Bushkill Falls Family Hike

Last Sunday, we headed to Bushkill Falls to check out their waterfalls. Located in the Pocono Mountains, Bushkill Falls is a series of eight waterfalls. There is a fee to get in, which I'm not fond of as it's pretty pricey. Adults are $12.50/day, seniors (ages 62 and older) are $11.50/day, children (ages 4 through 10) are $7/day, and children (ages 3 and younger) are free. 

There were a lot of people when we arrived at the parking lot just before noon, we weren't sure we would find parking but they do have a huge lot, so it wasn't too hard after driving up more. We had packed our lunches and saw that there were picnic tables, so we just ate our lunch before heading to the Falls (they discourage picnicking once inside). There is lots to do before even entering the Falls area. There are paddle boats, miniature golf, mining for gemstones, and even a maze. With all there is a fee, so we just stuck with going to see the falls this time. There is also a children's playground where the kids played a little bit right after lunch, as they just have to try out every playground it seems. ;)

TBT Hiking Post from Hubby - Oregon Hiking

It's Thursday!! That means another Throwback Thursday post from Hubby. Today's post is actually 2 hikes from a trip to Oregon. We visited my sister and went to Eagle Creek to High Bridge and Tom, Dick, & Harry Mountain. It was a great time and I remember enjoying having my sister around on some hikes with us. I also remember that the view of Mt. Hood from Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain was pretty amazing!

Oregon Hiking, May 27 & 28, 2007

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Sharon and I visited her sister in Oregon for Memorial Day, and went on two great hikes while there. Neither was particularly long, but they both gave a good flavor of Oregon hiking. The first was along Eagle Creek at the Columbia River Gorge, and the second was to Tom, Dick, & Harry Mountain near Mt. Hood.

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EAGLE CREEK TO HIGH BRIDGE 

FlipBelt Review

As a Sweatpink Ambassador I was given the opportunity to try try out a FlipBelt through Fit Approach. I was pretty excited as I had been thinking about getting one as my current belt (Spibelt) was bothering me at times. I had actually heard great things about the FlipBelt beforehand because my sister has one and she has been raving about how great it was. Now for me to test it out.

They have a good variety of colors on their website to choose from. 

Half Marathon Training Week 6: 8/18-8/24

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Monday 8/18 - 4 mile run on the treadmill

Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse

I had heard about the Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse from a Mom that I met at a park one day. She mentioned that it had a huge playground for kids and was free. As always the free caught my attention. She also mentioned it was close to the Philadelphia Zoo, so we could always swing by the Zoo too if the kids wanted. When we arrived, I was surprised to see what looked like a mansion. 

This mansion, is actually the Playhouse. According to their pamphlet, it opened in 1899, and was specifically designed to be used as a play place just for kids. Pretty cool that even back then they wanted a place just for kids to play! It is really big! 16,000 square feet to be exact! It has 3 levels. The Playhouse is for kids 5 and under but the older kids up to 10 years old can play out on the playground (get to that in a bit). I can see why the Playhouse is for kids 5 and under as the toys are geared more towards the younger crowd. There are lots of toys for younger kids to play with. This is the main big room upstairs.

TBT Hiking Post from Hubby - Hike to Canyon's Ski Resort

It's Thursday!! That means another Throwback Thursday post from Hubby. Today's post is a hike, actually a snowshoe hike to Canyon's Ski Resort from Hubby's parents house at the time in Park City, Utah. I remember it being my first time snowshoeing and it was harder than I thought it would be, but it was still fun! :)

Hike to Canyons Ski Resort, December 21, 2006

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Sharon came with me to visit my parents in Utah just before Christmas. The first day there, we decided to snowshoe from my parents' house to the Canyons ski resort. 

Outside my parents' garage all geared up. 

The ALS #IceBucketChallenge

Yesterday I was nominated for the ALS #IceBucketChallenge from fellow blogger, Caroline at Fit Pink Mom. I had been seeing so many posts on Facebook of those nominated and completing the challenge, I had a feeling I would be nominated soon. Talk of the challenge was even brought up over the weekend and a friend said that if she was nominated, I would be one of her nominees so I wasn't surprised when I saw this tweet from Caroline.

Half Marathon Training Week 5: 8/11 - 8/17

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Monday 8/11 - Rest
Tuesday 8/12 - 4 mile run at the gym on the treadmill.

Hershey Park with Kids

We went to Hershey Park for the first time this week. We left on Sunday morning and stayed the night, leaving Monday late in the afternoon. Thanks again to Priceline we got a pretty good deal on a hotel that was close to the park. 

I had heard lots of positive things about Hershey Park but was not expecting much and was not sure how the kids would be at the park. I had seen the maps on the website but just didn't realize how big it was until we got there. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the park and the amount of rides and attractions there were for kids under 5. 

TBT Hiking Post from Hubby - Trapper's Peak

It's Thursday!! That means another Throwback Thursday post from Hubby. Today's post is a hike in the North Cascades of WA, Trapper's Peak. This hike gets you to some awesome views of the North Cascades. 

Trappers Peak, June 30, 2007

Trappers Peak gives some of the best views of the North Cascades that can be attained without anything more than some relatively straightforward scrambling. I had gone there last year and wanted to share the experience with Sharon. 

To get to Trappers Peak, you take the Thornton Lake trail to the saddle above the lake and then follow a boot path up the ridge to the summit. 

A Day in Central Park with the Kiddos

We headed out to NYC on Saturday to hang out in Central Park. This was the first time we went into the city just to hang out at the park. We were meeting some friends there and it was an easy place to meet with them while having the kiddos in tow. Usually when we head to Central Park, we are only there for an hour or two, and have to rush off. What was nice about this visit, was there was no set destination, we explored whatever was around us without having to rush elsewhere and just relaxed. It was really nice.

2 pairs of Experia Socks and ENERGYbits Giveaway!!

I'm excited to host my first giveaway!! Both are products that I have tried and really like!
First are 2 pairs of Thorlos Experia socks! I reviewed them last week. They are awesome socks for running! They are soft, comfortable and padded in just the right areas! Check out my review here.

Last Week's Workouts 8/4-8/10

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Monday 8/4 - Treadmill run at the gym. 3.5 miles and felt pretty good.

Princeton Airport Tour

When I heard from a friend that the Princeton Airport has tours on Tuesday's at 10:30 (July & August) I was intrigued. I had never been to the little airport but I had always heard from other Mom's about them taking their kids in their cars to see the planes take off and land and how their kids enjoyed it. I thought it would be a great opportunity to check out with a tour, especially since my 3 year old loves airplanes.

It turned out to be an awesome experience! The tour guide talked about the airport, things like where the gas is, where the hangars are, how they have a flight school there, how the airport is actually 103 years old (yes it's old)! It was funny because he emphasized the age that you can get your flight license. It's 16 years old when you can get your license, but once you can reach the pedals of the plane is when you can start learning to fly. I can't remember how many times he said it, but it was quite a bit. I guess he really wants kids to learn how to fly. ;)

TBT Post from Hubby - Earl Peak & Bean Peak Hiking Trip Report

It's Thursday!! That means another Throwback Thursday post from Hubby. Today's post is another hike in the Teanaway area of WA, Earl and Bean peak. This one was pretty cool because it was the first time I had ever done two peaks in a day. It was pretty awesome as the views were spectacular!

Earl Peak & Bean Peak, June 11, 2007

The Teanaway region of Washington is ideal for Springtime. When the weather is poor west of the cascades, these mountains further to the east are often filled with meadows of flowers and blue skies. It also gives a great vantage point for viewing the rugged Stuart Range, one of the most impressive of the state. 

Thorlos Running Socks Review

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out Thorlos Socks. I've heard of Thorlos socks, but always thought of them as a company popular for hiking socks. I had no idea they provided socks for all sorts of activities, from tennis, running, to basketball and snowboarding. You can check out their products at their website here. When I received them in the mail, I was excited to try them out. I received two pairs of running socks, the Experia and the 84N Runner.

I tried out the Experia first as they were geared more to my feet needs. Experia socks are in the category of "For feet that do not hurt" during or after activity. Therefore these socks have lighter padding. I feel lucky that my feet don't hurt while running. 

When trying the socks on for the first time, they felt great! They had padding but in just the right spots. I really liked how they were comfortable and the socks are nice and soft. To test them right, I ran in them a couple of times. Once at the gym for a treadmill workout and another for a 6 miler outside on the D&R Canal trail. Both times my feet felt great. I'm a fan, not only do they feel great, but also look cute. On the website, these socks come in lots of cute colors. :)

As to the other pair, the 84N Runner, these socks were in the category of "For feet that hurt" during or after activity so I was kind of unsure if I should even try them out. But what the heck, might as well. When I first tried them on, I was like wow, these are super comfy! I felt like I was walking on clouds. They were soft and had lots of padding. On the packaging it says that padding is clinically shown to: reduce blisters, reduce pain, reduce pressures, and reduce moisture. To try these socks out, I did a short treadmill run at the gym. For these, they felt too comfy and it was a little uncomfortable in my shoes. I did not like the feeling in these socks. Who knew that too much padding would be uncomfortable. I guess it all depends on the feet. With these socks, my feet were not happy while running. 

However, I did find another use for these socks. They are great just to wear for lounging around in the house. So comfy and my feet love the feeling, like walking on clouds. :)

I definitely recommend you check out Thorlos! I checked their website and they have a free pair offer, only have to pay $4.90 for shipping. Pretty cool deal! Just be sure you get the right pair that goes best with what will make your feet happy. I will definitely look into getting a pair of their hiking socks to try out next!



Disclaimer: These socks were provided to me free of charge. I was under no obligation to provide this review. Everything contained in this post is my own opinion.

Last Week's Workouts 7/28-8/3

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Monday 7/28 - Focus T25 Alpha Total Body Circuit

Tuesday 7/29 - Treadmill run, a good 3.5 miles followed by Focus T25 Ab Intervals.

Wednesday 7/30 - Focus T25 Alpha Total Body Circuit in the morning and 6x400's at 5K pace in the afternoon.

Thursday 7/31 - Treadmill run, 3 miles in the morning and Focus T25 Alpha Cardio in the afternoon.

Friday 8/1 - Double day of T25! Both Total Body Circuit and Lower Focus. It's tough doing them back to back.

Saturday 8/2 - Got my long run in of 6 miles since I knew I couldn't get it in on Sunday. Felt really good running and not a bad time!

Sunday 8/3 - Rest

Not a bad week. I felt pretty good most of the week, although Friday was tough doing the workouts back to back. My long run on Saturday felt really good. I think that 5 weeks of T25 have definitely helped me! I feel stronger! I still need to work on my core and abs but other than that, I think things are going really well. I will probably lay off on following the full T25 schedule with training for the Wineglass Half marathon underway, but I will still try to incorporate some T25 on the days I am not running. We shall see how things go. :)