I’m telling ya… the 3 year old stage is keeping things interesting. The amount of spunk in this tiny body of hers is quite remarkable. People often ask me how newborn life is going but the real question is how is 3 year old life going;)
I started off my morning with miles with Emilee.
At the beginning of our run yesterday, Emilee and I noticed that we were both out of breath. Yesterday was an easy run for us and there is NO reason for us to run so fast that we can’t have a conversation so we slowed down to the point we could talk easily again. Don’t forget how important your easy runs are, if we run them too fast we are sure to get injured, plateau in our fitness and get burned out. I saw this chart the other day from Runner’s World about how to know when to run a recovery run, an easy run and a moderate run and I thought I would share it here too. The year I set a PR in every distance I pretty much only ran recovery/easy pace for 80% of my mileage and then really hard/fast for 20% of my mileage. I never really ran any in-between paces and my body did really well with that.
Yesterday feels like it was kind of a blur so I’ll just share a bunch of pictures from my phone.
I’ve made dinner a few nights in a row… I don’t even know who I am right now. My two favorite recipes that we have had over the last few nights are…
These Honey-Lime Enchiladas! These were so so good and next time I am going to add sautéed peppers and onions to the enchiladas.
Sheet pan beef and broccoli! Such a fast dinner and it was great for leftovers too.
Homemade Coconut Cream Pie! Andrew has been crazy busy the last few days with work and school so I made his favorite pie for when he got home one night. PS I am not sure how he is juggling it all right now, I get stressed when I have 1/8th as many things going on in my life as he has going on right now.
Skye’s opinion of the pie was that it was amazing but I could use some work on my crust making skills. Next I really want to make a chocolate cream pie so if you have a favorite recipe for that, please send.
I forgot my koala clip on Saturday for my run so my phone was just in my pocket…. As I was chasing after Beretta down a hill it fell out and into the snow. I didn’t realize for a few minutes and I was SO lucky that I was able to find it covered in snow!
I have never cut a baby’s fingernails. Never and my plan is that I never will… it terrifies me. I’m very lucky that Andrew is so good at it and takes care of that.
There is no way on the planet I would be getting in running most days of the week if Beck was not sleeping well. He usually goes down at 8:30 pm and then wakes up between 3-4 a.m. to eat and then he sleeps again until 7:30ish. Running healthy is impossible for me if I’m not getting enough sleep so I’m sure my mileage will drop when we hit any sleep regressions coming up.
He likes his sleep a lot.
I’m a big fan of a winter where there is still snow yet it is warm enough in the afternoons to go on walks with the kids. I need every winter in the future to be just like this one.
My sister gets me… she sent this to me yesterday.
———————————————————————————————————————–
Who has a February birthday? Who has a race in February?
What have you found to work best for you in terms of easy days and workout days each week?
Have you made a new recipe lately that you really enjoyed? Share with us!
Parents reading—> 2 year old or 3 year old stage harder in your opinion?
56 comments
Nancy
3 year old stage. I have 4 kids and never hit the “terrible 2’s”, began to think it was a myth, but holy smokes, the 3 year old stage, omgosh. I was so happy when the 4th birthday approached, I knew the spunk, attitude, defiance, madness would begin to fade. I never wanted to rush my kids growth, except when we were in the 3’s. It’s real!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you thank you thank you for telling me this! I feel the same… I don’t understand the terrible 2s thing but this 3 yo stage is rough right now! I hope you have a beautiful day Nancy and thanks again!
Claire
Hi Janae! I made this chocolate cream pie for thanksgiving and again for Christmas because it was so good! I cheated and used a store bought Oreo crust but she has a recipe for Oreo crust that looks pretty easy! Hope you enjoy! https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/chocolate-cream-pie/
The Hungry Runner Girl
I need that pie in my life right now. The pictures look so so good. Skye will probably prefer I buy and Oreo crust too? Have the best day, Claire!
Georgia Mae
I really love that picture of Andrew! The way he’s cradling Beck while leaning in to really listen to Brooke says so much. Your kids are lucky to have you both and I hope you know that y’all are a huge inspiration for me as I navigate parenting my 15 month old!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you so much! I love seeing how much Andrew loves being a dad:). 15 month old… how fun! keep me updated with how you are both doing and I absolutely love your name. Happy Tuesday!
Gillian
Ok that pie. Yum. I’m going to check the link on that enchilada recipe too bc I love enchiladas and I tried the ground beef one you posted a few months back and I loved it! You don’t steer me wrong Janae lol.
I love all the cute pictures of Beck. And yes the nail clipping is horrifying to me I actually would just file them or (as gross as this sounds) I was told to bite them off lol! I honestly tried everything but the clippers. Do you clip berettas nails? I ask as that always terrifies me too bc one time I clipped my dogs nail too short and it bled and I felt like the worst human on the planet!!!
Enjoy the warm winter weather!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey you! I’m so glad you loved the brown sugar enchiladas, they are so good and let me know what you think of these ones! I’ve been told to try that too but luckily andrew just takes care of it! Oh that must have broken your heart! For beretta we go and play fetch with her on the street for a bit and her running on the street seems to file them down nicely. Have the best day, Gillian!
Hannah
I found two harder than three – our daughter can communicate so much better, and for every unreasonable moment, there are 10 moments of surprise and hilarity. In honesty, I find her so much more interesting now she can chat and offer her random insight into the world.
These baby nail clippers were a game changer for us: https://youngstersworld.com/products/stylife-nipper-clipper-baby-nail-clippers-with-safety-spy-hole. (Apologies for UK site – I am sure they’re sold elsewhere too).
The Hungry Runner Girl
It really is so true… the joyful/funny moments completely outweigh the hard ones! Keep enjoying those talks and those clippers look perfect, thanks so much Hannah! I hope your day is going well so far!
Brittany
My baby is 8 months old, and I still make my husband clip her nails.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I’m glad to know I’m not alone!! I hope you are getting plenty of sleep and snuggles:). Have a great day Brittany!
Kelly
This chocolate cream pie is the absolute best!! https://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/12/chocolate-cream-slab-pie/
The Hungry Runner Girl
I need that pie right this second. Thank you for reminding me of Jessica’s website… I used to get a ton of recipes from her and I can’t wait to use her recipes again. Have the best day Kelly!
Mariah
Helpful chart, thank you! I tend to get injured easily, but I’ve found if I run every other day at most, that helps. So the other days I rest or do yoga or strength.
I made chicken tikka masala from scratch last week for the first time! Also adding this to my list to try: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/thai-turmeric-chicken-and-noodles/#bo-recipe
The Hungry Runner Girl
You are so smart with your training Mariah! Sounds like the perfect mix to stay healthy. Chicken tikka masala from scratch… you are amazing and I’m adding that recipe to my ‘must try’ list too. Thanks and have the best day.
Carrie
I am a preschool special ed teacher and the 3s are hard but that independent streak that comes at the beginning of age 4, it kills me. When they are close to age 5 I really start relaxing. My 5 year olds are SO easy (for the most part especially since 90% of my case load is seen for social skills).
Easy vs hard has been a tough thing for me and I recently realized it. I am not at all sure what my marathon pace is going to be but I do know that my long runs are likely too fast. I feel ok but I need to slow them down. I just got a treadmill, just in time for our major snow storm too!! But I am able to control the speed of course and I think that will help me out a lot. On my long runs I have been not looking at my watch to try to slow down, I just hear the beeps to know how many miles. But 9/10 when I finish it is faster then I should have gone out! Wednesdays are reserved for some harder runs and I have 14 miles on Sat and I am determined for those miles to be EASY!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Carrie… good to know in advance of how the beginning of 4 can be hard (I swear Brooke was just an adult from the beginning ha). I can make it to five:). So excited about your new treadmill, that is so exciting. What one did you get? Good luck on Saturday and I’m cheering for you to keep them nice and easy:). You’ve got this!
Carrie
I got a Horizon 7.0 treadmill, super easy to put together!
Jen
Happy birthday month! My birthday is Valentine’s Day, so we’re birthday buddies (that’s what we call 2 birthdays in the same month in my classroom). My kiddos are 21 and 18 so it’s been a while but I vividly remember 3 was WAY worse than 2! They want to be so much more independent. As far as recipes go anything out of the new Oh She Glows cookbook is amazing! Have a great day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Happy birthday month to YOU too and I’m so happy to be your birthday buddy:). Good to know I’m not alone with that ha. I need to get her cookbook, every photo I see of the food she makes looks incredible. I hope you are having a great day!
Katie
That pie looks delicious! Kudos to Skye for eating for likening coconut at her age. I would beg my mom to make coconut cream pie without the coconut for longer than I care to admit. Haha
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahah I was shocked too! I hope your day is a great one Katie!
Corey
Oh, that “three-nager” stage! It’s so real. They’ve got too much life experience to fall for distraction anymore, but they don’t have enough coping skills to deal with roadblocks (even if they invent them). Hang in there, and keep getting those great photos that express the attitude :)
I’m going to try those enchiladas since my usual rotation is getting a little boring.
Have a great day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
HAHA yes to the threenager!!! You just defined Skye perfectly. Let me know if you life them. Thank you and I hope you do too Corey!
Laura
I have a February birthday (the 26th!) and this year I am hoping to complete the Yeti 24 Hour Challenge. 5 miles every 4 hours for 24 hours. I am planning to do 5.2 miles each time to end with 31.2 miles, officially a 50k :) I’ve be dreaming of running an ultra and this seems like a good way to test out the mileage without the pressure or having to do it all at once.
Have a great Tuesday!
The Hungry Runner Girl
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH LAURA… and WOW! I am so so excited about you doing the Yeti 24 hour challenge. That sounds so cool (and quite challenging). PLEASE let me know how it goes, I’m so excited for you!
Wendy
I just love Skye’s facial expressions!! They certainly tell you how she’s feeling ?
I have really been struggling with keeping my paces easy on my easy days lately. So, sometimes I will walk for a quarter of a mile or so, just to slow down and reset. Like you said, I know running easy will help keep injuries away, and actually help make me faster. Today is an easy 8 miles, and it will feel great after a harder workout yesterday.
I always thought that between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 were the toughest ages. Then I felt things got easier. Maybe it is because by 3 1/2 or so, communication is much better, and my boys could tell me more easily what they were thinking or feeling. At least you know this is a phase, and you all will get through it.
My oldest’s birthday is this Thursday!! He turns 20! Holy moly. We’re ordering some yummy treats for him from a local bakery, and having it delivered to his dorm room ?.
Have a great Tuesday!
The Hungry Runner Girl
She definitely doesn’t hold her feelings back haha. I think that is a great idea to help you to slow down and reset, thanks for sharing that is really helpful. Way to go on your workout yesterday! I’m getting closer to 3.5 so that is good news;). Happy birthday to your son and that is so great that you are doing that for him. You are an incredible mom. Thanks Wendy, you too!
Jocelyn
Ugh, the dreaded THREENAGER!! So fun and cute but wow lol.
I was always terrified to clip my son’s nails…so I would bite them off. It sounds weird and kinda gross but it worked!
Have a great week!
The Hungry Runner Girl
“But wow” is the perfect way to say it haha. That is what my sister-in-law does, such a great idea. Thanks Jocelyn, you too!
Angela
What a beautiful family you have! And yes, 3 is a challenging age. I thought worse than 2 with my two sons.
Chocolate pie is my younger son’s go to for his birthday. Here’s the recipe I use from The Pioneer Woman. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/ladds-chocolate-pie-2710322 The only change I make is to reduce the sugar a bit. My son actually eats baking chocolate bars as a treat, so he’s not a huge sugar fan. I’m definitely a dark chocolate fan, but baking chocolate is a step too far for me!
I just ran the Houston virtual marathon two weeks ago. It was more of a social event than a race which was a lot of fun. I like to come up with a plan ahead of time to stave off the post marathon blues, so I am jumping into building back some “speed”, a 30 day yoga challenge, and a structured strength program.
The Hungry Runner Girl
You simply cannot go wrong with The Pioneer Woman’s recipes… YUM! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, I need it. Congrats on the Houston virtual marathon… I am so glad you had such a great time. I love your plan now and keep me updated with how it is going (and thanks for letting me know I’m not alone with 3 being hard ha). Have a great day Angela.
Lindsey
I use a Whoop strap (just Google Whoop strap) to help me understand how much strain I am putting on my body and how recovered I am, and it indicates how much strain I should take on based on my recovery. Often more is going on in our bodies than we can tell just based on feel so this helps a ton. It’s been a game changer and I find my days and workouts so much more easy to handle with this information!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I am totally going to look into the whoop strap, that sounds perfect. It will be so interesting to see what is actually going on. Thanks Lindsey and I hope your day is off to a great start!
Beth
I can’t believe how much Andrew is taking on, it’s very inspiring, and you are amazing for supporting him. The pie is serious wife points.
I do think three is WAY harder than two, but when my son turned three and a half he really turned a corner and became much more manageable. My daughter will turn three in April and I know I am in for it, she has a lot of “spunk” LOL.
We are having a mild winter so far too and it’s been so nice to be outside so much! We are doing the 52 kid hike challenge this year and it’s fun to find new places to hike!
https://www.52hikechallenge.com/blogs/blog/resources-for-completing-the-kids-series-challenge
It’s so interesting to see that the elites run 8-10 mm on their easy days and it’s a good reminder to really sloooooooow down.
I hope you are having a wonderful day friend =)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you Beth and I definitely did earn some wife points! SO good to hear about 3.5 being a bit easier. Good luck with your daughter, keep me updated on how that all goes. And you are the best to share the hike challenge with me, my kids will love this. Seriously, the elites are such good examples to us. Thank you and YOU TOO!
Hillary Gras
Hey Janae! We made this last night and i have to share becuase it was SOOO good!
https://www.perrysplate.com/2019/02/green-chile-chicken-spaghetti-squash-bake.html
The Hungry Runner Girl
I need that meal in my life asap. Thank you so much Hillary and I hope you have some leftovers:).
Caroline
Happy Birthday Month to you! Random question for you! My older sister, two nieces, and I are going to Sundance for the first time this weekend for a super short and fast Thursday night –> Sunday afternoon! I’ve never been to Utah before and am stoked! We planned on skiing Friday and Saturday, but the lift tickets for Saturday are all gone. Being a Sundance Veteran that you are, do you know of any other way to hunt down lift tickets for a Saturday for two of us? Do you have any suggestions for good place to eat near there? I hope you have a fantastic day! Thank you so much in advance!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Caroline! YOU ARE COMING TO UTAH! Oh this makes me so happy. I hope you love Sundance so much and we might be there Friday, would love to meet you in the lodge:). SUCH a bummer the tickets are gone for Saturday, I wish I could give you our passes. I’ll ask around if anyone knows about how to get tickets! You have to eat at Foundry Grill (my favorite) and if you can make it to backmountain there is a little lodge at the top of the lift where they have a little cabin with AMAZING nachos. If you can drive then I would go to Midway if you get a chance and they have a place called Soldiers Hollow where you can tube and it is a blast. They also have so many great restaurants up in that little area (about 15-20 minutes away from Sundance). The Corner is my favorite restaurant there because the desserts are unreal! Let me know if this helps and have a great time!
Rachel
Yay birthday month! Hope every day is awesome :)
I have a question about the Utah Valley 10k! Today is the last day to register at a discounted price and I’m trying to make a decision haha. This would be my first 10k and my goal is NOT to be super fast. Is this a good race for me or will I feel super demoralized because of the fast course/all of the speedy runners that generally come out for the race? I would love your thoughts! I just want to do a 10K for fun (I’m not in the mental or physical space to train for a spring/summer half right now…maybe by the fall!)
Also here is a delicious and very speedy recipe :) SO good on top of rice with broccoli or green beans :) https://thewholecook.com/15-minute-honey-chicken/
The Hungry Runner Girl
Rachel. This race is for YOU! Most of the really speedy runners are doing the half or the full. The 10k is PERFECT. There is such a good mix of athletes running it and the course is so fun. I hope you love it, it’s my favorite 10k. Keep me updated on what you do! Thanks Rachel!
PS this code will get you 15% off! HRG15OFF
Rachel
Thank you thank you!! Ok I’m gonna do it ?
Marissa
Happy Birthday month!!
I tend to train 1-2 fast days/1 long run/and the rest easy and I use a 3 week cycle, so two hard weeks of training, and then back off a little for the 3rd. Of course, I adjust this for fatigue/life/etc.
3 was by far harder for us than 2! They are not only so vocal, but they know exactly what they want and how they want it :)
Gisele
February birthday-er and fellow Aquarian checking in! Today is actually my birthday :). Happy birthday month to us!
The Hungry Runner Girl
HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY GISELE!! I hope today is absolutely perfect. I’ll eat a treat to celebrate you today!!
Lee
Birthday month, wife points (hehehe, I was totally thinking the same!), simple and satisfying recipes (!!!); and an extraverted child growing in life experience and ready for more coping skills to battle the roadblocks (<– love this, COREY!)! It's a great blog day.
The Baron family we see here IS inspiring. With the spacing in ages in your family, it seems like you might have the right amount of time for Skye in this stage. Nail it, and she will have a solid foundation. Then she will go out in the world and spread the goodness. I'm with you on the nail clipping. Andrew's got this, he looks like he's in his element! It's another good way for Dads to bond with kids (if they can spin it, ha!). Seriously, there are a lot of Dads who cannot do this.
Lee
I forgot to note the chart for easy runs, THANK YOU!!
Melynda Vazquez
Agh, I totally agree with you, terrible two’s are no comparison to 3 or even 4 year olds. I have three girls and what I have noticed is if I don’t start their day with sugar, think cereal, pancakes or such, and give them scrambled eggs or a meat instead our day is so much smoother. A favorite here is cheesy eggs, just scrambled eggs with cheese, or boiled eggs with salt. This works super well on my 11 year old starting puberty.
Melynda
Agh, I totally agree with you, terrible two’s are no comparison to 3 or even 4 year olds. I have three girls and what I have noticed is if I don’t start their day with sugar, think cereal, pancakes or such, and give them scrambled eggs or a meat instead our day is so much smoother. A favorite here is cheesy eggs, just scrambled eggs with cheese, or boiled eggs with salt. This works super well on my 11 year old starting puberty.
The Hungry Runner Girl
That is SUCH a great help! Thank you so much… I’ll definitely try this now with Skye. THANK YOU and good luck with the tween/teen years!
Jenn
My 3 year old is insane. So insane! She was running around like a crazy person and fell on our carpet and split her chin open and cracked her molar so bad that the dentist had to pull it! I am sooo done with age 3!
Can you do a post on your kids favorite meals? My kids are so picky it makes me not want to cook!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Jenn! That is so so so hard! I totally will:) Have a great day!
Amy
My birthday is in August but my daughter’s birthday is February 13th. She will be 14.
No Races
I have made like 10 recipes from the Wholecook.com SOOOOOO Gooooood!
Amy Balash
My birthday is in August but my daughter’s birthday is February 13th. She will be 14.
No Races
I have made like 10 recipes from the Wholecook.com SOOOOOO Gooooood!