Recap of Half Marathon #11

On Sunday I ran half marathon #11! It has been a hot minute since I posted a race recap, and I’m not sure I even know how to write them anymore ;) My last race was exactly 2 years ago, when I ran the 2016 Oklahoma City Half Marathon 8 months postpartum after having R!

I meant to write a post last week leading up to the race about how training went and what my goals were, but we had an insanely busy weekend and week, and I just didn’t have time. R has been an absolute disaster to get to bed lately, and it's 9:00 or later until I actually have time to do anything. Sitting at the computer has found itself last on my list.

Anyway, I did want to be sure to recap this race here on the blog! I’ll summarize my training and goals quickly before we get to the recap.

Training

Considering the stage of life I’m in, currently working full time with 2 small children and the fact that I had a baby less than a year ago, I’m pretty proud of the training I was able to do. I started back to running around 8 weeks postpartum but nothing more than 3 miles. I started “officially” training in January for this race, and since then I’ve run a total of 118 miles, not including the 13.1 miles I just ran on Sunday. 

My goal was to run 2-3 times a week, and I did really well until the beginning of April. I only ran 12 total training miles this month! I hurt my back two different times, and between those periods of rest, J had the flu and R as mentioned has been taking forever to stay in bed and go to sleep. It was a hard couple of weeks. I definitely felt like I slacked off this past month and was nervous going into the weekend. I wasn’t sure how my lack of training these past weeks would affect me.

Goals

I like to set A, B, and C goals for races, because that way if I don’t hit my A goal, I still have something to shoot for and be excited about. I’ve run this race twice in the past in basically the same time: 2:07:20 and 2:07:05. My A goal was to stick with the 2:05 pace group and get a course PR, anything under 2:07 but ideally under 2:05. My B goal was under 2:10. My C goal was under 2:15. I told Jordan that if I wasn't done by 2:30, something went very wrong.

The Race

It was such a gorgeous day for running. I think had I been out there too much longer it would have started to get hot, but the entire run for me was beautiful! Because of where I was in the corral, I started off a bit behind the 2:05 pace group, but I could see their sign waving above the crowd and kept them in sight for the first mile. I stopped to use the bathroom right around Mile 3 and had to run fast to catch up with the group. 

(Side note: I had so many bathroom issues while running after I had R, and as a result I tried to be very intentional about how I started back up with running after having J. Thankfully I have not had the same problem this time. I know that's a bit TMI, but I'm sharing that in case someone reading can relate and know you aren't alone!)

I don’t normally run with a pace group, but it was nice to have someone else to set the pace for me, and that way I didn’t have to think too much about my splits and what I needed to do to get such and such time. I slowed down during water stops and kept having to catch back up, but in general I stuck with the group until somewhere between Miles 8 and 9.

Around Mile 8, I started talking to a girl who seemed to be staying close to the pace group like I was. She said she was from Dallas and this was her first time in OKC. We got to chatting, and turns out she is originally from a Chicago suburb and graduated two years behind me from a local high school! We got all excited and kept talking for probably a mile or so. Eventually I told her that I needed to slow down just a bit, and for the first time I fell behind the pacers. That’s when I totally ran out of gas and just watched the group slowly get farther and farther ahead of me.

Normally when I am on a long run, I start off slow and then speed up each mile. Pacers generally try to keep the same splits the whole way, and I think I went out a little too fast in the beginning because I really struggled the last 4 miles. I walked through every water stop and stopped to walk a few other times as well, although I tried not to walk for long because I knew the longer I walked, the longer it would take me to just be finished so I could sit down!

The Finding Nemo motto was playing in my mind: Just keep running. Just keep running. I stopped to walk for the last time with about 1.5 miles left and told myself I wasn’t allowed to walk anymore. I kept an eye on my Garmin and tried to keep my pace for the final mile around 9:00/mile.

I took off my headphones and iPod (I still rock an old-school red Nano and love it!) and shoved them in my sports bra as we approached the city. You can just start to hear the echos of the finish line at this point, and I wanted to take it all in. Every year they have the same finish line announcer, and he does such an awesome job. You come out of a neighborhood and make one last turn toward the finish, where there is a long street and you can see the finish line in the distance. It’s both so close and so far away still, and I was trying to figure out how much I had left and when I could pick up the pace for the last sprint.

Because I had initially started behind the 2:05 group, I knew that I had a minute or two buffer to have slowed down but still come in with a pretty good time. My Garmin said 2:06 at that point, and I wanted to leave it all out there and maybe I could still scoot in under 2:07 for a course PR!

As I sprinted toward the finish, I saw the big red numbers of the race timer reading 2:05. I sprinted as fast as I could those final steps and my official time was 2:05:50! 9:36 min/mile pace.

I’m so, so happy with my course PR and time, especially considering that I was not able to run a whole lot this past month! I’m grateful for Jordan to support me in my running hobby, and I’m thankful to be able to be healthy and active enough to do an event like this! 

After I got some water and snacks and my finisher's shirt, I found a spot close to the finish line and watched other runners come in, and it sounds cheesy but I seriously teared up watching it. People of all ages, sizes, backgrounds, athletic abilities all running and cheering for friends and family running, and it's just such a special thing to be part of. I love race day so much!

This race in particular is special because it is in remembrance of the 168 people who died in the 1995 bombing of a federal building in downtown OKC. At the start of each race is 168 seconds of silence, and they raise 168 giant banners along the course with the names of each person, which is inspiring to see as you're running through the streets. The race is huge with thousands of runners, but it was so well organized, down to the post-race snacks and finisher's shirt pickup. I highly recommend the OKC race if you haven't done it.

A few people have asked me how I feel about my race, and in true runner response here’s how I can best describe it:

It hurt so bad, but I loved it. It was really hard but so much fun. All I wanted was for it to be over, but as soon as I finished I wanted to know when I could sign up for the next one. 

It doesn’t make any sense! 

Fellow runners, I know you get me ;)

Recent (Mis)Adventures in Selling Things Online

I’ve recently uncovered a new obsession: selling things online. It started innocently enough, when I heard about the kid’s consignment site Kidizen from Michelle. In my opinion, it's not much of a deal for normal things like Carter’s onesies and newborn sleepers, but if you search around enough, you can get some name-brand or unique boutique stuff for a great price. I’ve bought the kids a handful of items but nothing crazy, because I do have some self-control left. (If you want to download the app, use my referral code for $5 off your first purchase, and I will get a little bit too! The code is theladyokie)

It’s been fun to browse the app and see what new things have been posted, but then I thought, why not try to sell some of our stuff? We are still planning on having a third baby at some point, so I don’t want to get rid of too much, but both kids have some clothes that I’m not in love with anyway that I could try to get some money from.

Around the same time I started posting some of our clothes for sale, I ran across a buy/sell/trade Facebook group for the specific hairbow brand that I very admittedly went a little crazy on when R was first born. I didn’t go nuts with clothes or shoes, but I drove headfirst into the pool of bows and was unable to swim my way out until I realized that R wanted nothing to do with any of it and I was wasting my money to keep buying them. I’m happy to report that I’ve been hairbow clean for over two years now! ;)

I have five or six bows from this particular shop and pulled one out at random to sell that was cute but was never my favorite on R. I browsed through the FB site to see what other people were selling bows for and what I might want to price this one. Some bows were going for as low as $12, but I did see some that were on sale for $50 or $60. I even saw someone buy a bow that was priced at $150! I can only assume this person does not have a firm grasp on reality, so I didn't think too much about it at the time.

Anyway, based on the type of bow I had and what I saw others going for, I thought $18 sounded like a good offer. I briefly thought about $25 but didn’t want to get laughed at, since that seemed like a lot to me for a bow that I originally bought three years ago for $13.

I posted a photo of the bow with the price, and within seconds I had ten people leave their PayPal email address, and then more just kept on coming. I immediately realized that $25 would not have been a ridiculous offer. A reminder: we are talking about a single hairbow for a baby.

I commented on the post and said something like, “Should I have priced higher?” with a winky face, and someone replied and said, “Yes, you should have. That pattern of bow is an Amelia, and it is highly sought after."

WELL OKAY.

According to the rules of the group (and, you know, the rules of not being a shady person), I of course had to honor the $18 price for the first person who put their email address, but I was so bummed that I apparently had an in-demand bow that could have gone for much more! After paying the PayPal fees and paying to ship the bow, I ended up with $15, so I still made a small profit on my bow, but I mean seriously, what a bummer!

My only consolation is that there is no way I could have known about this high-demand bow unless I was sitting on my computer stalking the site for days on end, and who has time for that???? Clearly these moms do, and I need to know what their secret is.

But I'm over it.* 
IT'S FINE.

I still have a few bows I could try to sell, but just thinking about it gives me anxiety.

The buy/sell/trade life is not for the faint of heart.

*I'm definitely not over it.

12-Minute Memoir: Voices

start - 9:52 pm

I'm fine at daycare drop-off in the mornings. I'm generally fine all day at work. The guilt hits me as I'm pulling out of my office parking lot and heading toward the daycare. You know you've been gone all day, something whispers. You've been gone a really long time. Just think about all the stuff they did without you. Doesn't that make you sad?

It feels like every car is intentionally driving slow just to get in my way. I've tried a million different routes home to find the quickest one, avoiding the construction spots and the long traffic lights. I pull into the daycare parking lot and can only partially resist the urge to sprint down the hall, resulting in an awkward half-run.

"Mommy! Mommy!" R spots me instantly and sprints in my direction, her hair pulled back in pigtails that her teachers must have done because this morning was nuts and I gave myself a pat on the back just for finding a second to run a comb through her tangles. But you didn't have time to brush her teeth. Again.

This week they are learning about the ocean. She is excited to show me the whale she painted in class that day. "It's blue! It have glitter on it!"

J nearly jumps out of the bouncy seat in excitement when I walk in. I scoop him up and carry him on one hip while holding R's hand and balancing two bags on my shoulder.

As my seatbelt clicks shut, I glance in my rearview mirror. R has already pulled off her shoes and socks, and my car instantly smells like feet. J gives me the widest dimpled grin, his eyelids already drooping in exhaustion. He doesn't nap as well as he does at home and is tired by the end of the day. He would have gotten more sleep if he were home with you.

I take a deep breath and let out a large sigh. I feel as though I've found something that has been missing all day long.

I drive home slower now, calmer, sneaking glances in my mirror to watch them, turning down the radio to hear them. Their babbles and songs fill my car and drown out the other, unwelcome voices. At least for today.

You're a good mom. You're a good mom. You're a good mom.

end - 10:04

*Comments turned off. I find that sometimes I just want to share something without the pressure of comments. However, if you do have a comment or this post resonated with you, please feel free to email me or tag me on social media! 

Related posts: Voices / To Be Understood / To the Full-Time Moms

Five on Friday

T.G.I.F. 

I feel like I say this every week, but honestly. This week was so stressful. Last weekend J got sick, the worst he's been in his young life. His fever got up to 103.5 on Sunday night and I was freaking out. We ran him a bath and gave him Tylenol and thankfully it came down some, or we would have taken him to the hospital. I took him to the pediatrician on Monday, and he tested positive for the FLU.

I have decided that having a sick kid is one of the suckiest parts of being a working mom. I very nearly wrote an emotional and pity party-throwing blog post about all the reasons it's terrible and hard, but I came to my senses and realized no one cares and that's annoying. You're welcome. But it IS so hard because I had to figure out childcare for an entire week while feeling extremely guilty for leaving my sick baby with someone else while I went to work. And WHO CARES ABOUT WORK when sweet J is so sad and just wants to snuggle with his mama. Guilt Trip and No Motivation, party for two. But I am super thankful my mother-in-law was available to watch him, and I'm grateful she takes such good care of him.

Anyway. J is on the mend finally after living on Tylenol and Motrin for four days straight because it was too late for Tamiflu (which we weren't sure we wanted to give him anyway). Thank you, Jesus! It's kind of the best to see your kid smiling and playing after they've been sick. Warms my heart, and we have a whole weekend of snuggles and playtime ahead!

On to some Friday favorites! 

O N E

I am not usually someone who gets compliments on their outfits because, well, I'm just not. But I'm not exaggerating when I say that at least one person comments on this shirt any time I wear it. (I just realized while writing this that I'm wearing it in the photo above! This was not planned. I do love that shirt and wear it a lot, though. ha!) It's from one of my favorite online shops. They have new releases pretty often, and I think they have some really cute stuff  (follow them on Instagram and watch for sales!). I have this sweatshirt, which is super comfy and nursing friendly, and I want to wait for a sale and buy it in black. They just released this shirt, which is pretty fun for the pregnant mamas out there!

T W O

J is turning 10 months old next week, and he maybe might be finally getting a tooth! (Yes, on top of having the flu, I think he is cutting a tooth. RIP, sleep.) We think we see something ready to pop through on the top. 

When R was teething, I bought these off the recommendation of a blog I follow, and it was a giant fail. She either wanted nothing to do with it, or she couldn't figure out how to hold it without gagging herself (complete user error, not the product). I pulled it out for J earlier this month, and I find no end of amusement out of the fact that he loves it. He hasn't gagged himself once and he gets so excited whenever I hand it to him. Kids are funny.

T H R E E

I'm getting really excited about next weekend, which is the annual women's retreat for our church. I  have never gone before, and I wasn't sure if I was going to go this time either since I will be gone two days and a night. But I am really excited about the speakers this year--Kay Arthur, Ruth Chou Simons, and  Katherine Wolf. I am reading Katherine's book currently, and I am looking forward to hearing from her! 

I have no idea what being gone from J for this long will do to my quickly dwindling milk supply, but I guess we will see. I'm going to bring my pump, but I'm setting low expectations and wouldn't be shocked if I just totally dried right up. It's fine. I probably won't write a whole post about where I am with all of that, but long story short is I've cut down to pumping 1x a day at work, and I get about 2 ounces total. Total. Ouch. 

When this happened with R I was sobbing every day about it, but thank goodness I'm not that emotional this time. I just find it extremely annoying. If you are reading this and pumping hates you too, take comfort in knowing you aren't alone!

F O U R

If you are looking for something easy to grab for breakfast on the go, check these out. This is not at all sponsored, but if they reached out to send me free ones I would not be sad about it. My mom got me hooked on these and they are yummy! I hate everything coconut, but weirdly I find this flavor the best. I picked up an Aldi brand version a few weeks ago, but they were not as good as the name brand. I still love you, Aldi!

I obviously don't eat a package every day, but they are handy to have around in times of desperate need. Mornings can get nuts around here.

F I V E

If you don't follow my blog on Facebook, you missed this video last week. This will never stop being funny to me. You know I took a video of R in her chair every month for the first 2 years of her life (here's the 1-12 months video). I can count on 2 fingers the amount of times she fell out. Guys, J falls out almost every month! Poor little guy. But also LOL. The chair blooper video I make of him is going to be amazing. *Please don't judge us. He's fine! Really.

I hope you all have a great weekend and that everyone in your house stays happy and healthy! 

Recent Reads

I get about 90% of my book recommendations from people online, so I hope you enjoy my book review posts and maybe get some ideas for ones to add to your shelves (or ones to avoid!). I love chatting books, so please please leave a comment if you've read any of these too and what you thought!

When God Made Light by Matthew Paul Turner // 5 stars (children's book!)

This is the last book I'm going to get from Blogging for Books because they are shutting down! I'm so sad about this. I've loved it so much over the years. Anyway, I chose this as my last book because I thought R might enjoy a new book to read! This is the second book written by this author, and I think it's really great, especially if you are looking for a book with children of color as the main characters. R has enjoyed reading it, and I love the message about God making light and God's light being inside each one of us. The illustrations are very colorful, and there's lots to look at. Definitely check out this book and the author's first book When God Made You. (affiliate links)

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke // 5 stars

This book takes a look at social media and smart phone use from a biblical and Gospel-centered approach. It was so good. A lot of what I loved about this book is everything I did not love about Growing Up Social (see below). The author does not take a straight anti-technology approach. So many books on this topic seem to just suggest that we avoid technology when at all possible, but the author of this book offers specific questions to ask yourself about your use of your phone and suggests reasons why we need to carefully consider and be aware of our use. There was so much to highlight and quote from this one. I've copied out three of my favorites for you just from the last few chapters.

“The bigger challenge for us in this digital age is not the mental pollution of information overload, but the nutritional deficiency of the content that has been engineered, like modern snacks, to trigger our appetite. Online information is increasingly hyper-palatable, akin to alluring junk food. Breaking news, tabloid gossip, viral memes, and the latest controversies in sports, polities, and entertainment all draw us to our phones as if they were deep-fried Twinkies held out on sticks at the state fair. Digital delicacies are eye-grabbing and appealing, but they lack nutrition.” p.146-147

"Am I entitled to spend hours every month simply browsing odd curiosities? I get the distinct sense in the Scripture the answer is no. I am not my own. I am owned by the Lord. I have been bought with a price, which means I must glorify Christ with my thumbs, my ears, my eyes, and my time... I do not have 'time to kill'--I have time to redeem." P.180

“If I consider my phone only as a tool to ‘instantly express’ my life, then my phone use is vain. I must ask: Am I lazy and careless with souls, ignorant of the power of words, images, and links on others? Or am I using my digital chitchat as a way to build into someone (or some online community) with a larger relational goal of edification? These questions determine whether my texts, tweets, and images are thoughtless fragments or purposeful strategies to point others to find their joy, meaning, and purpose in God.” P.184-185

For fans of: being convicted, love/hate relationships with your phone

Should you read it? YES IMMEDIATELY GO NOW

Beartown by Fredrik Backman // 4 stars

The book opens by telling you that one night in a small town, a teenager went into the forest and put a gun to another teenager's head and pulled the trigger. Then it backs all the way up and tells how they got there and who they are. The setting is a small town in the forest where hockey is king. I sometimes had a hard time believing that adults would really act like the adults in this book do (maybe I'm just too optimistic about people), but I read a review where someone compared Beartown to the town in Friday Night Lights except with hockey not football, and that gave the setting more context for me.

The story is a slow build toward the climax, but once that hits the second half went quickly. I applaud the author's ability to keep up with so many characters in a way that wasn't confusing for a reader. I became really invested in the outcome of this story, and the topic felt timely in relation to current events. I would recommend this book with the caveat that it is based on an event that might be a trigger for some people. There is also language.

For fans of: Friday Night Lights, teenage drama, hockey, small-town sports, powerful moments, characters you want to root for

Should you read it? Yes!

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein // 3.75 stars

In October 1943, a British spy plane crash lands in Nazi territory. The passenger is taken into custody and tortured for codes and information about the war effort. I had a semi-hard time getting into this book, but the second half is very good and moves quickly if you can get there. The first half wasn't bad, it just felt a little slow. But I loved the story and characters (two female leads!), and although at first I wasn't a fan of the writing style, it's unique and turns out to be extremely clever. I also appreciate the author's research and attention to historical details, which she outlines in her author note at the end.

For fans of: WWII, girl power, spies, best friends forever

Should you read it? Yes

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell / 3.5 stars

I listened to this on audio book. I rarely listen to books on CD, but the readers did such a great job, and this was a good one to listen to on my commute to and from work. It is the story of Eleanor and Park (duh), two teenagers who meet on the bus one day on the way to school. At first they don't like each other, but--shocker!--they eventually fall in love. There is some language, so I didn't read it before or after I'd picked up the kids from daycare. I think had I read this this one in physical form, I would have found it much more cheesy and teenage-angsty than it felt listening to it read. This would definitely not be a book I would actually recommend to a young adult reader. Lots of language, as I said, and some sexual stuff (although nothing graphic). I loved the slow build of the character's relationships and just how sweet they were with each other. I've seen mixed reviews about the ending, but I personally was fine with it.

For fans of: teenage love, cheesiness, rooting for misfits

Should you read it? I recommend the audio!

Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay // 3.25 stars

I had no idea when I started reading this that the "Love and Logic" phrase is a style of parenting. They have classes and DVDs and workshops... it feels like the Babywise movement a little bit. I'm really not interested in trying to "do" the love and logic method, but this book did have a lot of good advice. And then there was some... odd advice. Not bad, just odd. 

I didn't find the book's made-up scenarios entirely useful since my oldest is only 2. Many of the book's practical tips in the second half felt like something I'd need to come back to in 5-10 years. Also sometimes I didn't feel like what they were suggesting was realistic of how a child that age would actually act. Like, just one example is a section about asking your toddler (they specifically said a 2-year-old) to go to their room. "A statement--I want you to go to your room, and I want you to go now--spoken firmly and with index finger pointing toward the room will usually get results." um... no. That would not get results in our house. (Not all of the examples felt that far fetched, however.) 

My main takeaway was what they had to say about offering choices and speaking positively rather than getting upset and stating that the child do something we can't enforce. These are things we are already trying to do, so it was helpful to see more suggestions of how to do that in the home. This book is worth a "skim," specifically the first half. But this wasn't one where I felt like I was highlighting every page, and I didn't always agree with what the authors were suggesting.

For fans of: parenting advice, sometimes unrealistic scenarios relating to toddlers

Should you read it? Yes, it's worth a skim at least

Good As Gone by Amy Gentry / 3.25 stars

I literally read this in two days. It moved quickly and was for sure a page-turner. This would be a perfect book for the beach or a plane flight or something. A thirteen-year-old girl is kidnapped from her home. Eight years later, she randomly appears at her front door. Her family is thrilled, but her mother starts to have doubts that she is who she says she is. There is some sexual content and language, just be aware. As a mom, reading about a child who was kidnapped and what she went through was pretty unsettling to read. It's well written, but I have mixed feelings on the plot itself, specifically as it moves toward the conclusion. There's a whole thing about religion in there that I felt was odd, but I don't want to say more without spoiling anything. You wouldn't be wasting your time to read it (again, maybe at the beach!), but this will not stand out in my mind as a true suspenseful thriller.

For fans of: kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart, mom love

Should you read it? Yes, on a plane or at the beach

Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World by Gary Chapman and Arlene Pellicane // 2.5 stars

The title says it all, so I won't write a summary of the book here. This book was fine. I couldn't specifically relate to most of it because my oldest child is only 2.5 years old, but I think something like this is a good refresher to solidify my own feelings about screen time with my kids. It did not tell me anything I didn't already know, so if you're looking for a book that is offering new advice or research, this isn't it. The authors say they aren't negative about screen time (TV, phones, iPads, etc.), but aside from a few token statements here and there lauding some of the benefits, they seem to basically be saying that you should avoid all screen time as much as possible. Which is okay, but I guess I don't know if that is completely realistic. A book with practical advice/tips for how to include technology in our lives while also continuing to making in-person relationships is something I'd be interested to read. (See 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You above!)

For fans of: obvious parenting tips, throwing away your TV, in-person conversation

Should you read it? You can skip this one.

Dealing with Toddler Behavior

Today I have a fun and unique blog post for you toddler mamas! I've teamed up with a few blog friends who are have toddlers R's age, and we are all writing on the topic of toddler discipline. We are keeping it pretty vague in terms of specific behaviors of our kids, but we thought it would be fun and interesting to share what has been working for us and see what other people are doing. Maybe we can get some new ideas for how to handle some of the more challenging toddler moments. Links to the other posts are at the bottom!

Before I start, a few necessary disclaimers:

1. I realize R is only 2.5 (turning 3 in August), and she is our first child. I know that as she gets older and our family dynamics change and we continue to grow as parents, our style of discipline and what is working or not working will have to adjust. This post is not in any way implying that we have all the answers or that what we do is the best way to handle every child. Only you know what is best for your specific child and how you feel comfortable parenting. We are not very far along in this parenting journey and know there is a lot ahead of us!

2. This post is not suggesting that other ways of discipline are wrong. It is also not trying to provide tips for how to get your toddler to behave or suggest that what we do works 100% of the time. Let's be clear: toddlers are crazy and often they make no sense. Again, we just thought it would be fun to share some things that work for us and if nothing else, fist bump in solidarity that we are all doing the best we can with these adorable minions.

Okay! Now that I have that out of the way, let's get to it. R is an absolutely adorable, sweet little girl (or big girl, as she likes to say), but she does have her moments. She is very strong willed, very opinionated, and very stubborn. She has Jordan and I (both firstborns of four) to thank for all of that! Although I don't think being strong willed is necessarily a bad thing, and what we want to do is try to funnel and guide that into good things like standing up for what she believes in and being a strong woman of God. 

Here are a few things we've found to work well for her, at least at this stage, realizing that as she grows we will have to constantly adjust and grow as parents with her!

Coffee Date: April

I am baking some muffins to freeze for the kids and have exactly 18 minutes to pop on here for a quick coffee date. That is not at all enough time for me to finish a blog post (editor problems), but I figured I'd try!

If we were meeting for coffee, I'd ask you how your Easter weekend went and then confess that I didn't put together Easter baskets for the kids. I'd tell you that I don't even feel bad about it except when I see so many people posting online about all the stuff they bought. Then I feel just a twinge of guilt, but mostly I'm okay with it. They get a basket from grandma, and we did an egg hunt (set up by grandma lol!). I'm not against the Easter bunny or anything, but I don't remember doing baskets as a kid and it's just not anywhere on my radar.