heel of my hand in order to get the s-pen out. Other than that, the phone works great! It’s kind of ridiculous and it makes me chuckle.

It looks like a completely normal, functional phone. It just has a few broken features but there are workarounds. And that is a metaphor for my life. I am deaf but I have cochlear implants to help me hear. I am visually impaired but have friends, family, and public transportation to help me get around. I look completely normal, I just have a few broken pieces and I have my workarounds I’ve discovered I can use in order to continue functioning. So there. That is how my phone is like me.

Exercise, Food, Health, ItWorks, Running

It’s Working!!

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People! I was so excited to get on the scale this morning and discover I had finally dropped below 125. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’m short, and though medical professionals would say I’m within a healthy weight range, I am not happy with where I am. Or shall I say, where I was? Because I’ve lost almost 7 pounds since starting this process, and my goal is to lose another 9.

I’m still on this diet plan of six small meals per day, and I’m still really loving it. I believe it’s something I’ll be able to sustain even after I hit my goal weight. I’ve also been drinking my daily greens and the occasional skinny coffee and chocolate mousse meal replacement (my new BFF from It Works!!) and I’m exercising every day with my daughter. I invested in two cheap yoga mats so it’s a little more comfortable to do the floor exercises. We’re up to day 18 and doing 50 second planks (which apparently are no longer “her jam” lol).

The best news of all is that I still feel so much better. Light on my feet most of the time. In the past, a trip like the one we took to the zoo would have knocked me down and I would have needed several days to recover. It’s no small miracle that I was able to be up and around Sunday, given all the physical activity I did on Friday and Saturday. I have energy to do the things that need to be done, with plenty left over to do the things I enjoy, like spending time with my family, running, walking the dog, etc.

Now if we can just get this knee back in shape so I can get back to training for my half. The weather has been kind of perfect for running and I really miss it. I might get out for a short jog tomorrow, we’ll see.

Kids, Photos

The Zoo Snooze

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You may say I’m crazy, but I spent the night at the zoo last weekend and I LOVED it! This was a really fun event put on by the Girl Scouts and my daughter was super excited to be going. She’s an animal lover right down to her core so this was right up her alley.

We rode down Friday late afternoon to Binder Park Zoo and stayed until Saturday afternoon. It’s only an hour away from us but I don’t think I’ve ever been. After this trip, I’m sure I’ll be back. I was extremely impressed with the staff and the conditions of all the exhibits. None of the animals looked sad, like they sometimes seem to be at the zoo. They all looked happy and relaxed.

We saw SO many animals! Peacocks, a sloth, bears, kangaroos, a snow leopard (if you can find it in the 2nd row photo), goats, red pandas, zebras, and my new favorite: giraffes!! We also saw a lot of other animals I didn’t photograph, like rats, bunnies, doves, tarantulas, turtles, ostriches… the list is longer than my memory.

There were so many great moments throughout this trip but my favorite and most memorable moment had to be watching Natalie feed lettuce to the giraffes. The joy on her face was just priceless! Those giraffes just came right up to us as we all stood on the platform. I couldn’t get over how enormous they were! I mean I know giraffes are tall, that’s kind of their thing, but the heads attached to those long necks were huge! And they were so stinkin’ friendly! All those giggling girls with their arms out and those gentle beasts just came right up to us. Just stunning. I’ll never forget it.

Several times throughout the second day Natalie would tell me how much fun she was having and she would thank me for coming with her, or thank me for letting her come. We walked over 6 miles that second day and there was not one complaint from anyone. And if anyone was going to complain, I would have expected it to be my daughter, but no, she was truly grateful to be there and sharing this experience with me. Neither of us had ever seen a giraffe in person before and we got to share that first together.

These are the moments, folks. Natalie is only 9 once and she’s quickly approaching 10. I’ve got to grab hold of these opportunities while I have them. This was such an incredible adventure for the girls to have and I’m so happy I was there to share in it. Who knows what the future holds but I’m hopeful it’s full of lots more exciting adventures.

With lots of recuperating in between, of course. This momma took a serious nap when she got home!

Food, Kids, Photos

My son’s 6th grade field trip

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Last week was our children’s last week of school. For my son, this was the ending of his first year of middle school. He is no longer a 6th grader, no longer a novice. This was a challenging year for him, as he adjusted to life with a locker combination, waking up ridiculously early, moving from one class to another, and having to keep up with homework assignments and tests from multiple subjects. I’ll be honest, he struggled a lot in the beginning of the year. He has a lot of energy, and he had a hard time focusing. That quality may never change, but he changed nonetheless. He worked extremely hard to manage everything and he ended the year in even better shape than he had expected to. Attending the end of year class trip was an enormous privilege, one that he very well could have lost. But he didn’t! AND, he asked me to be a chaperone on the trip!

We met at the middle school with all the other 6th graders and chaperones to board charter buses for the 2 hour drive west. We were headed for Michigan’s Adventure, an amusement park in Muskegon. Our day at the park was memorable, for sure. Luke rode a few rides, he walked around with some friends while I hung back and read my book. He swam and rode some rides at the water park. We ate Dippin’ Dots (did you know they have a dairy free flavor?)!

One really exciting thing Luke decided to do was ride the RipCord, which is basically a thrill ride where they pull you up super high (180 feet, to be exact), you pull a cord, and then you go flying. It’s insane, and it has always made me really dizzy and freaked out to see people riding this ride. It’s one you have to pay extra for, and I told Luke he would have to pay for it out of his birthday money if he really wanted to go. This kid loves thrill rides. I don’t even think he’s afraid of heights. He paid his money and waited TWO HOURS with no complaints. And as you can see in the photo, he was happy to wait and ready to go. I got the whole thing on video so we could show dad when we got home. It was terrifying and a lot of fun all at the same time.

The amazing part about the whole day for me was that Luke actually wanted me there as a chaperone. Though I could groan at having to walk around all day with a bunch of middle schoolers, I didn’t. Because I know in the coming years he may not want me anywhere near him and his friends. And since I don’t get to bond with him over baseball like his dad does, it was really great to be able to spend this day with him. That, and at the very end of the day, we enjoyed a fresh elephant ear as we hustled back to the buses. He and I share a love for this sinful confection, and we discovered that our favorite parts of the “ear” were opposite (he likes the crispy, I like the doughy) so there wasn’t even any fighting over the last bite.

All in all it was a fantastic day and I hope I never forget it. I am so proud of Luke for all his hard work this year and I look forward to making more good memories with him down the road.