Weekend Update

Leah made it to Florida!!  Needless to say, the weekend's joy was a bit overshadowed by the sad events in Connecticut.  It made me especially happy to have extra family close by.  Life is too short to take the things we value for granted.  My family is everything to me.  I don't know what I'd do without them.  Don't let a day slip by without making sure your loved ones know how much they mean to you.

I feel like I hit the jackpot this weekend.  Not only do we get Leah for the week, but she came bearing gifts, one of which came in the form of some really cool new GIANT crayons...

These bad boys are apparently available at Target.  They are definitely a hit with my kiddos and would make great stocking stuffers.  Thanks Aunt Leah!!

Aunt Leah is also available for taking photos of the boys that include me for a change...

...at our other favorite store, Publix, where shopping is ALWAYS a pleasure.  

Another perk of Leah's visit is the ability to go for a run without the stroller...

...well hello speedier legs.  It's been a long time!  Nice to see you!!!

It's great to have another set of eyes to help watch the boys at the beach as well...

Our rainy Saturday morning turned into a gorgeous day for a visit to the beach.  The boys got to see those fishermen catch a fish too.  SCORE!

I scored pretty big in the "getting the boys to eat their veggies" department too when I got them to devour this lovely concoction, made by mixing pureed spinach into the cheese sauce for Annie's Organic Mac N Cheese.  I may have stirred in some pepperoni to up the yum factor as well.  

You can see it was a hit with the boys...

It was by no means "health food" but definitely took the healthiness factor up a notch with a food my boys ADORE.  

Today we also made some yummy cranberry oatmeal walnut and white chocolate chip cookies as well as a DELISH kale salad inspired by this one from Iowa Gril Eats.  Love her blog!!  I subbed dried cranberries for the cherries and left out the onions.  It's my new favorite thing to do with kale.  SOOO good!

We had a very exciting Saturday night out in Palm Beach at "A Latte Fun."  The boys were bit overwhelmed by it all and stuck to the puzzles or the stairs most of the time...

They did finally brave the giant trampoline when we were about ready to leave.  They thought running on it was pretty cool...

 

I didn't know we needed to bring socks and may have spent $10 buying socks that didn't fit any of us.  So much for getting a good deal with the Living Social deal.  I spent the money I saved on CRAPPY socks!  Live and learn...so frustrating!

In other weekend news, this lovely thing finally came in the mail too...

I'm proud to be able to add that certification to my personal training certification.  Now I just need some clients!!  Let me know if you're interested...

Speaking of working out, there's still time to sign up for Round 4 of Tina's Best Body Fitness Boot Camp.  Are you up for the challenge with me?  Let me know if you sign up so we can encourage each other.  

Have a fabulous week!

True Colors

I got my MOPS fix today.  What a fun morning with some wonderful ladies!  We learned a lot about each other with a fun ice breaker activity and had a wonderful talk given to us by Beth Welmaker, the same lady who spoke at church last Saturday.   She had some really interesting stuff to share with us today about our personalities.

I've taken TONS of personality quizzes and assessments, but the one Beth had us take today seemed to peg me better than any other test I've ever taken.  It was pretty incredible the way it was able to not only see ourselves in a different light, but see others gifts as well.

According to today's True Color's Inventory, I am a curious GREEN.  People who score in this category tend to be inventive, creative, curious, and trust fact and logic.  They have a desire for autonomy, a need to be appreciated for my knowledge, tend to be socially diverted, need to be able to ask questions, and like to be competent and rational.

I wasn't so sure I fit the mold when the description was CURIOUS green, as I don't think of myself as curious but the defining characteristics fit me pretty well.  I like high achievement--I couldn't wait to get my masters degree.  I like personal achievement--I wanted to get a PR in my half marathon.  I am studying to get a fitness nutrition certification.  I like to meet challenges--sign me up for the next 5k!  I like solving problems--my to-do list gets crossed off pretty quickly; I am task-oriented.

I have some drawbacks though too.  Things need to be logical for me to want to accept them.  If it doesn't make sense to me, I ask A LOT of questions.  Some people can't stand this!  I need time to think.  I have a hard time making quick decisions.  This drives people crazy too.  I am not detail-oriented.  My graphic design husband and I look at the world with VERY different eyes.  I think it makes things fun...maybe it drives him crazy?!

According to the study, the "green" people are good at problem-solving, we are big-picture analysts, and have a hang-in-there attitude.  I found it interesting that the other military wife in the group was "green" as well.

The other categories were Action Orange--the adventurous, bold, exciting types.  Solid Gold--the responsible, dependable, rule-following ones. And True Blue--the harmonious, caring, authentic, encouraging ones.

I googled it to find out more and came across the resource in case you want to try it out yourself.  It can be found here.  Might be fun to try it out on your husband.  It's always good to know not only your own personality and needs, but those of your spouse as well.  You might be surprised at what you find out.  I know I was.

She left us with this illustration, which again, I was able to track down with google...

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty.

"Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him. Psalm 17:8 states that God will keep us 'as the apple of His eye.'"

The worth of our lives come not in what we do or who we are, but by WHOSE WE ARE!

- See more at: http://www.dare2share.org/devotions/how-much-am-i-worth/#sthash.8sWV3Tqy.dpuf

I hope it makes you feel as good as it made this green gal feel.  :-)  No matter what color you are, God loves you and made you in his image.  He loves you!

Speaking of green, check out my cuties snacking on their green guacamole and having a dance party.  We had such a fun afternoon yesterday watching the air show from our back yard.  We overcame our jet fear this weekend.  Phew!

In workout news, it's week 4 of the Best Body Bootcamp.  Woo hoo!  Yesterday, Before our little dance party, while the boys were napping, I did today's workout to try to get a jump start on the week.  It's looking to be a bit of a crazy one.  I LOVE Tina's ladder workouts and will be continuing that technique even when boot camp is over.  I've got some of that good muscle soreness today thanks to her challenging workouts.  Since I got the weights in yesterday, today just calls for cardio.  My plan is to get some intervals in on the elliptical today.

Have a fabulous day!

Eggplant and Spinach Pesto and Last Chance Survey

Lately, I find I've been making pestos and purees out of all kinds of things.  It's my sneaky way of getting the boys to gobble up their veggies.  If you turn anything into a sauce that can be served with whole wheat noodles, my boys will eat it...for now anyways.  I'm embracing the opportunity!

Yesterday, I made a very yummy eggplant pesto.  It was sooo good, I have to share the recipe.  I give you...

Roasted Eggplant and Spinach Pesto

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1/8 cup whole almonds
3 cloves garlic
2 cups packed spinach leaves
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Juice of one lemon
Splash of olive oil
Salt, to taste

Roast your eggplant in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes while your almonds soak, completely submerged in water.  Once the eggplant has cooled, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.  Drain the almonds.  Combine all of the ingredients in your food processor and process away to puree the ingredients.  Use as a sauce for pasta, a spread for toast, or toss potatoes in it before roasting.  The options are endless.  What a nutritious, yummy sauce!

Try it out and let me know what you think!

I came across this survey on Best Body Fitness and decided to join the ranks of the survey-taking blog folks.  Here goes....  Thanks, Tina, for the inspiration!

Last Chance Survey

Last food you ate…

Breakfast was scrambled tofu, sauteed peppers and onions and half a whole wheat bagel with some eggplant and spinach pesto.

Last beverage you drank…

Water.  I was guzzling it at the gym.  My new favorite way to drink water is with cucumber slices in it.  So refreshing!

Last workout…

Just ran to the gym (pushing the boys) , did a full body ladder weigh lifting workout, then ran home (pushing the boys back home.)  

Last thing you pinned…

Source

Vegan Mac 'N Cheese...I'm intrigued.

Last text message you sent…

Chatting with my husband about the boys' fun morning at the family place.  They loved brushing the dog's teeth.  I hope now they'll be more excited about letting me brush theirs.

Last blog you visited…

Women Living Well.  Love the daily inspiration.  Today's post made my mouth water...

source

Last time you did ab work…

This morning.  You can't tell by looking at me, but I do ab work daily.  Still working on that diastasis recti.  It's not pretty guys!

Last show you watched…

I don't watch much TV, I seriously turn it on once or twice a week, but I did watch Dolphin Tale from Netflix last night.  What a sweet story.  Not my typical movie, but a good one nonetheless.  I recommend it!

Last thing you baked…

I just made a very healthy carrot cake bundt cake to take to a brunch tomorrow.  Hope it is well received   

Last thing you instagrammed…

Last item on your to-do list today…

Adjust the boys' car seats...thanks for the tip Jenny!

Have a great weekend!  

Party Day

It was a BEAUTIFUL out night last night, so I decided to take the boys on a walk down to the river.  They love watching for boats.  Too bad we only saw two, but we did spot a jumping fish that was pretty cool.

The fresh air must have worn them out, because this is what I found when I went to tuck them in...

It used to be that Colton who threw everything into Mason's bed but now Mason gives all the goods to Colton.  They really do flip-flop all the time.  I slept equally as good and was ready to hit the road this morning for my easy 5 mile taper run.  After a month of long runs on Saturdays, today's run felt like a breeze.

We met up with some friends after my run to participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk but only lasted about 2 miles before I knew I had tortured the boys enough and decided to take the shortcut home.  We got desperate and split a zone bar I had brought along...

2 1/2 hours in the stroller is LOOONG enough.  They were happy to stretch their legs and play while I ate a yummy breakfast of roasted green beans topped with dippy eggs.  I got the idea from PBFingers and it was delicious.  The runny yolks make a yummy sauce for the beans.

Then it was time to head off to a party.  Our twin friends celebrated their first birthday with a festive Halloween-themed party.  We had a great time!

Mason found a holster he enjoyed wearing but their favorite piece of entertainment was the storage box.  Those boys are strong enough to push each other in it.  They had a blast!  Hope we didn't give any of the other kids any crazy ideas...woops!  What can I say, I've got some busy boys.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

As I was checking my emails once I got the boys down from their naps, I stumbled upon this little nugget from Peak313.com

source

She has a brutally honest blog post today that I think most of us married folks can relate to.  Marriage isn't always easy but I think some people expect it to be.  It's reassuring to know everyone has their struggles and obstacles, even when they're not visible to those of us on the outside.  You just have to remember you're a team.

On that note...go let your your significant other know how much you love them.

Upper Body Quickie, 11 Miles, and Adventures with My Silly Boys

Yesterday, I may have cheated just a little on my rest day and done a quick upper body workout.  Don't worry, my legs were still fresh for today's long run.  Here's a look at the workout...

Lately I've really been loving quick, intense weightlifting workouts, especially since running has been occupying most of my fitness time.  It's a great way to maintain muscle.

After that quickie routine, and a couple of chores and lots of cuddles around the house, we headed off the the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary with some friends.  What a cool place!

That animal in the top right corner is an albino raccoon.  Underneath that is a panther and the bottom two photos are of Mason petting the snake.  His friend Danny helped him out the first time around.  After that he was ready to try on his own...sort of.  Colton wasn't too sure about touching the snake but he sure liked looking at it.  I'm hoping to take them back when it's cooler and we're able to enjoy it a bit more.  You can actually see the sweat on my shirt in that photo.  I thought it was supposed to be fall?!?!

We spent the rest of the afternoon around the house and since I messed up the boys' nap with our little field trip, we were planning to call it a very early night. I did manage to scarf down some delicious black bean and sweet potato enchiladas before calling it a night.  I will definitely be making that recipe again.  DELISH!  In my efforts to cut back on dairy, I topped it off with this very interesting "cheese."

I have mixed feelings on it but will definitely give it another try.

After some play time...

...and some bath time...

...I was happy to curl up in bed with a book at 7:30 knowing I had an 11 mile running waiting for me in the morning.

This morning came bright and early and after a quick cup of coffee and a banana, the boys and I hit the road for our 11 mile trek.

It was a great morning for a run!

This view never gets old!  I love watching the sun come up on the water.  We live in paradise.

We spent the rest of the morning lounging and playing by the pool.  I did finally convince them to come inside for lunch and found them waiting patiently at the wrong table.  Look how good they're sitting though.  I decided to let them eat there after all.  Too cute to resist.

The pleasantness didn't last for long though.  They got ahold of the broom and couldn't find a way to share.  I hope when they get older they want to help me clean as much as they did today.   

Too FUNNY!

They're finally napping and I'm regaining my sanity after a crazy trip to Target.  Note to self--shopping for wine with cranky boys is kind of like shopping for groceries when you're hungry.  You end up buying more than you "need."  Oh well!  I'm happy to report this household has a brand new wine cube for me to enjoy.  

Happy Weekend!

  

Pancakes, Rest Day, and a side of Produce

Today started off nice and lazily, like any good rest day should.  I enjoyed lots of coffee and stayed in my pajamas til almost 9.  Bliss!  Tomorrow is a long run day on my half marathon training plan so today calls for rest, which for me equals a nice 4 miles walk with the boys.  It was a beautiful morning for a stroll.

On Labor Day, I made pancakes for breakfast and today I enjoyed the leftovers.  They're super healthy, super yummy, and super easy, which qualifies them for staple status at our house.  Here's the recipe:

Protein Whole Wheat Flax Pancakes
Combine the following in a big bowl:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (I use SunWarrior)
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Let sit for about half an hour to give the oats time to soften.  Then, prepare as you would any pancake on a hot griddle, waiting for bubbles along the edges before flipping and cooking until cooked through.  Enjoy topped with pure maple syrup or as I like them best, topped with fresh berries that were simmered with a splash of water while the pancakes were cooking...oh and a dollop of peanut butter.  YUM!  I devoured them before I remembered I wanted to snap a picture.  Sorry!  

Today is also Annie's Organic Buying club day.  I'm the coordinator so that means I'll have lots of yummy produce to sort at my house today before everyone comes to pick up their shares.  It's a beautifully yummy thing.  Check it out.  

The delivery of boxes that comes for me to sort.

The pre-sorted goods.

Sorted and ready for pick up.

Check out the size of this heirloom tomato.  YUM!

My boys have discovered the joy of stickers, thanks to my grandma, their great grandma.  She is AWESOME and sent them a whole bunch to play with.  If you're the praying type, please say a prayer for her.  She's in the hospital getting her heart checked out.  Something's just not quite right and they're trying to figure out how to help her.  She is the most inspiring woman I know.  I'm so blessed to be able to call her my grandma.  I LOVE HER!

Check out Colton's face in the top left.  Too funny!  Mason must have been trying to steal his sticker.

Their other new favorite toy is the thermos.  Figure that one out!  They sure do love carrying that thing around.  Silly boys!

 Oh look, another silly Colton face.  Haha!  Caught in the act.

I hoping my long run tomorrow is better than last week's long run.  In order to help things along, I chugging water today, eating well, and planning on a good night's sleep.  Maybe I should ask for prayers for myself too :-)  This long run will include the stroller and two silly boys.  Can't wait!


As a little side note, since it's been going round and round in my mind since yesterday when a friend of mine said something along the lines of..."I don't know how you do all that you do.  And you have TWINS!", I wanted to let you all in on a little secret.  I'm NOT anything special.  I am just like all of you.  I have good days and bad.  I have times when I am loving life and times when I just want to scream.  Sometimes I think my kids are little angels and other times I want to "pretend I never birthed them."  (I read that line in a parenting magazine and it stuck.)  Sometimes my workouts are amazing and others I just feel like I'm pulling myself through the mud.  I am NO superwoman.  I am a mom who has my challenges just like all of you but I have found that finess is my therapy.  Running and working out are what keep me going.  It's how I deal.  It's my "me time." It's my time to have long chats with god.  It's my prayer time.  You know me...I'm a multitasker  If you haven't discovered the joy that is exercise, why don't you give it a try.  It is a powerful thing.

Make today great!  Find you therapy and remind yourself, life is good!  God is good!

I LOVE WEDNESDAYS!

If you are a mom of young kiddos and don't know about MOPS, I highly suggest you check it out.  It has been a lifesaver to me as I navigate this crazy path of mothering.  My group meets every other Wednesday and I look forward to those meetings.  They help get me through the week.  I'm always so glad I went.  This morning was no exception.  I'm always amazed by all the women god puts in my life to help me along the way.  I'm looking forward to a great semester of growing in my faith and becoming a better mother.

MOPS.org

Before MOPS this morning, I was able to do something that was introduced to me there...GET UP BEFORE YOUR FAMILY to have some time to yourself.  I got in a quick 3 mile run and a speedy upper body workout to start my day off right.  I'm doing a 5k on Saturday in honor of the 9/11 victims so I had to switch up my training plan a bit.  I did 2 runs yesterday to be able to bump up my long run to Friday and still have a rest day prior to the long run.  Here's how I adjusted my schedule--Yesterday afternoon, I did the 5 mile run scheduled for today (It took me about 48 minute) and this morning I completed my 3 mile race pace run on the treadmill.  I'll make tomorrow my rest day (will probably squeeze in some yoga and a walk) and hit the pavement for 8 miles on Friday.  I won't race on Saturday but will use the 3 miles as a recovery run. My focus for the 9/11 heroes run will be the good cause and not a PR.  I'm saving that goal for the half marathon.  I knew I was going to have to be a bit flexible with my schedule and I know how important rest days and long run days and I feel this approach won't hinder my training plan.  Here's the upper body workout I completed this morning:

The results of my 3 mile race pace (half-marathon race pace, not 5k race pace) run looked like this.

My plan for the rest of the day, after my boys wake up from their nap, is to play with my kiddos, hit up our beloved Publix, whip up some yummy mashed sweet potatoes and chipotle chicken for dinner (I'm trying this recipe), do a little Geometry tutoring, and hopefully get in some more reading.  It is taking me WAY to long to get through my book.  It's a good one too, I just keep finding other things to do with my time and then falling asleep when I do finally get a chance to read at night.  

Have a great Wednesday.  Make some time to MOVE IT!