Publix Apology

Yesterday's Wal-Mart adventure was not nearly as pleasurable as I hoped it would be.  As a result I penned this letter to Publix...

Dear Publix,
Thank you for being so wonderful!  I apologize for going to Wal-Mart yesterday.  Please forgive me.  I won't cheat on you again!  Here are some of the reasons I love you...

• you have double-seated carts for my twin toddlers

• you have organic options that aren't rotten

• you have a wide variety of healthy options 

• you have far fewer creepy people shopping in your store 

• you have extremely helpful workers

• your aisles are clean

• when your workers are restocking shelves, they get out of my way so I can get through

• your employees give my boys balloons and cookies

• you help me find everything I need

• you help me load my car when I am done shopping

...I could go on and on.  Let's just say I learned my lesson and it's not worth the couple of dollars I saved to put myself through the torture of shopping at Wal-Mart.  I really enjoy shopping at Publix and will happily use my coupons and shop your wonderful sales to keep my sanity while sticking to my budget.  

Sincerely,
Rachel

I'm debating wether or not to actually send it...

The boys and I indulged in some avocado chocolate mousse after our Wal-Mart experience.  We earned it!  They loved it and were so cute eating it!  We're still mastering our spoon skills...

We called it an early night and I had high hopes for making it to the gym for the third day in a row this morning but the boys had a different idea and decided to wake up before 6.  I guess I'll just try to get to the gym tomorrow.  We were still able to get a workout in, despite our change of plans.  They had some juice and I had some coffee, then we hit the road with the jogging stroller for an easy 3.5 mile run which was originally scheduled for tomorrow on my training plan.  Part of my plan is to be able to bump and roll.  So far so good!  I had planned to get some strength training and plyometrics in today at the gym but I used my back-up plan,  the Skinny Jeans Workout from Fitness Magazine, since I was stuck at home.  It was a nice change of pace and I liked trying out the new moves.  I especially liked the monkey push-ups, which were challenging in a good way.

While I was getting my workout on, my husband was cleaning up the mess in our yard, thanks to Tropical Storm Isaac.  While he was out there, he picked the last of our pineapples.  Look how cute this little one is.  Its smaller than my jar candle.  I can't wait to cut into it.  Pineapple is like candy to me.  YUM!

Speaking of snacks, I wanted to share with you one of the snacks I've been loving lately.  I was getting kind of tired of my daily smoothies and wanted to find a substitute to change things us without sacrificing that daily dose of nutrition.  I came up with a protein pudding, which is basically just my smoothie in a more concentrated form.  Today, I made it using a Vega One packet,  (It was delicious by the way.  I am so happy to be finding delicious vegan protein options like Vega One and SunWarrior.)  1/2 tablespoon Naturally More peanut butter, (another delicious find), 5 drops of vanilla stevia, and just a splash of unsweetened almond milk.  I stirred it all together very thoroughly and ended up with a delicious, thick pudding.  I put it in the
fridge for about an hour and enjoyed it--cold, healthy, and satisfying.

The boys have been very busy today.  There's never a dull moment around here which keeps life from getting boring.  The highlights were Colton showing Mason how to clap the monkeys hands together while riding on his horse (talk about multi-tasking) and Colton having a hard time getting the pieces lined up on the puzzle.  Notice his frustration in the middle bottom photo.  Classic!  Mason has a new fascination with riding things by laying across the seat...interesting, huh?  They never cease to entertain and amaze me.