#204: Janelle Haselhuhn: ‘This can be a good time of our lives’

Michigan Runner Girl

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, when face coverings became scarce, Janelle Haselhuhn decided to put her impressive sewing skills to work. The southwest Michigan mom of two young kids, ages 5 and 3, made some 700 masks in just a few short weeks with the help of a small group of volunteers.

Janelle, who shares her sewing creations — including memory quilts and t-shirt blankets, some of which feature race t-shirts, and — on her Facebook business page MI Sew Haven, joins Heather on the podcast to talk about life as a long-time athlete, runner, seamstress (she makes her own running attire), and now-homeschooling mom. One way she’s making the most of these interesting times? Dressing up every day — she wore a super-cute leopard print jumpsuit, which she made of course, when this episode was recorded — and doing fun things like blasting great music and hosting fancy, dress-up dinner evenings for her family. “I’m a firm believer in what you wear directly affects how you feel. It just makes me feel good to dress up … We do little themes here and there.”

Janelle, who lives with her husband and their son and daughter in Paw Paw, Mich., credits attending the MRG Winter Weekend Getaway at the start of 2020 — right before life turned upside down for all of us — with helping her believe she could be a year-round outdoor runner. She shares how this winter she is planning to run outside all season long for the first time. She also talks about what the pandemic has taught her, how she’s stayed sane and found a few new hobbies, and how she became a runner following high school and college experiences rowing on a crew team on the Detroit River and trying out the sport of fencing.

“This has been a really good learning experience, and I hope other people are realizing this, too, that this can be a good time of our lives.”

FIND JANELLE:

@jnl.dsgn on Instagram

FIND JANELLE’S SEWING BUSINESS

Mi Sew Haven on Facebook

FIND HEATHER:

@michiganrunnergirl on Instagram

@michigan-runner-girl on Facebook

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