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Friday, August 31, 2012

Cash Mob, Rest Day, and Randomness

Last night, I joined a friend for a Cash Mob to benefit the local food bank.  It included a phenomenal dinner and drink at Osceola Street Cafe (I had some yummy maple salmon, asparagus and mashed potatoes...YUM!), dessert from Hoffman's (dark chocolate...DELISH!) , and a final cocktail at Duffys (red wine :-).  The event was great and I'll definitely be signing up for the next one they throw,  but the best part of it was the company.  I am so blessed by my girlfriends...especially this one!  Hope she doesn't mind that I stole her picture.


While I was enjoying a night out, Mickey was home for boys' night. Check out these cuties.  I'm pretty sure the boys were having more fun than their daddy was.  He's a trooper.  

Despite a later than usual night, I was up early and had a new plan of attack for the morning...skip the coffee, do my reading as a warm-up on the elliptical, and be back home before the sun was up and the boys were awake.  SUCCESS!  I was able to do my reading, get in 45 easy minutes on the elliptical (today's supposed to be a rest day but I like active rest...no pounding), a quick chest and back workout, and still made it home before sunrise which left Mickey enough time to get some yard work done while I made breakfast and tackled the onslaught of two freshly awake toddlers.  Bring on the coffee and the crazies!

This is the chest and back workout I did this morning at the gym.  It only took me about 15 minutes.  Easy breezy...



This morning I tried out some Soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo) I found on my disastrous Wal-Mart adventure. It was suprisingly delicious in scrambled eggs.  We had a little hummus on toast on the side. My husband devoured every last bite right along with me.  There's hope for this vegan lifestyle after all.  Now just to find a good scrambled egg substitute...suggestions?

I'm so happy it's Labor Day weekend which means 3 full days with the whole family together.  I'm also looking forward to my 7 mile run tomorrow.  Maybe I'll leave the boys with their daddy and Oma who's here for a weekend visit and just enjoy the solo ride.  We'll see...

One last thing...I've been selected by Kiwi Magazine to be a Green Mom Ambassador.  If you're a local mom who's interested in trying out green products and providing feedback, let me know in the comments section below.  It's free and sounds like it could be lots of fun.  

These crazy boys are going to love all the new stuff we try out.  I just know it.  

Happy Friday!!  Don't forget to MOVE this weekend...and RELAX too.  It is Labor Day Weekend after all...


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Booster Seats, Sunrise Runs, Music Class and More...

Last night we crossed a big milestone for the boys...they transitioned from high chairs to booster seats.  Boy do they think they're big stuff now that they can sit at the big table.  How fun!


Our night was pretty uneventful besides that highlight.  We did have a yummy vegetarian dinner though.  It's the second time we've enjoyed it.  If you like cheesesteaks and you like mushrooms, I highly recommend the Portabello Cheesesteaks from Men's Health.  Mickey thinks they're delicious too.
Their picture, not mine.  Mine looked almost as good...

This morning the boys let me drink my coffee and read before they got up.  I even snuck in the bathroom for some alone time, but they wouldn't let me get out the door alone so I took my favorite running buddies along for the ride.  They're such good company and love to rock out to The Kingston with me.  Here they are at the summit...

Aren't they cute in their jammies?  It really was a beautiful morning for a run and I'll happily take them with me as long as they're willing to ride along.  We got in our 4 miles to satisfy the half-marathon training plan for the day.  It was a little slower than I hoped but I usually add time when I add the bridges. 


I hope my half-marathon training continues to be as enjoyable as it has been so far.  It is reinforcing my love of running.  I also love having a goal to work towards.  It's super-motivating! 

We had a yummy breakfast when we returned home, thanks to Mickey.  I forgot how much I love hummus on a sandwich.  Mickey put some on our egg sandwiches this morning and it was delish.  I'm glad I whipped some up yesterday using the Forks Over Knives recipe.  The only change I made was to add 2 tablespoons of Tahini.  I must say it's the best hummus I've ever made in my life.  Part of its success is owed to my awesome Ninja blender.  I know it's not a VitaMix but it's the next best thing and fit our budget much more easily.  I love that thing!  I'm so happy to be finding vegan recipes I like as I work toward becoming a plant-based eater.  Baby steps...  I think I'll be more successful if I already have some tried and true recipes to rely on.

Mason had fun with my running shoes while Mickey and I ate our breakfast.  Apparently someone thinks my shoes aren't as dorky as I thought...
After some play time at home and the usual morning chores.  It was time for music class.  The boys loved it even more this time than last time.  I really hope we can get them signed up for the fall semester.  I love that I get to learn some sign language and other tricks while I'm there too.  I can reinforce what she's teaching at home.  We all know I need all the help I can get...
Today, Colton was very intrigued with the guitar and the piano while Mason wanted to march to the beat of his own drum...or shaker.  He was very good at marching!

We came home in time to squeeze in a quick workout session with a friend and then devour a yummy lunch.  I'm running out of organic produce but had enough to make one more yummy salad today.  Guess we're headed to BJs this afternoon.  Their organic salad prices are UNBEATABLE!  I love buying the big tub of spinach too and throwing spinach into everything.  


The highlight of today's salad was definitely the wasabi peas.  I love the spicy crunch!  

Make it a great day.  Don't forget to move!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

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.  

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Making the Most of Rainy Days

It's a good thing my family does not live in Seattle.  We get so tried of rain are so over rainy weather.  We have found some ways to entertain ourselves inside, however.

A box was delivered yesterday, so that provided at least a half hour of entertainment.


We went to Family Place at the library again.  Thank goodness they were open even though the schools were closed today.  Mason was really into the markers and the easel today while Colton stuck to his favorites, balls and vehicles.

I decided to get a head start on dinner after torrential downpours stalled our Wal-Mart outing  (I was hoping it would provide entertainment for all of us and allow me to accomplish something as well...)  and the boys decided they wanted to get in on the action, so they pulled their chairs over to watch me.  Gotta be careful where I put the knives now...


Maybe they can start helping me make their smoothies.  Today they chugged down smoothies containing:
  • spinach
  • banana
  • avocado
  • yogurt
  • orange juice
For these guys, smoothies are where it's at when it comes to eating their greens.  I'll take it!

I can't say I've gotten a whole lot accomplished today but I did manage to fit in another early morning workout at the gym.  I could get used to these mornings to myself.  Hope my husband feels the same way :-)  I feel more ready to tackle the day after taking a little time for myself before taking care of everyone else the rest of the day.  Thank goodness for treadmills in this rainy weather.  


I did a cool down for half a mile after I snapped this photo but the first 4 miles looked like this:
  • Mile 1: Gradually build up speed starting at 6.5 mph and working up to 7.5 mph
  • Miles 2 and 3: Alternate quarter mile speed work at 8.5, 8.6, 8.8, and 9 mph with quater mile recoveries at 7 mph
  • Mile 4: Alternate tenth mile sprints at 9 mph with tenth mile recoveries at 7.5 mph
It was an excellent workout!  I always get nervous going into speed work but end up being so glad I did it.  I am really hoping it helps me to get a PR in the half-marathon.

Well, it looks like the rain is letting up so we're going to go see what we can find to entertain us at Wal-Mart.  Wish us luck!  Make it a great, active day!







Monday, August 27, 2012

Nice Day for a Duck

It's another dreary day here on the Treasure Coast but we are counting our blessing that this is a tropical storm and not a hurricane.  My husband likes to say it's a nice day for a duck.  I'd have to agree.  The tornado warnings are a bit unsettling though.  At least in Indiana we had basements.  Here in Florida, I guess I'll be crawling in the kitchen cabinets if things get scary.  Wouldn't that be fun for the boys!

Speaking of the boys, I completely forgot to show off their cuteness on the rides at the mall yesterday.
Today started bright and early.  I actually did something I've been wanting to do for a while...I got up before everyone else in my household just for ME.  I know, it sounds crazy to get up when no one else is demanding my attention but I keep hearing this advice from other moms, and even from the Bible, (see Proverbs 31) so I decided to give it a try and I must say, it was quite nice.  I had my coffee and did some reading, greeted my husband, used the bathroom in peace, and then went to the gym.  What a nice way to start the day.  The boys were still sleeping when I left but they were awake when I got home.  They got to have some daddy time.  I think if I can get up a little earlier, I can still squeeze everything in before the boys get up so Daddy doesn't have to do the morning wake-up call all alone.  It's definitely something I'm going to be pursuing.  The only drawback is an earlier bed time but as they say...


I wouldn't mind being all of the above!  It's worth a try. 

This is week 2 of my half-marathon training plan and today called for cross training.  After alot of jumping around yesterday, I opted for the elliptical in order to give my legs a break from the pounding that running and plyometrics provide.  Don't worry though, I kept the intensity high by increasing the resistance or incline every 10th of a mile for a total of 5 miles.  My workout looked like this...
  • Mile 1: from easy resistance, increase resistance every tenth of a mile
  • Mile 2:  slightly decrease resistance and increase incline every tenth of mile
  • Miles 3-4: from low resistance and flat incline, alternate between increasing resistance and incline every tenth of a mile
  • Mile 5: alternate between decreasing resistance and lowering incline every tenth of a mile
I liked this pattern and the constant changing helped pass the time quickly...so did reading my book.  I'm about a tenth of the way into Gone Girl  by Gillian Flynn and it is a page turner.  Anyone else out there read it? I'll let you know my overall opinion when I'm done with it.



When the boys got up from their nap, I had a smoothie waiting for them and couldn't wait for their feedback.  So far they've liked spinach in pancakes and muffins so today I decided to give it a try in their smoothies and it was a winner.  For those of you who have trouble getting your kiddos to eat greens, I seriously suggest you try it.  You can't even taste the spinach.  

I made two smoothies for them using:
  • 1 Chobani champions yogurt
  • 1 small banana
  • 1 BIG handful of spinach
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
They gulped them down.  This will definitely be a repeat on their menu.  Hopefully they like the spinach stuffed meatloaf we'll be eating for dinner tonight too.  I'll let you know.

Time to turn this cabin fever upside down with a little dance party and the best dance partners a girl could ask for.  Stay safe and dry...and don't forget to MOVE!  


Sunday, August 26, 2012

Rainy Sunday

After a wonderful date night but probably one too many glasses of wine, a diner-style breakfast was just what the doctor ordered, so I whipped up some fried eggs, hashbrowns, and a little sauteed spinach, to help me feel a little bit better about my meal.  With lots of hot sauce and some ketchup, it hit the spot! Oh, and lots and lots of coffee and water...


After a great church service, with a convicting message on pride using James chapter 4, we returned home to play with the kiddos on this rainy day thanks to Tropical Storm Isaac.  YUCK!  After play time was nap time for the boys and that meant time to tackle a workout I have wanted to try since I read it on the Peanut Butter Fingers blog and then saw it again on Facebook via FitFluential.  I get some great workouts from their posts.  This workout was AWESOME! I highly recommend you check out all her workouts.  I like her style!


It was super fun to workout with my husband.  We haven't done that in a while but we decided we'll dedicate the boys' Sunday nap time to Kick Our Butts time.  Sundays are cross-training days on my half-marathon training plan and this type of workout is exactly what I'm looking for.  My husband thought it was great too.  

Our recovery smoothie was as tasty as ice cream in my opinion, but much healthier...

 I combined the following in our Ninja blender:
  • SunWarrior vanilla protein powder
  • BIG handful spinach
  • A couple mixed berries
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 scoop PB2
  • 1 spoonful cocoa powder
  • Pinch of xanthan gum
  • Sprinkle of cinnamon
  • A big pour of unsweetened almond milk
It's the ultimate cure for an ice cream hankering...and it contains spinach!  Meal 2 of the day including spinach.  Woohoo!

When the boys woke up, we hoofed it up to Vero for the Twins Club meeting.  The weather scared most of the families away but we were able to chat with 2 other families who have twins.  Ours were the only boys in the group but they sure did love the cars at the mall.  We had a hard time getting them to leave.

While in Vero, we were able to hit up the outlet mall.  We love scoping out the deals at Carters (got some super cute jammies, halloween shirts, play shirts and the liquid powder I love) and found some Crocs for ourselves and a friend at the Crocs outlet.  Our boys love theirs so we decided it was time to get some for ourselves.  Check out the ones my husband picked out...He looks very manly in them :-)  
I had the best intentions of cooking up my spinach and swiss chard stuffed turkey meatloaf, which I prepared earlier in the day, when we got home from our outing but our stomachs had different ideas when we starting getting rumbling stomachs in Vero.  With fussy boys who had no interest in fine dining, we settled on some sandwiches from Nature's Table Bistro.  I was surprised by how tasty they were considering they came from the mall food court.  Guess we'll have to try for spinach in every meal tomorrow...

Before I forget, last night I picked up Shape Magazine latest issue and here's some facts from it that caught my attention... I thought you might appreciate their research as well.  











My takeaway was...
  • When you compare cost of serving size, not per calorie, you'll see nutritious foods don't cost as much after all.  
  • Agave nectar might as well be sugar...in my understanding of the article.  I've been reading more and more about it as such a good marketing ploy rather than being as healthy as we've been led to believe so I'm eliminating it from our house as well.  We already cut out sugar and use raw honey instead.  It's yummy.  I encourage you to try it. I wish I wouldn't have wasted so much money on agave.
  • I'm going to be cooking in my cast iron skillet more often.  It's safer than teflon and can boost iron, something my boys and I both need.
There was also an intriguing article about Jillian Michaels.  Boy has she relaxed now that she's a mom!  Check out the issue if you get a chance. I used to get really annoyed by her but I might be coming around a little bit now.

Stay dry Floridians!  Find a way to move.  You won't regret it.



Saturday, August 25, 2012

Saturday Randomness

Today has not gone how I planned AT ALL but that has not stopped it from being a fantastic day and it's only halfway over.  I'm getting better at this bump and roll stuff!  My original plan was to take the boys in their stroller for the first long run of my training plan but the torrential downpours encouraged me to take my run to the treadmill at the gym.  It was a little more boring that way but I still got in my 7 mile run and was pleased with my ability to maintain an 8 minute mile pace and even threw some "hills" in there by playing with the incline to keep things interesting.  Week one of half-marathon training is in the books.  Bring on week 2!

Gonna try to beat my time of 56:36 next time I do a 7 miler.
After a quick stop at the bagel shop, I came home to whip up some egg sandwiches for us.  Gotta love a jalepeno cheddar bagel, scooped, with a laughing cow light cheese wedge, canadian bacon and a fried egg with an extra egg white thrown in.  It hit the spot.

After breakfast it had cleared up and we were able to take a quick family walk downtown and only got drizzled on a little bit on the way home.  I love getting outside for bike rides and walks with my family.

Instead of our orignal plan to take the boys to the fountains, we opted to hit up Brooks Day at Fleet Fee.  I scored 10% off my running shoes which they have to order since I have the biggest, flattest feet you've ever seen and I also scored a free pair of awesome running socks which I can't wait to try 
out...they look fast! 

I do have one question for Brooks though...Why do shoes for flat-footed people have to look like shoes my Grandma would pick out?  Just cause I have flat feet doesn't mean I wanna look like I'm wearing orthopedic shoes.   I mean look at these things...


I'm a decent runner and would love to look as stylish as all the other non-flat-footed runners out there. I want a pair of these...

Come on Brooks.  I know you've got the materials.  Now, lets make it happen! I can even be your spokesrunner   PLEEEEEEEASE!  I know being injury-free is better than looking "cool" but I'm tired of having the dorky shoes.  Help a girl out!


While I was waiting in the long line to score free socks and a discout on the best running shoes ever, Mickey took the boys to Michaels and found them these dinosaur puppets for $1.  He's my kind of shopper!  Look at Mason, he LOVES to wear that hat!  And Colton is such a lover.  LOVE them!

Target is practically next door to Fleet Feet so we couldn't skip stopping in there for some "necessities" like this wine cube.  Have you tried these things?  OMG!  It's the size of 4 bottles of wine for $15.99 and it is seriously delcious stuff.  If you haven't already, I suggest you check it out.  It keeps for over a month--I tested it and was genuinely impressed.   (I know it's hard to believe it lasted that long here...I did go out of town for part of the month, but I digress... )
We also picked up a goat cheese
and spinach pizza which might have been the best frozen pizza I've ever had in my life.  I love the grocery section of target...I love everything about Target.  We did really have some necessities to get as well other things to get as well but these were the real winners in my opinion.  Oh, and we scored some clearance organic mac n cheese.  Don't waste your time going to stock up yourselves, I took ever box that was left.  My boys are mac n cheese LOVERS!

While the pizza baked, I whipped up a recipe I found on Stuft Mama's blog for doughtzels.  Her recipe calls for powdered sugar, which I left out, and I also subbed oats for the almond flour.  They turned out deliciously!  Good thing we pay our wonderful babysitters with cookies so I can get most of these out of the house tonight before I eat them all.  They are basically peanut butter cookies with pretzels and chocolate chips.  YUM YUM YUM! 

I'm off to read my book and relax a bit before date night with my favorite man in the world.  Thanks to our awesome friends for babysitting so we can go out.  What would we do without them??  

Have a happy, dry weekend.  Don't forget to MOVE!
 
   
 


Friday, August 24, 2012

Fabulous Friday!


Breakfast this morning was quite entertaining with my little cuties.  They wanted to eat like big boys and sit in their chairs at the coffee table.  I was impressed with their "good sitting."  They actually stayed in their seats until all the food was gone.  Their entertainment consisted of making animal noises to go along with the farm animal puzzle on the table.  Too funny!  We can't look at an animal without making a sound to go along with it.  They make me laugh every day.  Next time you see them, ask them what a rabbit says...you won't regret it!




On week one of my half-marathon training plan, Friday is a REST DAY!!  You'd think I'd be excited about this but I have a hard time skipping activity for a day so I decided we'd settle for a little stroll this morning instead.  It was nice to get outside and get some fresh air as the boys did their typical "dog-watching."  They spend every walk just looking for a dog and when they finally see one, they say "dog, dog, dog, dog..." over and over again.  It's quite entertaining for everyone.  I'm trying to help them look for other animals as well, but they are still most interested in the coveted dog.  We will love dogs from afar though; no more dogs for this family.  But that's a whole other topic...

After our walk it was pool time.  We're enjoying a relaxing Friday with nothing we "have" to do.  I am experimenting with a crock pot "rotisserie chicken" thanks to Budget Bytes.  I'm hoping its a success.  I skipped the lemon and parsley and opted for some chicken seasoning I had.  I went heavy with the seasoning, like I typically do, and hope it tastes just like a Publix chicken, only hormone free and homemade :-)  Oh yea, and I made some scalloped potatoes as a side dish and I'll be cooking up some rainbow swiss chard.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it...

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, which includes first long run of the training plan.  Hope to get out there early to catch the sunrise and beat the heat.

Happy Weekend!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

It's Produce Day!

Half-Marathon training day 4 is in the books.  The plan called for 3 miles today which I completed rather easily with the company of all 3 of my boys.  It was a GREAT way to start the day.  Since I don't want to let my weight training lapse but also want to avoid overtraining, I just wrapped up my short-run day with a quick 15 minute Jackie Warner lower body workout.  Love the power burns! Oh, and I did some plank work too.  Still working on that mommy tummy.

With showers, breakfast, outfit and diaper changes behind us, it was time to tackle Annie's Organic Produce day.  I am a coordinator and sort the shares for everyone.  Today's shares are AWESOME!  I bet you're jealous!


We'll be eating good for the next few days! 

With that behind us, I'm ready to whip up some turkey meatballs for dinner tonight.  We've been jonesin' for some comfort food so I'm making the healthy alternative- whole wheat pasta with turkey meatballs and homemade red sauce from the freezer.  YUM!  I love Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet recipe for turkey meatballs.  If you haven't checked out her cookbooks, I highly recommend them.  Dinner might include a glass or two of red wine...I'm just sayin'.  

I won't leave you without some pictures of my cuties.  You can't really see my new haircut but I love it.  I highly recommend Sandie at Bangz in downtown Stuart.  Check her out if you need a stylist!


Mason was very serious this morning but Colton couldn't get enough of seeing himself in the camera.  What a cheeseball!  Love those little boogers.  Their dancing and animal noises made for great entertainment while I sorted all the produce shares this morning.  Turns out they really do pay attention to the songs and actions at story time.  They've got some impressive skills!  


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Pet Store Adventures

Don't know what it is about today but I am having a hard time getting motivated...guess I have a case of the "Wednesdays."  In case you're thinking that means I've just sat around the house all day, I'll enlighten you with today's events...toddlers don't let you have a lazy day.

We woke up at 6:30 and headed out for a run just shy of 5 miles. My training plan called for 4 miles but my MapMyRun app wasn't working.  Long story short...it told me I ran 4.71 miles is 2 minutes 46 seconds. (I wish!)  It also said I only burned 115 calories on said run.  (Not even close.  Have you pushed this heavy stroller up bridges?  Surely I burned at least 200...haha)  I think the app had a case of the Wednesdays as well.  When I can home and entered it manually, the distance was correct at least, and I figure it took me about 41 minutes...  Good enough.  Day 3 of half-marathon training done.

We had a yummy egg sandwich breakfast, vacuumed up the boys' crumbs which turned into vacuuming most of the house, threw in a load of laundry, checked some e-mails, did our other usual morning stuff (diaper changes, picking out clothing, filling juice cups, more diaper changes, grabbing snacks just in case, chugging coffee...) before heading out to run some errands.

Boy, did we had some fun at the pet store this morning.  I had planned to just grab some cat food quickly but the ferrets at the entrance caught the boys' attention so we turned our quick errand into a little field trip in the rodent and fish departments of PetCo.  What a great way to spend an hour!


We can go see all the rodents they want at the pet store, but they are NEVER coming in our house.  They are limited to cats, one at a time, from now on!

We also had time to swing into Publix for some neccessities: bananas and beer!  We picked up some BOGO vegetables and some stamps too to save a trip to the post office.  I was thrilled to see they had some of our favorites on clearance...


Can you see those prices?  Get it while it's hot people!  That's a 12 pack for the price of 3 or 4 beers at a bar.  I had to resist buying the whole cart load...just kidding...kind of.  It's half-marathon training season--gotta carb up!

We had some good friends stop by for a visit and enjoyed puzzles, books, tractors and Subway subs.  Fun times!  It's always good to spend time with quality people.

My next mission of the day involves folding the laundry that has been sitting in the dryer for a couple of hours...remember the part where I told you I was feeling unmotivated today?  I've also got a haircut tonight and some tilapia begging to be cooked up cajun style with a big yummy salad.  I'm thinking of going a little bold with the hair...we'll see.  I definitely need a change, just not one that's labor-intensive.  Any input?  

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

What a Productive Morning

Today started off with my 35 minute tempo run.  For those not "in the know" with running lingo, I found the best description of it at runnersworld.com
 "It's what I call 'comfortably hard,'" says Pierce. "You know you're working, but you're not racing. At the same time, you'd be happy if you could slow down."
Couldn't have said it better myself.  I'm hoping these runs really help me to improve my speed.  They're definitely not my favorite way to run.  I'd take a slow,easy long run over a fast, intense short one any day but the research is out there to back tempo runs and I'm willing to give it a shot.  I think I'll be glad I did in the long run.  In case you're interested, I was able to complete 4.11 miles in 35 minutes pushing the 90+ lb jogging stroller and stopping to pick up the boys juice cups at least 3 times.  I feel pretty good about it.  Day 2 of my half-marathon training plan is DONE!  Only 68 more days to go!

After a quick clean-up, some eggs scrambled together with spinach, canadian bacon and a laughing cow cheese wedge served with a DELICIOUS toasted bialy (in case you wonder what they are...which I will now know how to toast properly since I've watched the video) we were off to lead story time at the coffee bar.  Boy was it HOT out there but we still all managed to have a great time.  Gotta love all these local kiddos!  Its fun to see familiar faces each week and watch the kids' development and interaction from week to week.  I am so glad I have the opportunity to lead this event each week with my kiddos.

From there we headed to Family Place at the library.  I am SO glad we decided to give it a try.  The boys had a great time playing and socializing and I enjoyed watching them and chatting it up with the other moms.  We are looking forward to the next 5 weeks of it and I encourage you to check it out next time it rolls around if you live in the area and have toddlers.  What a great community service!  
Of course my boys' favorite activity was reading books
and standing on the table.
Thankfully this one didn't have legs. 
Now we've finished up lunch, the boys are napping, and I'm waiting for the washing machine to finish its job so I can move on with mine.  Looking forward to pork chops with peppers and onions tonight and maybe some BOGO ice cream from the Fresh Market.  YUM!  Like I keep saying, "I'm not vegan yet."  Haha!  Make it a good day!


Monday, August 20, 2012

Let the Fun Begin!

I'm so pumped.  Today starts my 10 week training plan for the half marathon.  Yippee!  Mondays are set aside for cross training on my plan.  I've noticed in the past that my running speed and ease improves when I am intentional about including plyometrics and weight lifting in my training plan.  Todays workout started like this...


I also made sure to include some upper body strength training in the form of lots of chest and back exercises.  I know it's a stretch, but I'm also going to include cleaning the bathrooms and vacuuming the floor as part of my training today.  You all know cleaning the shower involves some elbow grease, right?

Make it a great Monday!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Boredom Buster Upper Body Workout

I feel like I've been in a kind of rut with my workouts so I've been trying to change things up a bit in order to hopefully get me excited about working out again rather than just going through the motions.  Signing up for the half-marathon at the end of October was the first step.  I am already excited to start my training plan for that on Monday.  I am really hoping to PR in the race and that should help keep me focused.

We got in a nice family run this morning and I also came up with a new upper body workout that kept my interest this morning. It focused on the back and chest, the fat-burners as Jackie Warner calls them, but didn't neglect the arms completely.  It looked like this:


Some friends of ours are getting married this weekend so I'm not sure how much working out I'll get in, but I hope to squeeze in a quick run or two if nothing else.  A weekend of with a little rest wouldn't be too terrible either, especially since it's go time on Monday.  


I can't leave you without pictures of the boys and their crazy antics.  Colton's favorite thing to do these days is to climb on top of Mason.  Needless to say, Mason doesn't love it as much, but it does make for a cute picture every once in a while.

Happy weekend everyone.  Make it great!