Happy Father's Day

Posted by Kim

So Father's Day is in ONE WEEK! Can you believe it? Have you thought about what you are going to buy your BabyDaddy for Father's Day? Well forgive me for the shameless plug, but why not right?

My husband and I started the FamilyFanClub with one simple t-shirt: Swim Daddy Swim, Bike Daddy Bike, Run Daddy Run. As a way for my sons and me to "Wear Our Support" when we were cheering Dad on during his triathlons. Our business has blossomed from there and now we can even do personalization!! Plus I really appreciate it when my husband wears his Run Kim Run t-shirt to all of my running events, it really does make me proud of what I just accomplished!

Check out the FamilyFanClub.net for great gift ideas for Dads, Grandpas, Sons, Brothers, Uncles (you get the picture). Everything from stickers to mouse pads, we have a fun design for you. And if you place your order by June 15th, you will receive automatic FREE shipping upgrade (2-day service). Thanks for your order!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing Moms! We hope you had a beautiful, relaxing, loving weekend with your families. Every year I celebrate Mother's Day running the Title 9K race at the Boulder Reservoir! What a great way to start out the day. While breakfast in bed sounds enticing too, I just love the frenzy of getting the family up and out the door by 7am so we can get there in time for the kids race and to simply soak up the gorgeous view of the Flat Irons and the energy that radiates from 1800 Moms as they wait for the 9am start! What an amazing blessing to be a part of this event.

Well, this is what it is like under ideal conditions, because as Moms we all know that we have this ideal plan for what an event is going to be like and often it is the worst mistake I can make because I expect too much. For instance, is getting everyone out of the house by 7am easy, even on Mother's Day? No, of course not. It usually involves some coercing, begging, frustration, and on the rare occasion me sitting in the car making Dad take care of it (would this be considered pouting)! Then there is probably whining on the way there, but some how it always comes together and the hour it takes me to run 9K (now 9.9K) is like going out for Sunday morning coffee with my girlfriends, quite relaxing. In the mean time Paul is managing the boys and keeping them occupied. Sometimes I wonder why I try to get my best time each year, shouldn't this be the race that I try to take the longest?

I have been running this race for 7 years (since the year it started) and I have LOVED being a part of it, plus the fact that I can say that I have run it every year! This year was a bit different however, because for the first time I woke up to rainy cold conditions. We have now had just about all weather conditions, gorgeous, too hot, too windy, cold, but it had never rained before. I kept thinking if the rain can just hold out it would be perfect running conditions, I love to run when it is 45 degrees!

Changing the routine due to the weather I picked up my girlfriends Carissa and Rebecca and husbands and kiddos were going to meet us at the finish. I was feeling so great, quite giddy actually, until I realized that I forgot my number! UGH! So I called my Dad who was staying at our house and he zips down 66 to meet us and deliver my race number. At this point we still have plenty of time, but I am anxious and upset with myself for forgetting the number. I like to enter the back way into the reservoir so we head that way, but there is a sheriff car sitting on the corner. I ask if the back way is still open and he says yes, but that it is a bumpier ride. I was driving our dreamy 1995 eggplant purple Pontiac Sunfire, do I look like a few bumps are going to scare me? We head down the road only to see another sheriff's car at the next corner and he turns us back telling us that the road is closed. By this time I am really anxious and frustrated with myself so what is my response? I yell out my window that the other sheriff told us it was ok to come this way and that they should communicate with each other. What?! Did I just do that? So I head speeding back (toward 3 sheriff cars) and as we pass the sheriff that told me the road was open I yell out my window "The road is not open, don't tell anyone else to go that way." What?! Did I just do that again? I then come to the stop sign (right next to another sheriff's car) roll through the stop sign in my hurry and Carissa yells out "He's going to pull you over." As the lights of his car come on and he starts moving I just see the headlines MOTHER ARRESTED ON MOTHERS DAY! What is wrong with me? Luckily it all worked out and he was just moving to officially close the road, looks like they decided to take my advice! Phew.

It all worked out, we arrived early enough for Carissa to get her race pack, to find some friends and hang out for a bit, and then to cram (literally shoulder to shoulder) into the start and stay warm until the 9am start. Once the race started it seemed like it was sailing by. I was shocked when we passed the 5K point. But I felt great so I figured we must have been running a bit slow, but when I approached the finish line Griffin ran out to run into the finish with me wearing his Mommy's #1 Fan t-shirt I was shocked to see that my finish time was 1:03. I was surprised considering the crammed start, the water stops and the fact that I did have to stop to use the porta potty. Now that was a fun time!

Speaking earlier about foiled plans, this year the boys would were actually cooperating and willing to get their picture taken with me! Ahh yes, some things change! Another amazing year, another amazing race. The perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day with a personal accomplishment and my biggest fans waiting for me at the finish line!

Golf Revisited

It has been a LONG time since I have golfed, but my friend Leandra finally wore me down and convinced me to hit the links the few weeks ago. Leandra plays in a golf group that meets once a week to golf casually for fun. I honestly have not golfed in 7 years so when I hit my first ball I was literally shaking in my shoes. My golf clubs are not only a starter set (so I only have every other club) but they are about 13 years old. In order to save face I put my old starter set in Paul's nice golf bag so they don't look so bad. I of course was the only one without a cart to push or pull, but I kept saying that I don't mind carrying my bag (because I don't). The way I look at it it is just a little extra exercise. I may as well burn as many calories as I can.

Despite my fear, my first time on the course wasn't so bad. Of course it really helps that everyone is very relaxed and just playing for fun. When it was over (we only played 9 holes) I was hooked again. It looks like this will be the perfect substitution for Yoga. My second week of golf brought out a few more bad shots than the first week, but I still had an awesome time hanging out with Leandra and I look forward to several more games of golf this summer!

Under Pressure

Minute after minute there is a million things to do. Pressure, mini panic attacks because there is so much to do. Get up, workout, take the kids to school, volunteer at school, bring the kids home, dress and leave for t-ball practice, hustle over to soccer practice, Board Meeting, rush home and back to work. Sound familiar? It just about outlines my daily activity. So much to do, so little time. I never feel like I am ahead of the game and most of the time I have so much anxiety about it that it causes me grief that I haven't taken my son out back to play catch with him yet this summer. That's not what a stay at home mom is suppose to be like. What is wrong with me? Well, that's a whole other blog post.

With so much going on in my life, eating is the last thing on my mind. This of course would be fine if I was only cooking for myself. Unfortunately for them, I am cooking for a family too. So what to do when you have 40 minutes before you have to leave for soccer practice and have to make a dinner for four? First, let go of the idea of being on time for soccer and just be ok with that. Second, make some brown rice, mix it with a can of black beans, a can of corn, shredded cheese and some salsa. Then place chicken breast on top of the rice mixture and cover with salsa. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then sprinkle chicken with shredded cheese and for the final touch cruble tortilla chips on top. Heat to melt cheese and enjoy!

There is nothing like a burrito casserole to save a drowning Mommy during another insane day!

BeadforLife on the Today Show

One of my businesses and my greatest professional passion, is BINSI Labor and Birth Apparel. My business partner Carri and I feel so blessed that through BINSI we have been able to help make a difference in a woman's birth experience. Beyond that we LOVE that our business has also helped to support other women owned businesses and in fact has helped to touch women's lives around the world. What an amazing feeling.

As with most great things that have happened in my life, I simply happened to be at the right place at the right time. After Carri and I launched our line of Birth Wish Bracelets, we were happy that our idea had finally come to fruition, but after several months we just felt like it could be better. Enter me asking a good friend, by chance, if she happened to know where I could purchase Fair Trade beads. Well wouldn't you know that she happened to be wearing a BeadforLife bracelet and she suggested we talk with them, because they happen to be headquartered in Boulder!

Well that one short conversation lead to a wonderful partnership and Carri and I are very honored and proud that we not only offer BINSI Birth Wish bracelets as a wonderful baby shower or blessingway gift or favor, but that the bracelets in our kits are the amazingly beautiful bracelets made by the BeadforLife beaders.

Because we are so honored and thrilled to be working with BeadforLife we were VERY excited to receive the news that BeadforLife will be featured on NBC's Today Show on Wednesday, May 6th. The show will feature the extraordinary work of BeadforLife, our poverty eradication organization working in Uganda. Over five million viewers will see how BeadforLife has created a network of women in Uganda and throughout North America and beyond to work together to eradicate extreme poverty.

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know that May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month? This I did not know, but I am glad that I do now. Now living in Colorado where we get 300 days of sunshine I am VERY protective of myself and my children when it comes to sun exposure and I make sure to use good sun judgment. Hailing originally from Upstate NY where there is an ongoing sun dance and celebration when the sun actually decides to appear, we were less than protective and aware of sun damage when I lived there growing up. As a matter of fact I am a little appalled to think about the way I behaved in the sun wearing baby oil or tanning oil trying to capture that bronze tan look. Spending most of my High School summers "laying out" between the hours of 10am and 2pm to catch the "good sun". WOW, what a mistake. Luckily I have not seen much damage from that sun exposure, at least not yet, but now that we are exposed to the sun almost every day here in Colorado as well as a significant increase in altitude I am panicked if I go out without sunscreen. It is a part of my morning primp routine (I use Jason facial sunscreen) and I even keep a bottle of sunscreen within an arms reach at all times, one in the kitchen, one in the swim bag, on in the car, one in the soccer bag.... You get the picture. One of my favorite possessions and the item that determined the color of my bathing suit, is my Columbia UV wide brimmed hat! I wear it everywhere and love how light it is as well as knowing that I am protecting my face and shoulders from sun exposure.

For the boys I always make sure they have long swim trunks and UV protection swim shirts. Why haven't I mentioned any protective efforts for my husband? Well, he is an adult and not only that he enjoys his Columbia wide brimmed hat too. Seeing as though my handsome husband is bald, he is very protective of "The Motherland" and is very sun smart as well. Fortunately and unfortunately for Paul, he is not exposed to the sun as much as the boys and me seeing as though he is sitting in his office most of the days during the week. But now that he is a triathlete, sun protection is more on his mind!

For the boys, I usually pick up a swim shirt at Target or the local sports shop, but today a good friend of mine passed along an email from a company called UV Skinz and they are running a great promotion for the month, not to mention there is FREE shipping on all orders over $50. As a matter of fact I ended up buying myself the Sarah Long Sleeve Black and White Aloha UV swim shirt seeing as though we spend so much time in the sun and at the pool over the summer. I am looking forward to wearing my shirt knowing that I am protected.

So you may be wondering, what is this amazing promotion UV Skinz is running? Read below about the "Pay It Forward I Saved a Baby's Skin Today" promotion

Press Release: SUN SMART RIGHT FROM THE START

As spring days warm up, parents become more careful about protecting children from sun damage. UV Skinz promotes skin cancer awareness by shipping free Baby UV swim shirts with every order in May.

SONORA, CA – May 1, 2009 – With summer days fast approaching and in honor of Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May, UV Skinz UPF 50+ swim shirt company will evangelize skin and sun health through a unique promotion to get babies and infants covered. The company will ship a free UPF 50+ protective Baby Skinz swim shirt with every order placed in May.

“The intent is for customers to ‘pay it forward,’” says Rhonda Sparks who founded UV Skinz after losing her 32-year old husband to melanoma. “We hope our customers will donate the Baby Skinz to a charitable cause such as a women’s shelter, YMCA or even a neighbor in need. We want to get as many children covered as we can and with each donation, we hope to raise the level of awareness that much more.” Each May shipment will contain a free UV Baby Skinz along with a flyer encouraging customers to pass along the Baby Skinz to a chosen cause. UV Skinz was able to give away about 1,850 swim shirts for the May 2008 Skin Cancer Awareness promotion.
The company’s goal this year is to nearly double that as supplies allow.

Babies under age six months should not be in the sun at all. Most pediatricians recommend no direct sunlight exposure for infants within the first few years. However, most infants older than six months regularly spend some time outdoors, even if just for walks in a stroller, and should be sun protected from head to toe. Protecting babies’ skin, regardless of the season, is essential to good skin health and safe sun exposure into adulthood. “UV Skinz are free of harsh sunscreen chemicals that can not only irritate baby’s sensitive skin, but also are now suspected to affect hormone production and react with sunlight to produce free radicals, possibly contributing to some cancers,” said Sparks. “Parents should know that sunscreen SPF ratings indicate UVB protection but may not indicate protection from the more deeply penetrating UVA rays that damage skin’s connective tissue, can contribute to skin cancer development and are the primary causes of premature aging.” UV Skinz’ swim shirts carry a UPF50+ rating, blocking more than 98% of the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays.

The National Cancer Institute reports that many common cancer rates are falling but melanoma rates within the U.S. continue to grow at an alarming rate. Sparks implores parents to cover their children to prevent them from becoming the one in five Americans who will develop skin cancer. “I am doing all that I can to protect my children from suffering the same fate that their father suffered when we lost him to melanoma. I hope our Baby Skinz donation program will prevent more families from being impacted by this devastating disease.” UV Skinz produces hip, high quality UPF 50+ UV swim shirts for babies, kids and adults. After UV Skinz founder, Rhonda Sparks, lost her 32-year old husband to skin cancer, she made it her mission to raise awareness about the potentially harmful dangers of the sun. The UV Skinz website offers information and links for consumers interested in finding out more on how to fight skin
cancer.

Honoring A Mom

You may have heard about the senseless tragedy that took place in Binghamton, NY on Friday. Well Binghamton is my hometown and while I often tease about Binghamton and how happy I am that I now live in Colorado, when I heard about this horrific event I started to feel nostalgic about my little hometown. I am drawn to the memories of all of the great times I had growing up, because Binghamton really was an amazing place to grow up. And in the middle of the wonderful memories I have of my youth, is one of my best friends from High School and College, one of the daughters of Mrs Roberta King. I was adopted into the King family and was always envious of the sheer size of their family as I am an only child. Ten children?! WOW! I can hardly handle the two that I have. But their house was always full of family, always open to friends, and at the center of it all was a jovial, happily married couple, Dr and Mrs King.

This past Friday one of the sweetest, most giving, most community oriented women I have ever known was tragically taken from this world and I have to pay tribute to Mrs King. The mother to 10 amazingly talented and successful children, one of the most avid doll collectors (seriously I have never seen so many dolls), and the world's greatest substitute teacher. Mrs King was always happy to see you and always offered a kind word. She is a true Binghamton icon.

While everyone in our town is trying to process this senseless act of violence I can only deal with the reality of the situation by believing and having faith that Mrs King has been reunited with Dr King in heaven and together they are looking down at the wonderful family they created together seeing how many people's lives they have touched and what a difference they made in the town of Binghamton.

As Carri said, "Anyone that can have 10 children and still have plenty to give is a rare gift to the world." This couldn't more true.

Beloved English teacher among deceased
PressConnects.com
By Nancy Dooling • ndooling@gannett.com • Staff Writer • April 5, 2009

Grandmother of 17.

Teacher.

Doll collector.

History and architecture buff.

Talented cook.

And she knew how to be a beloved friend.

Roberta "Bobbie" King, 72, was teaching English to adult students Friday at the American Civic Association when a gunman burst into her classroom and killed her and 12 others, before turning a gun on himself. Family members confirmed her death Saturday.

"I believe that 'Bobbie' had more genuine friends than anybody I know," said Brenda Margolis, one of the many friends who loved her.

Margolis had been a friend of Mrs. King's for more than 30 years, through child-rearing, weddings, grandchildren, funerals - all of life's big moments.

Other families affected by Friday's violent massacre on Front Street were anxiously awaiting word Saturday about their loved ones. Binghamton city officials are now saying a full list of victims won't be released until today.

Friends and family of Mrs. King's are trying to cope with her loss.

"She impacted a lot of lives because of her very warm, very upbeat, kind disposition and her many interests," said Margolis, of Binghamton. "Everyone loved her."

Funeral services for Mrs. King will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at Temple Concord on Riverside Drive in Binghamton, said Mrs. King's daughter, Georgia Lerner.

Family will sit Shiva from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Temple Concord.

Her family was the center of her life. But so were her many interests and her many friends.

She was always positive, always upbeat, and able to competently and without complaint tackle anything that life threw at her, friends said.

With 10 children, her house was always full, friends said.

But Mrs. King took everything in stride.

"Her strength came from her gentle kindness," said another long-time friend, Beverly Hirsch, a Binghamton resident.

Mrs. King loved teaching immigrants and had no plans to retire, said her son-in-law, Dr. Todd Lerner.

She taught English to immigrants learning to be U.S. citizens. She substitute taught at public schools.

She loved her students, family and friends said.

"She was an amazing lady," Lerner said. "She was always busy with something."

She and her husband, the late Dr. Abraham King, put their children first in their lives, sending all 10 to college, five of them to Cornell University in Ithaca, her son-in-law said.

She was a passionate collector of dolls and dollhouses, which filled her South Side Binghamton home. She loved historic architecture and was involved with Temple Concord's Hanukkah House, Roberson Museum and the Phelps Mansion.

But it was the quality of her character that drew people to her.

"She was always gentle and kind," Hirsch said.

"Never critical. Never negative."