Embracing the Busy Day

I need to learn to be more of an optimist.  I knew yesterday was going to be a busy day, so I prepared myself for it to be chaotic and frantic.  Little did I know it would turn out to be a pretty fantastic day...I should have known when it started off with a fantastic green juice...

...kale, tangerine, apple, celery, and lime.  YUM!

I got my workout in super early, to make sure it wouldn't get lost in the shuffle today...just some time on the elliptical while reading this book...

...(I'm a sucker for an easy Nicholas Sparks read...so far this one's great!)   I followed up my time on the elliptical with a quick round of full body weights and planks.  Nothing crazy...but a decent workout to keep me fit and sane.

We had a little wiggle room in our morning and we took advantage of the chance to enjoy some breezy, cool weather outside ...

...you know, doing the usual stuff, like building boxes, hiding from the camera, and trying to ride trucks up and down the steps.  Good times!

Unfortunately the rain drove us inside, but we found plenty of fun things to do inside too...

...like making play clay using the recipe from the cornstarch box...

...it turned out well.  I'm thinking we'll try to make some christmas ornaments with it since it says you can bake them.  Now I need some christmas cookie cutters...

We also mixed up a batch of homemade chex mix...

...I used olive oil in place of the butter and LOTS less salt than the recipe called for and it turned out great.  It was a hit with the boys.  It made the house smell great too.

And we did some puzzles...

...I have to brag.  They do these completely on their own with no help from me.  See Colton still wearing his helmet from when he was riding his bike outside.  He loves that thing...haha!

We also did our Wednesday produce thing...

...the boys sure do love making trains out of the boxes.  See the engine they made for Colton to ride in??  So creative!! 

In the midst of all our fun, I got good news at the dermatologist too...all clear and no need to go back until next year.  Love good reports.  Maybe Mickey will get the all clear one day too...one can hope.

While the boys napped, I got to do a little tutoring with one energetic, awesome little gal.  It's definitely a highlight of my week.  

We rounded out our night with a lovely evening at story time.  The featured stories were...

...the boys and I especially love The Cuddle Book.  We cuddle all the time!

We hung around for a bit to sip on some drinks and listen to the accordion player...

...its gorgeous out there at night this time of year.  We love it!  (I look a little sleepy with my little cuddlebugs...lol)  The boys were mesmerized by the accordion too.  They say they want to learn to play it when they get bigger...that could be a fun adventure :-)  

It was a great day!  I need to remember to look forward to the excitement of Wednesdays rather than worrying about the busyness of the day...busy isn't always bad.  

We're off for some fun adventures again today, including some haircuts.  Fun Fun!  Hope your day is fabulous too.

Multitasking Pros

We're very lucky to have some wonderful friends right around the corner from us who treat us like family and invited us over last night for a little Valentines get-together.  We were pampered with margaritas, yellow lentil soup served with vinegar which was a divine combination I will definitely be trying to reinvent, ahi tuna, and chocolate cake with the best frosting I've ever tasted.  I'll definitely be hitting her up for the recipe so I can try to recreate it for the boys' birthday since it was the first time they've even shown any interest in cake...they inherited their daddy's very selective sweet tooth for ice cream and exceptionally delicious homemade desserts, which includes Maura's creations--YUM!

After a late night, you'd think the boys would sleep in, but there was no such luck.  We kicked off our morning bright and early with a chat with daddy...

The boys are becoming pros at FaceTime.  Today they decided to multitask and doodle while chatting. They were very serious about their drawing...

We squeezed in a morning trip to the gym so I could spend some time on the stepmill and the elliptical. I am convinced the stepmill is a torture device, especially since I haven't mastered the art of reading while climbing.  I'm a pro at devouring novels while cranking out the miles on the elliptical and I don't take it easy with the intensity either.  I'm a day ahead with my best body bootcamp workouts and decided to use the elliptical workout from Peak313 as my cardio for today using pages rather than minutes for breaking down the activities...

This is BY FAR my favorite way to keep the elliptical interesting and challenging.  I especially love the backwards squats while balancing...and reading!  So far this book has me thoroughly engaged...

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After the gym, we hit up PetSmart and Target.  The boys have really been enjoying the double carts there...

You know me, I can't make it out of  Target without some impulse buys such as this dino sandwich cutter from the dollar section...

We tried it out with our lunch and it was a winner...

I'm trying to think of other things I can cut with it besides bread...ideas anyone?  Speaking of bread, the boys and I have been loving this Rudi's Organic Bread we found in the freezer section at Publix.  It's one of the few store-bought breads I've found where I actually recognize all of the ingredients, feel good about feeding it to the boys, and the boys LIKE it.  Let me tell you, that's a winning combination.

I also had to make a quick pass through the discounted Valentines Day goodies and decided to try this coffee for $3...

I'm enjoying it right now as an afternoon pick-me-up on this dreary day.  It's GOOD!  We also scored some dark chocolate M&Ms for me and some mini M&Ms for the boys.  We all know that we'll all be sharing all of them.  I also found some of my mom's favorite candies, Turtles, on sale for half off too. It will be a nice treat for her when she visits later in the spring.  I hope I can keep my hands off of them until she gets here.  

We returned home ready for lunch and I threw together this delicious "pizza" made with broccoli pesto, shrimp, and some mozzarella all on a Joseph's lavash bread.  SOOOOOOO good!

Time to tackle some chores and hopefully still have some time to relax before the boys wake up.   I hope this rain goes away so we can get some fresh air later today or at least this weekend.  We've got a fun weekend ahead of us.  Can't wait!

Yogurt Concoctions Etc.

I finally got myself caught up on the Bachelor tonight.  I CANNOT believe he keeps hanging on to crazy Tierra.  Now I've gotta keep watching to see what drama she has in store for us next week.  It's a vicious cycle...

I wonder if her cross is a fashion statement or a faith statement????  Who am I to judge, I know, but good grief girl, you're on NATIONAL television and acting a FOOL!  The sad thing is, it seems to be working for her in her quest to get the guy.  Oh Sean...

But enough about that....

This morning, after some coffee, devotions, emails, etc., it was time for a little cardio extravaganza which lined up perfectly with the Best Body Bootcamp plan for today.  Since we live just over a mile from the gym, I like to run there when the weather allows, and the round trip gives me a run just under 3 miles. While there, my workout consisted of 10 minutes on the stairclimber and 4 miles on the elliptical.  I really enjoyed the sweat session after taking yesterday off.  It  always feels good to get my workouts out of the way in the morning too, that way, no matter what the rest of my day brings, I know that little tidbit is taken care of and it makes for a much happier me.

Today, like every Thursday, revolved around produce.  The highlight of today's goodies are these heirloom carrots...

Last time we had them, I made a lovely pesto out of the tops by just throwing them in the ninja along with some garlic, olive oil, almonds, and a touch of parmesan cheese.  I'm looking forward to doing that again.  Heirloom carrots are like two veggies in one!

In case you're interested in learning more about the buying club, check out the info at the website listed below...

We LOVE it!!While I dealt with the produce, the boys had their own fun making some sandwiches...

Mason piled everything onto his sandwich while Colton stuck with the cheese and carbs.  

Mason decided to "eat" his sandwich one layer at a time since picking up the whole thing was pretty tricky.  Smart move, buddy!

I made two yummy concoctions using greek yogurt today.  The first one savory and the second one sweet.  Both will definitely make another appearance at our house when I get more yogurt since the boys devoured both of them by the spoonful.  

To make this avocado dip, I just combined the following in a bowl and then mixed it together with my immersion blender:

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup chobani 0% greek yogurt
• 1 large garlic clove
• salt, pepper and cumin to taste

I had planned to use it as a dip for carrots but the boys decided it was better to just eat it with a spoon...fine by me...and then also figured out how much fun it was to fling in across the room too...not fine by me.  I preferred mine with carrots.

I also made a "pudding" by combining the following:

• 1 cup chobani 0% greek yogurt
• 2 T PB2 (could easily use any nut butter here)
• 3 T cocoa powder
• Agave to taste

We all devoured this one by the spoonful but I think it would be lovely as a dip for animal crackers,  graham crackers, bananas, apples, etc.   Needless to say, I didn't walk away while they were eating this one for fear of finding it everywhere as well.  Those little boogers!

I LOVE the versatility of greek yogurt.  I do try to avoid dairy as much as possible but have yet to find a substitute for greek yogurt so until I do, I'll just stick to hormone-free, plain versions and enjoy my dose of healthy probiotics.  

I'm off to read some more of my book before the boys wake up.  I normally find Nicholas Sparks books a bit sappy for my taste but have been joying the mindless reads lately.  Right now I'm reading...

...so far so good.  I miss my book club.  Who wants to join me if I start one???

Wednesday Randomness

A fun morning was had by all today.  I hit up the gym for me some weights and quick intervals on the elliptical.  A new trainer gave me some pointers on my bent over rows that made a huge difference for me, especially with my scoliosis.  Bonus!  While the boys were in play care, we found out they are not fans of paint on their hands for handprints...we'll have to work on that since just about every preschool in the world uses handprints for a craft.  Oh well!  There's plenty of time before they're off to preschool.

After the gym, we headed straight to the mall to meet some friends in the play area.  With all the rain we've been having, the playground was much too soggy today.  The boys love it there.

I was too busy chatting and chasing that I didn't bother to take any pictures besides this one.  It will have to do.  

I'm the boring mom who made her kids eat pretzels while they watched everyone else eat chicken nuggets because I had something healthier planned for them at home.  Poor guys!  Hopefully they'll thank me later.  I did splurge and get a lemonade from Chik Fil A.  I love that stuff and the boys apparently do too.  I wish I could have captured the faces they made while drinking it.  It might be the most sour stuff they've ever tried.   Too funny!

On our way home for lunch, we swung through Target for a quick purchase.  I'm regretting not adding these to my cart after the boys tried them on.

It will be St. Patrick's Day before we know it, folks.  

I'm going to try baked zucchini fries with dinner tonight.  I figure since they're able to be dipped in ketchup, the boys just might gobble them up with some leftover baked chicken.  These look yummy and kid friendly, right?

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For dessert, I plan to enjoy more of this lovely bar...

...another find on my Trader Joe's trip last weekend.  I'm regretting not buying double of everything.  I can't wait til the store opens up in Palm Beach.  

Off to tackle the never-ending to-do list when I'd rather be reading more of this easy, but entertaining read...