by | Dec 22, 2013 | 16 comments

I’m so giddy that it’s Christmas week, so bear with me as I ramble a little bit today!ย  The list of informational posts I plan to write about is stacking up higher than ever, but my excitement for the break is kind of overwhelming my thoughts of nutrition, so … here are 7 Things I’m Excited to do this Holiday Break!ย  If you want more practical tips, you can always head back to my post on 7 Tips to Enjoy a Holiday Healthily and Happily!ย  And if you just want to see some Christmas baby pictures, scroll to the end!

  1. Run.ย  I’m sure you’re shocked (sarcasm!), but I’m really excited to get in some relaxed runs to look at the holiday decorations – they’re so fun to look at.ย  At the end of each year, I also tally up all my running mileage for the year, and it’s looking like this one might be my highest yet!ย  I have my own “year-end tradition” of figuring out two cities with the exact distance span of my yearly mileage, so stay tuned for “where I ran” this year (yes, I’m a nerd).ย  I got in a nice-and-relaxed 18-miler yesterday (in the pouring rain)… 18 milesAs I wrote on Instagram, I’m really liking these Feetures! socks (which I got free as part of my participation in the ZOOMA Ambassadors program).ย  I usually don’t get into expensive running gear, but these socks are really great for preventing blisters – I didn’t feel a thing even after 18 miles with soaked shoes.ย  Another piece of gear that I’m loving is my brand new Garmin!ย  After a long debate and some help from Michael’s review, I ended up purchasing the Garmin Forerunner 110W.ย  This was my first run with it, and I haven’t yet fully explored it, but I’ll post a more detailed review if you’re interested!
  2. Spend time with family. I am so excited to get to spend time with my little sister, who lives in North Carolina.ย  She’s an amazing person, and I can’t wait to catch up on her life!ย  Even though I live in the same city as my parents, I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like, so I’m really excited to enjoy their company as well.ย  And even though I live in the same house as Kevin (well, at least 3 days of the week!), I don’t get to spend as much time with him as I’d like either, so I’m excited for quality time with all of them. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive family, and it’s so easy to take that for granted, but I hope to spend some time really appreciating them this Christmas – and I hope you do the same!family has your back christmas and family(picture source and picture source)
  3. Sleep.ย  Every time I post about the things I enjoyed on a weekend or a holiday (like I did on Thanksgiving), it involves sleep.ย  What can I say, I love sleep!ย  I have been particularly stressed the past few weeks (I’ll tell you why in a few weeks!), and haven’t been sleeping well, but I kicked off the weekend with two long nights of sleep Friday and Saturday, and I’m looking forward to several more!
  4. Cook. I give you a recipe (almost) every Friday for Foodie Friday, but most of the time I’m scrambling around on Sunday evening to make the recipe, while simultaneously trying toย pack my suitcase, clean the house, and finish up everything I wish I had gotten done on the weekend!ย  For this break, I have several things picked out to make (including these pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Barr and Table, this delicious looking celery root and cauliflower puree with garlickly greens from Gourmande in the Kitchen, and a million other ideas floating between my brain and my Pinterest boards). Celery-Root-and-Cauliflower-Puree-with-Garlicky-Greens-on-gourmandeinthekitchen.com-side-paleo-lowcarb vegan-pumpkin-oatmeal-cookies-504-2(sources are the recipes linked above)
  5. Organize blog-related “stuff.” In every day life, I’m a serious planner.ย  As in, I have hourly schedules for every single day, including weekends, and get stressed out when things don’t go according to plan.ย  But I started the blog during a busy time in my life, and I’ve been kind of flying by the seat of myย pants for the past 7 months.ย  It kind of amazes me that I haven’t gotten myself organized enough to have a complete blog calendar, and I think it would make me feel much more relaxed and on top of my game if I did so.ย  (And maybe you’d get some more informational posts, too!).ย  I also desperately need to organize my Pinterest boards, do some company outreach to get you some fun giveaways, plan a few challenges I have in mind, make several site improvements that will make it easier/ prettier for you to navigate, and so much more!
  6. Read.ย  I love reading, but it’s one of those things that just slips through the cracks so often.ย  I have several books that I can’t wait to read, including The In-Between (recommended by the wonderful Cori!), Nourishing Wisdom, and Wheat Belly (which, yes, I told you in May that I was going to read and do a review … oops!)
  7. Breathe.ย  The holidays are aย perfect time toย pull yourself out of the crazy “go-go-go” cycle that we all find ourselves in regularly.ย  Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, and whether or not you get any time off of work this week, I hope you’ll find a moment to stop and breathe.ย  breathe come up for air(picture source andย picture source)

Spill it Sundays Spill-it-Sunday-option-2-1

OK … I promised you Christmas baby pictures, and I will deliver!ย  I asked my mom to send me a picture or two last night, and I can’t tell you how hard my parents, Kevin, and I were laughing over the phone.ย  I sure did like to eat, even then! ย photo 1

I think the baby pictures are hilarious (and bring back so many memories!), but I’m also supposed to share one of my favorite Christmas traditions with you. I have three – one is sitting around a fire on Christmas Eve, spending quality time with my family and anticipating the morning!ย  photo 5 photo 3(I have no idea why I am wearing a clown nose!)

The second is opening stockings in the morning – we always felt so sneaky opening our smaller gifts from Santa before our parents woke up!ย  When we spent Christmas with my mom’s side of the family, all 6 cousins would sleep in one room, and we had so much fun.ย  image photo 2The last is the ritual of passing out gifts and opening in order, which we only did when we spent Christmas with my dad’s side of the family.ย  I love giving gifts even more than I love receiving gifts, and I really like to see everyone’s expression of happiness when they open the gifts, and the dialogue between the giver and the receiver.ย  So I like when we would go around in a circle and open gifts one-by-one … it felt so much more special than just a mad dash to tear into everything all at once! photo 4So tell me in the comments … what is your favorite holiday tradition (Christmas or otherwise)?ย  If you get a break from work, what is one thing you’re looking forward to?

16 Comments

    • Megan Lyons

      Ice certainly does put a damper on running, Danielle! Hope you’ve been safe despite it, and found some way to move without running outside!

      Reply
  1. Andrea R. @ Morning Runner Girl

    Reading is on my list as well! So many wonderful books I want to read!
    And your “where I ran this Year” adding up the mileage is GENIUS!!! I can’t wait to find out “where” you went haha
    Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing week ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Thank you, Andrea! It has been truly wonderful to relax the past week. I just found my “destination” for the year – it’s a fun one!

      Reply
  2. Sara @ LovingOnTheRun

    I too am looking forward to spending time with family and relaxing this holiday season! we have been so crazy the past couple weeks that I just look forward to being able to relax – oh and a little running ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      So glad you got the time off to relax, Sara!

      Reply
  3. Arman @ thebigmansworld

    I have to echo Amy- I am excited for you to get time off too! You deserve it- I honestly can say I’ve never come across someone who can balance 1000+1 things at once- I am constantly amazed.

    I can’t wait for your milage post- Why weren’t we friends when I had my math subjects.. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Those pictures are priceless..rocking the red nose!

    PS Thanks for also keeping me in the loop with the elf challenges!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Thanks, Arman. As you know, I so appreciate your support and encouragement. While I do think that balancing a lot of things is a gift, it can also be problematic, because you can get yourself so wrapped up in all the things you “have to” do that you just lose sight of LIFE. I was so lucky to get to step back and re-set the past week, even if it put me further behind in blog world :). Haha, the sad thing is that I would have LOVED to help you out with math!!

      Reply
  4. Katie

    I also LOVE opening gifts around the circle in order from youngest to oldest, (and if you are extra OCD like me, I open mine from smallest to largest). Brian’s family does the mad dash and it makes me crazy. I never get to see what everyone else got, even my own kids. If I do see what the kids are opening, it’s hard to catch who it was from. Plus, I just don’t do chaos! ๐Ÿ™‚ Wish we could see you guys this year! Merry Christmas!!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Ooh, smallest to largest is a good technique. I save what I think will be the best gift for last, but it’s sometimes hard to tell if you don’t already know what’s in there! Loved seeing the video of your sweet kids opening gifts – thanks!

      Reply
  5. Michael Anderson

    Love the kiddie pics! Saw the one on Instagram and couldn’t wait – it is amazing fun looking at these old pics of ourselves!

    Glad you are happy with the Garmin – it is really the only brand I could ever feel comfortable recommending …

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Yes, the Garmin has been great! Writing up technical product reviews is certainly not my specialty, so I’ll be pointing people to your review for a while :).

      Reply
  6. Gary

    While those baby pictures are adorable (no surprise there), those pictures of the two people that remotely resemble your parents may just have to win this year’s award! A Fun and Happy Holiday to all. – Gary

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Haha, Gary! Yes, my parents did look pretty great back in the day (and they still do!).

      Reply
  7. Amy @ Long Drive Journey

    I’m so excited FOR you that you get this time off! I hope you get lots of rest and get to enjoy your family! I loved those baby pictures – so cute!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Thank you, Amy! As I said, this break has been absolutely amazing and much-needed. I hope you enjoyed your well-deserved family time, too!

      Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Megan Lyons Headshot

Hi! I'm Megan Lyons,

the voice behind The Lyonsโ€™ Share. I love all things health, wellness, and fitness-related, and I hope to share some of my passion with you. Thanks for stopping by!
Boost Energy Download

Need a quick energy boost? Download this guide!