Tag Archives: fashion

Soybu For You Giveaway

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For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing out some pretties from the Soybu Fall line. Actually, I’ve practically been living in one of the pieces.  So I’m going to tell you about it, and then we’re going to give away a lovely black wrap that is an absolute wardrobe staple. Deal? Deal!

Soybu Package

I know there is a plethora of companies out there making active lifestyle clothes. Some of them I want to try, others I refuse to support. I was eager to give this company a try. Sustainability is a priority for the Soybu, and they also recently launched a plus size line. It’s great to see more and more athletic apparel companies answering that need. Also, I noticed that the Soybu line is at a lower price point than some of their competitors, but the quality is equally good.

Allegro Leggings and Starburst Tank

Allegro Leggings and Starburst Tank

The Starburst Tank in Mandala: I LOVE THIS THING. I’d have one for everyday of the week and never wear a bra again if I could. I love the pattern; I stepped out of my solid-color comfort zone and went for it and I’m glad I did. It’s fun, and goes with lots of colors and bottom styles.  And it’s soooo comfy, once you get it on. Pulling the built-in bra and top over my (little) girls is a challenge in any athletic top with a built-in bra. Or maybe I’m just uncoordinated, either is entirely possible. The tank is long enough to cover my bum, which is essential when in leggings. What I love most about the tank aside from the fabric pattern is the freedom of movement the design offers. The starburst in the back is open and cooling, and lets me feel unrestricted when doing difficult poses. Plus, it really shows off those back muscles!

Lily loves to do downward dog!

Lily loves to do downward dog!

The Allegro Legging in Storm Heather: I seriously love these leggings, too. I love leggings in general and am honestly sad that it’s too hot to wear these with some boots and a chunky sweater. Soon enough, my warm, gray friend! I have worn them during my home yoga practice in the house (which is not air conditioned), and they are just as soft and comfy as the top. I love the waistband design with no elastic, it even has a slit pocket built in big enough for key, cash, ID, or a phone. What I appreciate most is that the leggings aren’t too long for me. At 5′ 2″, leggings usually end up looking like scrunchy socks gathered at my ankles. Thank goodness for riding boots! The Soybu leggings had just the right amount of extra fabric for me and they didn’t accentuate my short legs. I love that.  Maybe now I can wear flats with them!  Oh, glory day!

The Meryl Wrap: Okay, I must confess…I…I…didn’t wear this wrap. I only had it on long enough to snap these photos. If I had worn for longer than 4 minutes, it would be COVERED in pug fur, and I’d never do that to the lucky person who is going to win this lovely piece! It looks heavenly, though, and I have three wraps very similar to it in black, gray, and white. It’s hard to see in these photos but the three-quarter sleeves have cute rouching at the elbow. I promise the Meryl will become a go-to layering piece for you. This one is a size medium, and is a nice, lightweight cotton.

rafflepic2Enter to win this stylish wrap here! Follow Soybu on social media and sign up for their emails, we’ll be announcing the winner on Tuesday, August 25th.

I was impressed with Soybu’s clothes and felt the samples I received were well made, fit well, and fairly priced, not to mention cute and super duper comfortable!

Soybu provided me with the free outfit to review. No other compensation was given. The wrap retails for $48.00, and will be shipped from Colorado, USA. 

Throwaways: the good, the bad and the really ugly

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I have a stash of old sweatshirts and hats in the corner of our guest room.

Of course, they’ll go to charity. But first, they get one last use – as early morning road race throwaways!

IMG_1497It’s overflowing

Since the days are growing colder, and I’ve started to actually wear long sleeves while running on crisp mornings (gasp!) so I thought I’d share some tips on throwaways – including a how-to manual to create my infamous tube sock mittens!

Throwaways:

Most race organizers have volunteers collect discarded clothing at the starting line and along the course. Those items are then donated to charity. I love this. It’s such a smart form of recycling and giving an item a second – and third – life.

Typically, I scavenge my house looking for clothing (read: warm outerwear) I don’t mind parting with. I typically don old sweatshirts, long-sleeved shirts and knit caps.

If I forget or can’t find what I am looking for, I head to the Dollar Store or a second-hand store to find what I need. I even found a $5 fleece at Target in a pinch.

A Mylar blanket – the kind you receive at the finish of most large races – or a garbage bag – with a hole for your head – will also do the trick.

vic throwawayMe and my many layers before the Philadelphia Marathon in 2010.

 For my first marathon, I was overdressed with throwaways.  Sweatshirt, sweatpants, mittens and knit cap. I had it all. I also tossed it all before I started running. That taught me that its sometimes smart to hold onto mittens and hats until I warm up, typically a mile or two into my race.

nwh5The chicks and friends in a few throwaway tops before a 2014 race in D.C. Note how Meri dons a fancy shrug. (yeah, its really a ripped Lululemon shirt)

The key is to wear something that will A.) keep you warm and B.) you don’t mind discarding.

I struggle with this. I want everything to have a second life. And I hold onto some clothing for far too long. What’s that? You want an example? Well, ok.

Nov13 to May14 079See these duds? They are hideous and I couldn’t part with the 17-year-old fleece for about 15 years too many. That and my hubby’s torn-on-the-behind sweatpants have me looking voluminous pre-NYC Marathon in 2013. But hey, Christy Turlington Burns complimented them as we waited to start the race.

Brooke is fantastic about tossing unwanted or damaged clothes. We’ve traded throwaway layers at more than one race.

bthrowawyBefore the 2012 Princess Half Marathon, Brooke tossed these layers.

Sometimes, I really don’t want to part with an item.

In March, I passed on a favorite pair of warm up pants I’d had for years. They were ratty, but fit over my sneakers so became my go-to pants for regattas and road races.

Nov13 to May14 1601I memorialized these pants before I discarded them before a race in March.

Good bye, old friend.

The key with throwaway pants is the ability to take them off in a rush – without having to untie your shoes.

Most warmup pants don’t fit over my sneakers, so I make them fit. I take a pair of scissors and cut up the seam of the pants, starting at the ankle. I make the opening large enough for my show to fit through. (If you look closely at the first pic in this post, you can see my handiwork)

And yes, this is why a supermodel/runner told me I was brilliant before we both ran NYC last fall.

How to make your own tube sock mittens:

It’s easy. Place tube socks over your hands and push your thumb through the heel area of the sock.

IMG_1499So simple, so stylish

If you’re like me, your socks are well worn and might even already have a hole in your heel.

If you don’t wear your socks to threads, you can opt to use scissors.

Presto change-o! Done! Tube sock mittens.

wineglassmittensTube sock mittens paired with an old sweatshirt. These mittens lived to see another race day.

Now that you’ve seen my hideous throwaways, I want to hear what YOU do! Share pics of you in your discard layers with us on social media! – We’re ScootaDoot on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things…

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Girls in Oiselle tanks and white satin sashes,
Taffy that sticks to my teeth, not eyelashes (because that would be weird),
Frigid cold air that does not feel like Spring,
These are a few of my favorite things!

(Okay, not the weather. Florida native here. I had a minor freakout last Sunday morning when Mer told me it was 28 degrees on the boardwalk in Atlantic City.)

It was a wonderful weekend of running and even more laughter, and now I’m home to my most favorite people and a mountain of laundry to fold. (Not a favorite, if you are taking notes.)

Since the AC half was already covered by Mer and Vic, I only want to tell you a tiny bit about my experience, and also share some other things I’m loving right this second:

First, the AC half. I know you are Meridith’s, but if she were willing to share you, we could be sister-wives. (Did I just imply that Mer is married to a race? I guess I did. I’m really tired, you guys.) I only ran once last week because of my shin pain, so I think rest, plus KT Tape, plus the oh-so-forgiving boardwalk helped me achieve a pretty sweet time for this race- I finished in 2 hours, 7 seconds, which is 11 minutes faster than my Princess 2014 time. (Still not a PR for me, blah blah blah. I get so tired of saying that. I get so tired of thinking it. But we runners love to focus on the numbers. Anyway, now that I’m thatclose to a sub-2, I am more than confident that a personal best will happen this fall.) Of course, if I hadn’t been texting my friends while running, I probably could’ve shaved off 8 seconds- but, no regrets.

The best part of this race was seeing our dear friend Anne finish her first half-marathon. The thing about a half-marathon, and running in general, really, is that no one can help you do it. You have to put in the time. You have to do the work. But when you finish? The accomplishment is all yours. Seeing a friend triumph like this is so powerful; for me, it feels as good as it does when I achieve my own goals. I’m lucky to have been there when a few friends crossed that half-marathon finish line for the first time, and the emotional impact hasn’t diminished. I guess I’m a marshmallow. Congrats, Anne!

While in NJ, we went to Target. As one does. Vic and I found these super cheap hoodies on clearance in the men’s section. This kept me so warm, post-race. Bonus- we were matchies.

photo 5-11

I love makeup. A lot. My favorite fun thing right now is this blue mascara from Butter London. I think there are a few other colors- I know there is purple and I’m definitely planning to buy that one. With this, I do a neutral face, and then coat my lashes in blue. It’s very noticeable in the sun and less so indoors and I just love it.

photo 4-12

How excited am I that OVERALLS are in style? Well, I’ll be honest. I’ve been waiting for this moment since 1999. Last Spring, I bought some short-alls because it was way too hot for long ones, but these Madewell overalls made their way into my closet recently and they are the best. More tapered than your 90s overall and I think you are supposed to wear them with cute flats or heels or booties and not birkenstocks (but those are back too, and you can’t see me right now but I’m wearing my EXCITED FACE.)

photo 1-14

I just finished taking another class on Conscious Discipline at my church and I cannot say enough good things about it. We’ve been working on implementing CD in our home for the past few years and it has helped all of us. Without getting too much into it, because this is a running blog, not a parenting blog, and I’m certainly not an expert- CD teaches emotional and social intelligence. You can read more here and here.

This book has finger plays, songs and games to increase your connection to your child- and their connections with each other. I’ve taught the girls a few things that they now do regularly with their brother and us, and we’ve also developed a goodbye ritual that the girls enjoy.

photo 3-14

One more book- The girls and I are currently reading Ramona the Brave. Last summer, we read the first two books in the series, in which Ramona is in preschool and then kindergarten, and now that my oldest will be a first grader soon, we decided to start the next book. I LOVE RAMONA. She’s so sassy and misunderstood and delightful. We still laugh about her singing the “dawnzer” song in kindergarten…you know, the dawnzer lee light.

BABIES. I’ve had more than a few friends have babies recently- three of them in the past three days! My instagram and Facebook feeds are filled with sweet, squishy newborn faces. Thank you, new mamas, for sharing your babies with me. I love seeing them!

Lastly, I love that I’m going to see my chicks in less than three weeks. DC, here we come! I hope you have enough cheese.

Talky! Do you text during races? How do I break myself of this habit? Best thing you’ve bought at Target recently? Overalls are amazing, right? What are you reading? By the way, The Sound of Music is always on my list of favorite things.