Currently... Recovering from #GirlPop2015 & #GOTRMoco15

It was a busy weekend and I haven’t fully recovered yet.  I'm currently, looking back on a girl-filled weekend.

I took my Girl Scouts to #GirlPop2015 in Philadelphia. Hosted by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, it was a full day of guest speakers and breakout workshops on topics relevant to girls.  There were sessions on careers in fashion design and food, STEM and sports, media and entrepreneurship.  Moms also had options; I went to sessions about entrepreneurship and images in the media.  Keynote speakers included Shiza Shahid, co-founder of the Malala Fund; Vivienne Harr, who raised over $100,000 to fight child slavery – when she was 8 years old (only a few years ago), and Dr. Aprille Joy Ericsson, a real-life rocket scientist.  The girls were particularly excited about Mone’ Davis, the star of last year’s Little League Baseball, and Matthew Shuler, a performer from The Voice.  It was a different experience for them, they were expecting something more hands-on. But now, as they are getting older (they’re preparing to go into high school), it was a good next step, of listening and paying attention.

We also had our Girls on the Run 5K this weekend.  This is our fourth season of having a GOTR team at our elementary school and it’s just as exciting as the first season.  Getting the girls to actually run/walk 3 miles is an accomplishment, but it’s the personal development along the way that really makes this program worthwhile.  This season, I’ve had these comments from our girls:

• One with a recurring pain in her foot, who usually does not walk or run, was determined to finish the race.  When we practice, she said that if she goes slow and takes time to stretch her foot, she could finish.  And she did!  (Don’t worry, Mom and doctor knew she was involved in the program.)
• One of our girls has asthma and she was so proud of herself one day when she was having a really good run. She said it was the best she had done in two seasons. A later practice, the weather was awful and she had to walk most of the course and she was disappointed that her pace wasn’t the same. But she finished, knowing that she could do better and she was learning to manage her health.

It's comments like these, when you see the girls actually seeing the potential in themselves, that trumps the sore muscles and tired feet.

I slept very little, drove a couple hundred miles, and spent hours with my daughters. It was a good weekend.

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Currently... panicking, excited, thinking, reminding, starting #JustPiddlin

I wrote my first "Currently..." post last Monday and I think it's a good start to the week.  Join me in considering where you are and looking forward to the days ahead.

Panicking about the fact that my baby first-born is getting ready to turn 15.  I'm rethinking the years, wondering if I've done a good enough job as her mom, and trying to think of all the stuff I need to tell her in the next 3 years before she's off on her own.  And looking for a magic potion to turn back time.  More angst-filled posts to come.

Excited about my son swimming in the state Junior Olympics meet this weekend. He's excited about even qualifying and the cool new warm-up jacket. I'm happy that his hard-work is proving some results.

Thinking about the new #BanBossy campaign.  I get the message - girls should be encouraged to be leaders and not ridiculed or put down for being outspoken, absolutely.  But my little girl is bossy.

Reminding you not to text & drive.  My new phone has an option where text message and phone call alerts do not sound when you are driving, sending a message to the caller/texter that you are driving and will get back to them later. You can set it to automatically turn on when it detects you are moving faster than 25 mph or set it manually.  What's the big deal? It's only a few seconds?  Read more about Jake's Law.

Starting to run and work-out again. I got lazy over the winter. There's still snow on the ground, but it's getting warmer. I'm ready for skirts and need to get these thighs ready, too.  Plus, we start Girls on the Run this week and I cannot get beat by those 8 years old (again).

What are you currently up to?

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We Did the GOTR 5K - Now Keep on Running!

For all the grown folks who are sitting on the couch, wishing they could run/walk/crawl to the finish line of a 5K and explaining all the reasons why you can't do it, take a note from our Girls on the Run (GOTR) team - you can do it!

When we started back in September, the girls were a bit skeptical.  Run how many times around the school field?  We started there with a simple math lesson: the school field is 1/6 mile, our goal is 3.1 miles, 3.1 times 6?  They thought we had pretty much lost our minds as they collected their popsicle stick lap counters and laced on their bead mile markers.  It wasn't long before they got bored of running laps and were ready to hit the street.  Our little band of 25 girls, teachers, and coaches became a familiar sight around the neighborhood at 3:30 p.m.

The color of the year: orange

Indoors, we talked about standing up for ourselves and being positive.  We talked about personal affirmations, finding personal characteristics that we could take pride in.  We pushed the girls to go beyond "I am awesome" and "I can do anything" to get to "I am a good pianist" and "I'm helpful to my mother" and "I'm beautiful."  I do believe that for some of them, it was the first time that they admitted "I am good at math" out loud.  We encouraged them to cheer each other on and say "good job" as they ran past each other on their laps.

Girl Power!  Our GOTR team getting ready to go

For the past ten weeks, twice a week, we've been meeting and talking and running.  Yesterday, we met early in the morning, dressed in our orange GOTR t-shirts and our blue and gray bandanas and gloves, representing our school colors.  Our families came out to run with us and to cheer us on - moms and dads with cameras, younger siblings in strollers, brothers and sisters with signs.  When we crossed the finish line, each girl felt a true sense of accomplishment - she really did this!  And I did, too - this was my first 5K that I've actually run the entire distance - a personal best for me.

Our ribbons of team & GOTR colors

Now that it's all over, I hope the girls will take this feeling of accomplishment with them.  Perhaps, like me, when they are in the midst of something that feels impossible, they'll remind themselves, "hey, I finished that 5K, surely I can do this."  Sometimes it just takes doing one great thing to give you the confidence to do another great thing.  I hope that these girls will keep on running.

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