Last year was the first time the Color Run came to Kansas City, and I wanted to go more than anything! Have you heard of the Color Run? It’s the happiest 5K on the planet! Basically it’s a 5K fun run, and at every kilometer you run through a tunnel where people throw colored powder all over you. By the end you’re a multi-colored mess, but it’s such a blast! When the race is over, you run across the finish line and straight into a huge dance party, where everyone throws more colored powder up in the air during countdowns led by the Color Run DJ. Here’s a video explaining the whole, crazy thing:
Last year the race filled up so fast, we didn’t get in. But this year they decided to do two Color Runs in one weekend, so there were a few more spots and we snatched them up. My sister and her whole family decided to run, so we joined up with them and ran as a team. The dads and older kids all ran together, while my sister and I stayed back with Lulu and Tate (who was riding in our jogging stroller). We definitely did more walking than running, but it was still super fun. Here are some pics from race day (all taken with the iPhone since I didn’t want to bring the fancy Canon 60D in to that mess):
Some tips for running the Color Run with kids:
– Make sure the kids and adults know who they are sticking with during the race. It’s a bit chaotic and since everyone is wearing the same thing, it can be scary if someone gets separated from the group.
– Plan on bringing your cell phones both to take pics and keep in communication, but be sure to wrap them up in a plastic ziplock bag. Since we had the jogging stroller, we threw our phones and other items in there, but people (like my sister) were rocking fanny packs and armbands to carry their essentials as well.
– At two-years-old, Tate is a bit sensitive to big crowds and got pretty upset during parts of the run. He didn’t like the colored powder being thrown on him at all, so the jogging stroller was a godsend. We just put down the sun canopy and he was mostly protected. You’ll notice he’s quite a bit cleaner in the photos, and that’s why 🙂
– Bring a change of clothes or something to cover up your car seats so you don’t get the colored powder all over on the ride home.
– Speaking of the colored powder, it’s just corn starch and food coloring, so it’s non-toxic and won’t hurt you if you accidentally swallow some. Wear sunglasses or another eye covering to keep the dust out of your eyes (we even saw some younger kids wearing swim goggles). The color washes out, but if you’re blond, like myself, my sister, both my kids and her daughter, it was recommended to cover up your hair. I had someone who ran last year warn me it took six weeks to wash the color out of her blond hair, so we pulled out all the stops, with bandanas, hats and sweatbands. We still did end up with some in our hair, but it washed out within a few days.
– Before you leave, find the guys with the giant leaf blowers that will hose you down and get a bunch of the loose colored powder off you before you get to your car.
– You will get a t-shirt to wear for the race, but make sure the other clothes you are wearing are ones you don’t mind being ruined. I ended up buying a pair of $10 shorts from the Color Run shop and wearing old sneakers. Not great for running, but it didn’t matter if that were gross after it was over.
The Color Run will be back in the Kansas City area for a race in Lawrence in September. If you’re available, you should totally do it! Such a fun race, and something both the kids and the parents really enjoyed. Happy Color Running!
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2013-06-05 14:13:132013-06-05 14:13:13The Color Run
Today you’re seven. Lucky number seven. I know I say this every year, but I really can’t believe it. Every year that passes seems to go by more and more quickly. Why is that? Why is it your first year felt like a million years, but every year since has passed by in mere second? I’m going to blink and you’ll be twenty!
This year was full of change for our family, and much of it revolved around you and your well-being. After six years of daycare and after-school care, we finally made a big switch, and now I am home with you and your brother much more than before. You were always so thoughtful and well-adjusted to your crazy schedule, but somewhere along the line we realized having two parents working over 50 hours a week out of the home wasn’t a good long-term plan for us. I knew you’d be excited about this new setup, but I honestly wasn’t prepared for how much it would affect our relationship. This is a whole new world for us, Lulu, and we’re doing our best to learn our new roles. All in all, you seem so much happier and healthier than you were last year, and that’s all that really matters. The rush, rush life we led before is still around, but we have much more control over it now. We both needed a break from watching the clock, and you have thrived on this change.
I wrote in your birthday card that I was so proud of the young lady you’re growing in to (you said, “aw, mom!” when you read it), and that is absolutely the truth. I am watching you every day, transforming from my baby to my big girl to my young lady, and so far I’ve been thrilled. You are artistic and open-minded, every day you surprise me with your constant joy and empathy toward others. Your heart is so huge, Lulu, and you want everyone on Earth to feel it’s love. You don’t see differences in people, just similarities, and you are always thinking of ways to help when someone is feeling low. When I watch you with your friends and peers, my heart swells with pride, until I realize I have almost nothing to do with that part of you. You are who you are, I never taught you to be this way, you just always have been. I can take no credit for that big heart of yours, but I promise to do everything I can to keep it healthy and full.
I have started to worry about you, Lulu, in ways I didn’t before. Your personality and gifts are so precious, but I can already see them being exploited by others. Kids who want something of yours, which you’ll give away without question. Adults who want you to conform to their idea of normal. Of course I want you to always be yourself, and never care what others think, but I’m a realistic person and I know the older you get the harder this will be. You care so much about the suffering of others, and I hope that exposing you to some hard truths won’t cause you to become disenchanted or depressed about the state of our world. I want you to always feel like doing something, anything, is not a small thing. I have an inkling that you will change the world someday, but it may not be through some huge government role or by being a famous inventor. Maybe you’ll be a kind woman who helps strangers with their grocery bags? That’s not a small thing to the person you are helping. Nor to me.
As we enter this new phase of parenthood, one where your dad and I have to try and let you go a bit so you can learn who you want to be, I’m finding challenges of my own. I’m working on keeping my mouth quiet and letting you figure things out on your own, but it’s not easy, especially when I see you may be hurt. However, I know it’s important, so while I am trying to somehow keep you safe in my little cocoon, I’m also attempting to let you spread your own wings. It’s an impossible task, but we’re working on it. I hope you’ll cut me some slack when you see me royally screwing up, as I will do (often). I am learning along with you, and I know we are going to teach each other so much in the upcoming years.
I always tell you that it was you that made us a family. That’s so true, my sweet girl. The other day I told you the story of your birth for the first time and you sighed and put your head on my chest. You listened and laughed as I told you about how I “needed” a grilled cheese sandwich from Sonic, so I made your dad get one for me before we went to the hospital. “That’s my favorite food,” you said. “Maybe it was me that wanted it? I just told you from inside.” You’re probably right, Lulu. You always have a way of telling me what I need before I even know it myself.
I am so proud of what we have, Lulu. I’m so proud of the mom I have become, and it’s all because of you. You taught me how to do this. And you still are, every day.
I love you so much, my sweet girl.
Love,
Mama
(Every year I write my kids letters on their birthday. Here are my past letters to Lulu: One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.)
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2013-06-03 19:56:082013-06-03 19:56:08Lucky Number Seven
Last night I was lucky enough to have dinner at Story, a Kansas City restaurant, located in Prairie Village. I hadn’t been before, but I will be back for sure! I went with my supper club, and pretty much everything we ordered was fantastic. I had the goat cheese salad and braised short ribs. Holy crap, those short ribs were amazing. Not to mention the gnocchi that came with them. I highly recommend it!
We were so stuffed, we almost skipped dessert, but thank goodness we didn’t! Our plate of freshly made doughnuts with salted caramel passion fruit syrup were insanely good. I willingly admit that I ate the majority of our shared plate (sorry supper clubbers, don’t get between me and my doughnuts!).
Story is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner and Wednesday through Saturday for lunch. You can get a three course lunch for $18! Or on Sundays they have great specials on dinner too. You can read more about them at Story’s website.
(All photos taken with an iPhone 4S and edited using the Afterlight and A Beautiful Mess apps…I think the big DSLR camera would’ve been frowned upon at supper club)
http://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.png00Meganhttp://www.crazybananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Crazy_Banans_Logo_WebsiteBanner.pngMegan2013-05-31 14:21:242013-05-31 14:38:04Happy Weekend : Story Restaurant
The Color Run
/2 Comments/in Family, Fun, Happiness, Kansas City /by MeganLast year was the first time the Color Run came to Kansas City, and I wanted to go more than anything! Have you heard of the Color Run? It’s the happiest 5K on the planet! Basically it’s a 5K fun run, and at every kilometer you run through a tunnel where people throw colored powder all over you. By the end you’re a multi-colored mess, but it’s such a blast! When the race is over, you run across the finish line and straight into a huge dance party, where everyone throws more colored powder up in the air during countdowns led by the Color Run DJ. Here’s a video explaining the whole, crazy thing:
Last year the race filled up so fast, we didn’t get in. But this year they decided to do two Color Runs in one weekend, so there were a few more spots and we snatched them up. My sister and her whole family decided to run, so we joined up with them and ran as a team. The dads and older kids all ran together, while my sister and I stayed back with Lulu and Tate (who was riding in our jogging stroller). We definitely did more walking than running, but it was still super fun. Here are some pics from race day (all taken with the iPhone since I didn’t want to bring the fancy Canon 60D in to that mess):
Some tips for running the Color Run with kids:
– Make sure the kids and adults know who they are sticking with during the race. It’s a bit chaotic and since everyone is wearing the same thing, it can be scary if someone gets separated from the group.
– Plan on bringing your cell phones both to take pics and keep in communication, but be sure to wrap them up in a plastic ziplock bag. Since we had the jogging stroller, we threw our phones and other items in there, but people (like my sister) were rocking fanny packs and armbands to carry their essentials as well.
– At two-years-old, Tate is a bit sensitive to big crowds and got pretty upset during parts of the run. He didn’t like the colored powder being thrown on him at all, so the jogging stroller was a godsend. We just put down the sun canopy and he was mostly protected. You’ll notice he’s quite a bit cleaner in the photos, and that’s why 🙂
– Bring a change of clothes or something to cover up your car seats so you don’t get the colored powder all over on the ride home.
– Speaking of the colored powder, it’s just corn starch and food coloring, so it’s non-toxic and won’t hurt you if you accidentally swallow some. Wear sunglasses or another eye covering to keep the dust out of your eyes (we even saw some younger kids wearing swim goggles). The color washes out, but if you’re blond, like myself, my sister, both my kids and her daughter, it was recommended to cover up your hair. I had someone who ran last year warn me it took six weeks to wash the color out of her blond hair, so we pulled out all the stops, with bandanas, hats and sweatbands. We still did end up with some in our hair, but it washed out within a few days.
– Before you leave, find the guys with the giant leaf blowers that will hose you down and get a bunch of the loose colored powder off you before you get to your car.
– You will get a t-shirt to wear for the race, but make sure the other clothes you are wearing are ones you don’t mind being ruined. I ended up buying a pair of $10 shorts from the Color Run shop and wearing old sneakers. Not great for running, but it didn’t matter if that were gross after it was over.
The Color Run will be back in the Kansas City area for a race in Lawrence in September. If you’re available, you should totally do it! Such a fun race, and something both the kids and the parents really enjoyed. Happy Color Running!
Lucky Number Seven
/1 Comment/in Lucy /by MeganDear Lucy,
Today you’re seven. Lucky number seven. I know I say this every year, but I really can’t believe it. Every year that passes seems to go by more and more quickly. Why is that? Why is it your first year felt like a million years, but every year since has passed by in mere second? I’m going to blink and you’ll be twenty!
This year was full of change for our family, and much of it revolved around you and your well-being. After six years of daycare and after-school care, we finally made a big switch, and now I am home with you and your brother much more than before. You were always so thoughtful and well-adjusted to your crazy schedule, but somewhere along the line we realized having two parents working over 50 hours a week out of the home wasn’t a good long-term plan for us. I knew you’d be excited about this new setup, but I honestly wasn’t prepared for how much it would affect our relationship. This is a whole new world for us, Lulu, and we’re doing our best to learn our new roles. All in all, you seem so much happier and healthier than you were last year, and that’s all that really matters. The rush, rush life we led before is still around, but we have much more control over it now. We both needed a break from watching the clock, and you have thrived on this change.
I wrote in your birthday card that I was so proud of the young lady you’re growing in to (you said, “aw, mom!” when you read it), and that is absolutely the truth. I am watching you every day, transforming from my baby to my big girl to my young lady, and so far I’ve been thrilled. You are artistic and open-minded, every day you surprise me with your constant joy and empathy toward others. Your heart is so huge, Lulu, and you want everyone on Earth to feel it’s love. You don’t see differences in people, just similarities, and you are always thinking of ways to help when someone is feeling low. When I watch you with your friends and peers, my heart swells with pride, until I realize I have almost nothing to do with that part of you. You are who you are, I never taught you to be this way, you just always have been. I can take no credit for that big heart of yours, but I promise to do everything I can to keep it healthy and full.
I have started to worry about you, Lulu, in ways I didn’t before. Your personality and gifts are so precious, but I can already see them being exploited by others. Kids who want something of yours, which you’ll give away without question. Adults who want you to conform to their idea of normal. Of course I want you to always be yourself, and never care what others think, but I’m a realistic person and I know the older you get the harder this will be. You care so much about the suffering of others, and I hope that exposing you to some hard truths won’t cause you to become disenchanted or depressed about the state of our world. I want you to always feel like doing something, anything, is not a small thing. I have an inkling that you will change the world someday, but it may not be through some huge government role or by being a famous inventor. Maybe you’ll be a kind woman who helps strangers with their grocery bags? That’s not a small thing to the person you are helping. Nor to me.
As we enter this new phase of parenthood, one where your dad and I have to try and let you go a bit so you can learn who you want to be, I’m finding challenges of my own. I’m working on keeping my mouth quiet and letting you figure things out on your own, but it’s not easy, especially when I see you may be hurt. However, I know it’s important, so while I am trying to somehow keep you safe in my little cocoon, I’m also attempting to let you spread your own wings. It’s an impossible task, but we’re working on it. I hope you’ll cut me some slack when you see me royally screwing up, as I will do (often). I am learning along with you, and I know we are going to teach each other so much in the upcoming years.
I always tell you that it was you that made us a family. That’s so true, my sweet girl. The other day I told you the story of your birth for the first time and you sighed and put your head on my chest. You listened and laughed as I told you about how I “needed” a grilled cheese sandwich from Sonic, so I made your dad get one for me before we went to the hospital. “That’s my favorite food,” you said. “Maybe it was me that wanted it? I just told you from inside.” You’re probably right, Lulu. You always have a way of telling me what I need before I even know it myself.
I am so proud of what we have, Lulu. I’m so proud of the mom I have become, and it’s all because of you. You taught me how to do this. And you still are, every day.
I love you so much, my sweet girl.
Love,
Mama
(Every year I write my kids letters on their birthday. Here are my past letters to Lulu: One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.)
Happy Weekend : Story Restaurant
/2 Comments/in Kansas City /by MeganLast night I was lucky enough to have dinner at Story, a Kansas City restaurant, located in Prairie Village. I hadn’t been before, but I will be back for sure! I went with my supper club, and pretty much everything we ordered was fantastic. I had the goat cheese salad and braised short ribs. Holy crap, those short ribs were amazing. Not to mention the gnocchi that came with them. I highly recommend it!
We were so stuffed, we almost skipped dessert, but thank goodness we didn’t! Our plate of freshly made doughnuts with salted caramel passion fruit syrup were insanely good. I willingly admit that I ate the majority of our shared plate (sorry supper clubbers, don’t get between me and my doughnuts!).
Story is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner and Wednesday through Saturday for lunch. You can get a three course lunch for $18! Or on Sundays they have great specials on dinner too. You can read more about them at Story’s website.
(All photos taken with an iPhone 4S and edited using the Afterlight and A Beautiful Mess apps…I think the big DSLR camera would’ve been frowned upon at supper club)