We were going to celebrate Christmas today but my brother and his family are able to fly in today and stay with us so we bumped up our Christmas a day early. The kids were really surprised which made it more fun because they thought they had to wait until today. I’m really glad we were able to have this special day yesterday and I’ll think about it a lot on Christmas when I am missing them.
Rewind to the start of the day and I went out for 8 miles @ 8:45 average pace. This week is definitely front loaded with my runs because I’m not sure what the running situation will be on Friday/Saturday. It was early, a bit rainy and completely mind-clearing (which is so needed this time of year).
I was thinking during my run a lot about my goals for 2019 and what things in the past I have done to help me to get to different goals. For me personally, goals and achieving them all boil down to self-love. The times that I succeed with my goals and stick to them is when I go about them with love for myself rather than not liking something about myself and wanting to change something about myself. The times I set a goal to eat better because I didn’t love my body/want to change it or run faster because I had to prove to myself that I was enough because I wasn’t sure that I was = I did not succeed or enjoy the process. When I go into life goals out of love for myself, the magic happens. IE eating better/drinking more water/less soda because I love my body and want to give myself the opportunity to feel good and energetic. Or running goals because I know I am capable and strong and want to give that me-time to myself etc. I’m not sure if any of this makes sense but as you go into setting goals for 2019… do them with love for yourself:). I’ll be making my goals thinking about how they are things I want to give to myself because I love who I am and deserve happiness rather than making goals finding ways to change things I don’t like about myself.
Skye was thrilled to be going to Christmas programs during her nap time for Brooke and Knox.
1st child = set schedules. All children after that = I’m sorry. I’m the 5th child in my family and my mom says that pretty much all of my naps were in the car when I was little.
Andrew was teased by a few people for wearing shorts and a t-shirt in December. It is warmer than normal in Utah right now but his thermostat is just bizarre to me.
My sister was over for a bit which I think confuses Skye because our voices are so similar.
After school we told the kids that we were going to have our Christmas….
They were a bit excited for it.
We pretended it was Christmas morning and they got into pajamas and they had cinnamon rolls. We originally weren’t going to do any presents because Santa is going to their other parents’ houses but we changed our mind last second. We kept it smaller than normal but the kids played for the next 4 hours with their things.
Skye has no idea what is going on but I think she had fun.
We asked them what they wanted for Christmas dinner and they said pizza from Two Jack’s. I tried their Caesar salad along with my pizza and it will be added to our regular order now.
We read from the book we do every Christmas and then the kids slept by the tree. I told you a few days ago how I’ve been really bummed about them leaving but yesterday filled up that hole I was feeling. We were able to have our day together and these two lucky ducks get to go do it all over again in a few days. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Three more things:
*The other night Andrew went to check on Brooke (yes, she likes to sleep on top of her covers to avoid having to make her bed each day…) and Beretta was asleep with part of her body off the bed. She heard Andrew and lifted her head but this is how she was sleeping before he came in!
*Did you see who is running Boston 2019?
*This is why I love hot chocolate so much… truth.
————————————————————————————–
Have you thought much about your goals for 2019? Do you like setting resolutions (didn’t mean to fast forward but I’m just wondering:)?
Have any special breakfast on Christmas?
-Cinnamon rolls (this is the recipe I usually make but we just bought them yesterday:).
If you have siblings… what # were you? Did you like being the oldest/youngest/middle?
-#5 and the youngest. I loved it!
What’s your run today if you are running?!
53 comments
Andrea
Merry Christmas to you and your family!! Thanks for sharing your celebration, and remember December 25 is JUST A NUMBER!!! Have a great day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you so much and you are so right… it really is just a number. You too Andrea!
Jenny B.
Your Christmas looked so fun! I love the kiddos’ PJs! In 2019, I will strive to be healthier and “not sweat the small stuff” as much! For Christmas morning, during my married years, we’ve had cinnamon rolls, a breakfast casserole (eggs, ham, cheese, and veggies) with hot chocolate! Trying to make our own traditions. It’s perfect and usually there are plenty of leftovers to munch on later in the day! I’m the oldest, and I have one younger brother! I love it, and unfortunately for him, I’ll always be the overprotective big sister to him! Have a great day, Janae! :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh I’ll join you in not sweating the small stuff… such a great goal! That breakfast spread sounds amazing! I am sure your little brother loves it. Thanks Jenny, you too!
Sara
What a special Christmas celebration! Your kids are so lucky to have so many people who love them so much. I’m going to be nosy for a second and ask if it’s any easier missing out on holidays with Brooke now that you have Andrew who is also dealing with the same thing?
I’ve been thinking a lot about my 2019 goals, and really trying to focus on one thing for different parts of my life . . . fitness, health, family, etc.
We have always had a big Christmas breakfast complete with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. This year, I’m going to attempt making my own. Wish me lots of luck!
I’m the oldest of three girls and am a classic, bossy, oldest child for sure!
No run today, making myself rest a super tight hip flexor for a few more days. My Christmas gift to myself will be a run this weekend!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh I love nosy questions… it is absolutely easier. So I actually always had Christmas with Brooke before meeting Andrew. My divorce papers were set up that I had Brooke for Christmas until my ex was out of school so I never did have to do it alone BUT she was gone for some of her birthdays before I met Andrew and it was a lot harder doing it on my own. We definitely understand what the other person is feeling! Good luck making your cinnamon rolls, I am sure they will be amazing. Hahaha I’m the classic bossy youngest child;) . I hope your hip flexor starts feeling better asap!
Rachel Schlosser
Love the kids pj’s too cute!
We do a small breakfast before presents and then we go to my husbands’ dad’s house for brunch later in the day.
So I am adopted so technically I am the oldest, but I have an older adopted brother so I am also the baby, but I act more like an older child than I have ever acted like the baby.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Enjoy your Christmas and brunch sounds so good right now:) . Hahah in a lot of ways I act like the older child too (my mom told me I always have loved bossing my oldest brother around ((he is 12 years older)). Have a beautiful day Rachel!
April
How awesome the kids got to have their Christmas with you, Andrew and their little sister! My mom lives in another state and was here last weekend so we could have “Nana Christmas” before the real thing. My daughter loved it. :)
Christmas Eve I usually make lasagna, and Christmas Day is always an egg casserole. This year I am making both in crockpots to spend more time with family.
My goals for 2019 definitely involve self care and being kinder to myself. Happy Holidays!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I love those goals April… sounds perfect! Lasagna and egg casserole… delicious! Good call on making them in the crockpots this year:) . Oh and Nana Christmas–> brilliant!
Have a beautiful day April!
Jen W
HA! Brooke is leaning one way, and Beretta is totally leaning the other. I sure don’t understand how either sleeps like that though!!!!!
I HEAR YA ON THE SET AND WORK FOR THOSE GOALS FOR YOURSELF thing. I have this “friend” who is a runner. He helped me to get into running and kind of “coached” me along until I got a “real” coach. So often, I think I kept running to try to impress this person, and I kind of realized that’s never really going to happen, and even if it does, will that really fill any kind of void/validation for me, NO!!!! I definitely feel the most fulfillment when I’m out there feeling strong and bad-ass FOR ME. Sometimes it’s hard to realize that this really IS enough though!
We do canned cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning and bake them in the shape of a Christmas tree; then we put red and green sugar crystals on top of the icing!!!
NO RUN TODAY; it is my blessed rest day! I was ready for this one!!!!! I’m going to get my hair done/highlights touched up after work instead. WOO HOO!!!! :)
Oh, and I was #3 of 3 girls, the youngest, and I also loved being the youngest. My sisters are 10 and 12 years older than me, so it was a weird dynamic. I”m actually closest to my oldest sister though!
HAVE A GREAT DAY, JANAE! :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
BAHAHA I didn’t even notice that about Brooke in the picture! So so funny! Yes yes yes… we have to do these goals for us or else we will never achieve them (or enjoy them)! Okay, you are going to have to send me a picture of this Christmas tree cinnamon roll magic. That sounds great. Enjoy the rest day and I love that you are so close to your oldest sister. Thanks Jen, you too!
Wendy
Oh, I love how excited Know was! What a great time you all had with your early Christmas ?
We usually have monkey bread on Christmas morning. I think I’ve made every year since our oldest was 1, and he’s now 17.
I am the youngest of 6 kids ( I have a twin sister) and liked being the youngest, but I don’t know any different…. I wonder how I would be different if I were the other, or in the middle? How would that have changed my personality?
Today’s run is just 3 miles. But it will feel great to get outside and clear my head before taking on the day!
Oh, I listened to the AM Shake out podcast yesterday. Mario (I can’t remember his last name) had Lindsey Hein on this episode. It was so good! And so fun to hear more about Lindsey! I highly recommend it ?
Have a great day Janae ?
The Hungry Runner Girl
I’m just sending you like 15 emails with all of my replies today sorry! I am definitely going to listen to that episode, thank you for telling me about it. I didn’t know that you have a twin… I love learning these things! And now I need some monkey bread. Enjoy your day Wendy.
Wendy
Your shoes again! Please post the link.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Wendy! So they are Frau boots from a few years back and I’ve been searching on their website and they don’t offer anything similar anymore:( . If I ever find them again I will link them! I’m so sorry!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Scratch that… these ones are a little bit similar!
https://www.frau.it/usa/suede-beatles-3595.html
~ R
Our traditional family breakfast at Christmas is poached eggs on buttered toast with peppermint hot chocolate. That tradition came from my husband’s family – mine didn’t have any.
I am #1 of 5 – and never thought if I hate it or love it – it just is what it is, you know?
My run today is definitely in the “I hope can figure out how to squeeze in a short run” category. Between weird finals schedules for my high schooler, half day kinder schedules for my little guy, and our traditional service project mid-afternoon…it may or may not happen.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I have never had a poached egg (that I know of)… I think that needs to change. That breakfast sounds delicious! This time of year is crazy… you are busy! Good luck with everything going on:)
Katie A
I so get the naps thing with little kiddos & only have 2 so far. My first was totally on a schedule! I have been thinking about Christmas morning breakfast & I love the cinnamon roll idea. I also found this recipe [https://www.thehealthymaven.com/2014/09/slow-cooker-apple-pie-steel-cut-oatmeal.html] which I think looks good AND easy & so I might do both because why not! And sadly I missed waking up in time to run this morning; I will have to try harder tomorrow.
Happy Christmas & I am going to check out that book you read too.. it looks like a great tradition!
The Hungry Runner Girl
The pictures of that oatmeal made me drool. Enjoy both! I’m glad you got in some extra sleep, some days it is necessary! I hope you like the book, it’s fun to go through each person in the nativity scene! Have a wonderful day Katie.
Kristin
Janae, I love what you said about choosing goals that are motivated by self-love! That’s something I need to work on and this was a good reminder. :-)
How lucky your children are to have parents that are giving them a super special early Christmas! That looks like so much fun and I’m so happy you all got to celebrate together. We also do cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and I love it!! I am also the youngest but only have one sibling–but I still like being the youngest. Aside from the dog, who is definitely the baby.
Merry Christmas to your family! The Santa pajamas are PERFECT.
The Hungry Runner Girl
YES… you’ve got this Kristin! Thank you so much:) . There is just something about cinnamon rolls that they just need to be eaten on Christmas. Bahaha the dog is definitely the baby… that made me so happy:) . Have a wonderful day Kristin!
Allison Johnson
Yuki is running too – you can’t leave him out he’s the best! Glad you decided to have Santa come, Santa should always come at your house for everyone too. Hope the time goes by fast until they come back. Love the sleeping bags so much! Merry Christmas!
The Hungry Runner Girl
AHHHH he is?!! I just stole that list from Jared Ward’s IG. I can’t wait to see how he does. You are so right, Santa can visit multiple houses. Thanks, you too!
Grant
My tradition is to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas too, and just looking at that picture made me excited. I definitely forgot Christmas is in 5 days, it still feels like early December to me.
I’m child #3 and yep we kinda get ignored in some ways haha. But I’m also the youngest so I got all the attention once my brothers had both left the house.
Still no running for me today… good thing it’s pouring rain or I would be tempted to. But I know I need to finish my week off first.
The Hungry Runner Girl
You are being so smart about your recovery! I hope you are still riding the PR high:) . I totally agree with you–> this month zoomed by! Hahaha you got the best and the worst of the whole situation:)
Jenny|Running On Life
I’m number 5 of 5 too!
Christmas morning my mom always made us bran muffins and I love them but my kids don’t very much so we’re still working on our perfect Christmas breakfast. This year we are doing cinnamon French toast. I think it will be a big hit :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
5 of 5–> . BOOM. Cinnamon french toast sounds soooo good… maybe we’ll stop by:)
Jenny|Running On Life
You would be welcome!
Corey
This whole post made me smile–your celebration with the kids was so sweet! They look thrilled :)
I’m toying with another full marathon as a goal for 2019. I like setting goals instead of resolutions; maybe it has something to do with the word “resolve” and feeling like it’s fixing something that’s wrong? Love the self-love inspiration for goal-setting.
We always have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, too! Ours are Pillsbury Grands, though. I’ve been scouring our local stores for the cocoa flavor, but no luck so far.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you Corey, it was a really good day. Ohhh you will have to let me know if you decide on one for 2019! I agree with what you said about goals vs resolutions! Enjoy those cinnamon rolls, I LOVE those ones. Have a beautiful day Corey.
Hollie Sick
It sounds like such a wonderful day Janae. I haven’t set really any goals running related because I think 2019 will be a busy personal life for me. I’ll be running sure, and I would like to Pr but I think we will have a ton of other stuff going on so having a goal race right now doesn’t make sense.
Cinnamon Rolls are the best.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I hope you get some cinnamon rolls soon… maybe the next diner? Have a beautiful day Hollie!
Laura
2018 was spent recovering from a stress fracture so my goals for 2019 are to be injury free! I have a few races lined up, but just for fun, I don’t feel ready to put pressure on myself just yet.
If I’m hosting Xmas morning I will always make a coffee cake (it’s so good!) and a casserole with eggs, veggies, cheese, etc. Sometimes we’re at my moms (she lives farther away) and so I might just make the coffee cake on those times.
I am #4 out of 5. The first 4 of us are all 1 year apart each, so we grew up very close. Then I was the youngest for 6 years (which was nice!) until my younger brother came around.
I’m running after work today, just an easy 6-8 miles. The joys of having no race I’m shooting for is I can just run whatever i feel like!
Have a great day, Janae!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
2019 is going to be an amazing year for your running and a lot of fun. I need to try your coffee cake… that sounds so good right now. Okay, one year apart for the first four… wow! I hope your run after work feels amazing. Thanks Laura, you too!
Loribeth
Those cinnamon rolls look fabulous!
I am the oldest of 8. Probably why I don’t have any kids, even though my younger siblings do!
Today’s run depends on the weather. Definitely a mile because I need to keep my streak alive (day 81!) But if the rain (100% chance) isn’t too crazy then I may do a few more.
The Hungry Runner Girl
OLDEST OF EIGHT… wow!!! Day 81 on your streak, you are killing it. I hope the rain stays away for your run, enjoy!
Kathy McElhaney
I have a marathon on the calendar in March. I’m feeling a little unsure after yesterday’s run. For the first time since July, the ankle that I sprained in April started hurting. I guess I must have turned it wrong, but I cut my run short and came home to ice it. I’ve done several long runs with no issues and now this! I’ll just have to see.
We usually have pancakes or waffles on Christmas morning. We recently picked up some pumpkin syrup so we’ll be pouring it on something!
I am the youngest of 4 (2 boys/2girls.) My closest brother was only 13 months older than me, he was born with hemophilia, so I think he got the baby of the family treatment. (https://mcmomentsandmemories.blogspot.com/2018/12/repost-my-hero.html)
Your Christmas celebration looked so fun! I always loved it when we traveled to see family and got more than one Christmas morning!
The Hungry Runner Girl
It started hurting again?! NOOOO I hope that was just a one time thing! Oh pumpkin syrup sounds so good.
Thank you for sharing about Rod. He sounds like he was absolutely amazing. What beautiful memories and pictures you have of him. Kathy, you are incredible.
Thank you!
Allison
What a fun surprise for your kids!
I love your cinnamon roll recipe. That’s the only one I use now. I love that it makes so many! But, between my husband and I and our 5 kids, they’re still gone within two days. Ha!
I just tried to find your mom’s crockpot chocolate recipe, but couldn’t find it. Can you tell me when you posted it? I want to try it.
The Hungry Runner Girl
You are a step ahead of me! I’m putting it in my post tomorrow too! Here it is, it’s the BEST! Have a wonderful time with your family and enjoy the cinnamon rolls!
https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2017/12/friday-favorites-plus-you-guys-are-rocking-it.html
Marissa
I love setting goals for the new year. This year, I’m thinking less cell phone – putting it in my room as soon as I get home and setting aside 30 min each day to play on it, check email, etc. And of course a few running goals. I would like to shoot for a PR in a couple of different distances.
We always have cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning too! It’s our favorite :)
I am #4 out of 5 and I love it too. There’s a huge gap between #3 and me, and it’s like having two extra moms.
Today was 5 hilly miles with a wrong turn and thankfully a friend to share it with! Ha. It was so dark and we were chatting and all of a sudden, we went past our turn so we got in about 1/2 mi extra.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I LOVE THAT GOAL SO MUCH!! I’m going to join you in the phone one and I can’t wait to hear about your PRs next year. I have an extra mom too… it’s the best:) . Gotta love the runs with a friend, so much more fun. Have a beautiful day Marissa!
Katie
You always give me so many ideas when it comes to “sharing” of the kiddos!! I’ve been making so many new traditions the last 3 years! Thank you ❤️❤️
Sloan
I’m so glad y’all got to do Christmas together early :)
I love when I get to start thinking about running goals for the next year. While I like to make goals for the year, I’ve found that doing a new goal each month is a little more manageable for me and less overwhelming. For the year, I’m going to set a number of miles to hit throughout the year: just not sure what that number is yet. I’ll do different ones each month such as doing a track workout each week, focus on hills for one particular month, run a new place I’ve never run before, etc.
Lisa
Wow! Thanks for sharing that mind shift on goal setting! I absolutely love it! I want to make health a priority this year, eating foods that give me nutrients and staying injury free.
Those cinnamon rolls look AMAZING! I had already determined to make that for Christmas breakfast this year and will probably make it a new tradition!
Merry Christmas to you and your cute family! <3
Annemarie
Awww what a nice surprise, you guys look like you had so much fun!
I am #3 of 6 children in my family, but I got to share the middle with my brother who I have always been super close with, so it’s all good. No middle child syndrome here ?
I ran my 8-miler early, early this morning by the beach, while my husband surfed. And the I stretched while taking some surf pics. LOVE these mornings!
Have a fantastic day and enjoy the time with your family ?
Stacey
I think I smiled at every single part of this post, Janae . From the kids sleeping under the tree to Beretta’s little hiney hanging off the bed, it was just what I needed to brighten my day.
My big goal for 2019 is to have another baby. It took a few years, tons of heartbreak, and (not to mention) a lot of money to have my son, so we’ll see if this is accomplished. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was my biggest goal.
Running-wise, I’m still slow and steady. It’s hard to put anything big on my calendar lately since I do have this goal of getting pregnant again. I might do a New Year’s race that involves four quarter mile repeats, with one donut at the end of each repeat. I’ve never done anything even remotely like this before, but it sounds like fun!
Beth
What a sweet say to celebrate with your oldest babies! I just love your spirit so much, it lifts me up everyday. The matching Jammies are so sweet! It’s our first year with two kiddos and I am so excited for matching PJs and slumber parties. Sending you love for when Brooke has to leave I know that can’t be easy.
Jenni
You are blessed to have healthy kids that you can celebrate A day with, the number of the day means nothing, and you get them back. I’d give anything to spend a day with a lost loved one. Perspective helps. Have a wonderful weekend Janae x
Jules
Thank you for sharing your mindset for being successful with your goals. I’ve been struggling this year with my goals–upset with myself for not meeting them and only setting them because I am unhappy with my current status. So instead of having my goals be an exciting thing to look forward to–and enjoy the road to meeting them–I’m self-deprecating and critical which makes the road seem hard. I’m about to embark on a run and will think about your goal perspective and how I can swing my thoughts to self-caring rather than change.
Looking forward to running this morning. Since my painful 1/2 marathon in October, I have only been able to run 3-5 miles before my IT barks. I’m aiming for 7, fingers crossed. Had my first PT appt on Wednesday. Yep, they scraped and I left with fun bruising–feels better already though.
Merry Christmas to you and your gorgeous family!
Erika
Lol, it amazes me how dogs can be comfortable in certain positions, even though it doesn’t look comfortable at all.
I’ve been giving thought to my goals of 2019 but haven’t finalized them yet. I have always struggled with eating proper foods so I’d really like to do better in that area.
I’m not sure if I’ll be having a special breakfast on Christmas day but I will be able to see my nephews open their presents, which I’ve never been able to do since they live in Georgia. I am beyond excited to witness their joy in person.
I’m the oldest and growing up it wasn’t bad.
I don’t think I’m doing any running today, I think I’m going to do an Aaptiv workout on the elliptical.
Happy Friday!