Adventures in toddler lunchtime

June 1, 2012 //
0

I know a lot of my posts have been about toddler things lately. Not as many fitness ones. I promise I am still working out regularly. Still going to my Barre class. The one thing that has changed is I haven’t gone for a run in 2 weeks! YIKES! Part of that is the stomach issues I have been battling. Part is I have been enjoying the break from it. I was really pushing myself for a while with my runs. I was ready to try Wednesday and Thursday but it has been nonstop rain around here. Wednesday my hubby wanted to workout when he got home so I worked out in the morning. The elliptical has been my friend lately.

Anyway. Back to toddlerhood. Trust me, running around after a 27lb almost 16 month old is a workout too. Also, he is a huge momma’s boy, which means I am constantly picking him up and holding him. The child knows how to walk and enjoys running but he really loves snuggles with his momma.

I have been having some fun with lunches. I enjoy making shapes and scenes and creatures for him.

This one is a little older. I had spelled out Jack and he ate the C before I got the photo.

A little face. Don’t worry, he is welcomed to have more food if he is still hungry after this small amount :-)

Apple/grape cars. Held together with peanut butter

Jack is obsessed with cars and vehicles in general. So I thought this would be fun for him to have cars to eat. I use all natural peanut butter. No added sugar, salt, or anything. Just roasted peanuts. It is YUMMY!

Two lanes of cars, driving past a forest

That was my intention with this scene. He thought the green apples were a bit tart so I switched to red delicious apples. Looking back I should have used cheese for the lane markers! Next time!

Teddy bear

These were teddy bear cheese sandwiches. Whole grain crackers with cheese in between. I used a small circle cookie cutter to make a perfect circle of cheese. The rest was just decorated with fruits. Jackson promptly took apart the bear and devoured the cheese! He also was a big fan of the strawberries. The previous day he had been all about grapes.

He is becoming more and more picky. Mostly he doesn’t like to try new things, especially if the texture feels weird in his hands. So I have been trying to have fun and make lunch time silly. When he saw the bear he got a huge smile. That made me happy.

I will continue to share our adventures in toddler lunchtime. I am not sure what I will create today, but I will create something! I have a set of 101 cookie cutters, the creativity is endless.

 

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Categories Jack, Recipes, Momommahood, Healthy Living, Baby food, parenthood, parenting, motherhood, working out, toddlerhood, toddler, Toddler activities, At home learning, Indoor activities

Sensory Drum

May 30, 2012 //
0

Yesterday I decided to throw together a quick sensory drum for Jack. I call it a drum instead of a box because I used a drum he received for Christmas. It was an instrument set. All the instruments were inside this drum. He has lots of containers that his toys go in. Even a Pirate metal bucket from Easter. I chose the drum because half of it is see through.

I used things I had in the cabinet. I raided my pantry! I used rice, split peas, kidney beans, black eyed peas, and lentils. I had the kidney beans and split peas from a Thanksgiving decoration I made and then I had the other things just from previous recipes. I used his toys inside of the bin. I didn’t have to go out and buy anything specific for this activity. That was nice. It felt like a freebie!

It took me maybe 5 minutes. Most of the time I spent on it was looking for all the bags of dried goods to put in it! What an easy activity to create. He really likes it.

At first I really buried all of the toys. Trying to get him to dig for them. He wasn’t so interested in doing that. Maybe because he is still 15 months that concept was unclear. BUT if they were poking out a bit he loved searching for them. I could ask him to find a certain object and he would dig it out.

Found a block

Score! A car!

Today he pulled objects out on his own, without any prompting. I found the lid to the drum and he also enjoyed putting the lid on and taking it off.

It gets slightly messy, beans and rice all around the drum but nothing some vacuuming couldn’t fix. I vacuumed this morning from yesterday’s session. Jack loves when I vacuum. He gets so excited every time I bring it out, which is at least once a day these days. I don’t mind the mess so for me that was no big deal. The way I see it, he is learning and learning can be messy. So is life. It is nothing a 5 minute vacuum session cannot take care of!

Next on my list is a felt car mat! He is obsessed with cars. He has started to “drive” his cars around and make car sounds. I think a car mat would be right up his alley. I also plan to make a felt board for him to play with, since he also loves magnets so much.I thought it would be nice for him to learn how other things can stick together besides magnets.

I hope to have the felt mat done before next week. I will post that project as well.

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Categories At home learning, Crafts, Indoor activities, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, playtime, preschool activities, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood

Jackman the animal man

May 29, 2012 //
0

Jack is an animal lover. He loves every animal he has ever encountered, regardless of the species or its appearance. I am going to attribute this to the fact that we have 3 cats. Our cats are not like normal cats in the sense that they are very engaged in our family. They are always around us. There is one right in front of my feet as I type this. They are generally always in the same room as we are. If all three aren’t 1-2 most definitely are. Two regularly sleep in our bed and the 3rd is usually in our room as well. I am guessing some will sleep with Jack when we allow his door to stay open.

We babied them a lot as kittens. So they are super clingy and super friendly. Jack is obsessed with them. Cat is one of his favorite words. He always enjoys pointing them out to me throughout the day.

Croc, as in Crocodile, is another favorite word. Show him an alligator or crocodile and he will exclaim “croc!” We were on our beach on afternoon and there was a log floating in the water, just off shore. He pointed and said “croc!” What a smart kid! People confuse crocs for logs all the time and get themselves in a pickle. Not Jackman, he knows. How he knows at 16 months is beyond me!

He calls all fish Sharks. It started with just sharks and now whenever he sees a fish of any kind he says SHARK! We were on the boat the other day and he just kept pointing to the water shouting “Shark!” He is seriously going to scare someone this summer but it is cute.

So what I am leading up to is yesterday. We attended a party at Petland. Jack was ecstatic! He was running around looking at puppies, hamsters, and bunnies. He really liked this one Boxer puppy. No matter how many I showed him he kept walking back to that particular dog and pointing and babbling. Trying to walk past the glass, even though he kept bumping into it. I was not surprised about the mammals. After all, he is very comfortable around mammals. There is always one within arms reach at home. I would love to get him a puppy but that will have to wait until we move next year.

Then we headed to the water section.

piranhas

Crazy ugly scary fish don’t phase Jackson! Look at him reaching for that tank. I know once we move we plan on getting a nice aquarium and having fish in our home but I don’t think I will be adding these to the list. :-) He loved all of the fish, or sharks as he called them. Was fascinated by them all. He even got to see a real baby shark. And a few other river monsters besides the piranhas. One that grows to over 6 feet long I believe the man explained. He really liked that one.

ball python

ball python

This ball python, a baby, was another favorite. He even grabbed it by the tail at one point. I had to keep a watchful hand on his arm, as you can see. Not because I was forcing him but because I had to restrain him a bit. He just wanted that thing in his hands. They weren’t supposed to touch its head and I know that would have been the next area he went for. My brother Dan has a grown ball python. I have to take Jack over there to see him sometime soon. He will love it!

some sort of lizard? I wasn’t around for this one. I was probably washing his binky off

I grew up with lots of lizards, newts, gecko type creatures. My brother Dan (the one that has the snake) always had a pet slimy thing when I was younger. Jack seemed to really like them. Jason said no way to him getting one as a pet. Sigh. If Jack wants a scaly creature as a pet later in life I am going to take him to the pet store and get him one. I will be the one to suck it up and get over my heebie jeebies and help Jack take care of his new buddy. He is just so curious about them. I have a feeling he will want one.

Jack and the labradoodle

This was later in the party. They brought some mammals for the kids to interact with. They were all supposed to sit in a nice circle and not go in the middle. My kid didn’t listen. But I explained to Jason you can’t reason that way with a 16 month old. He doesn’t grasp the concept you have to sit nice so you don’t crowd the dog and make it nervous. I let him break the rule a little. I watched the puppy for several minutes before letting Jack loose. I used my judgement. This dog was amazing with him. Plopped down in front of him like you see. Was fine with Jack’s wobbly gait in the circle. Jack loved throwing the red ball my cousin Liz has. One day I will also get that child a dog. We will have a regular petting zoo at our home. After this dog went away we let Jack play on his own with his cars. They brought all sorts of other creatures out for the kids but he was content playing with his cars by our table. I didn’t want him to keep breaking that rule. He got a lot of animal time in.

I am so happy my little man is so comfortable around furry and scaly friends. We are both big animal people. I guess it is not a surprise then. His heart is already so big. I love watching his face as he explores the world around him.

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Categories Jack, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, toddler, toddlerhood

Much needed family time!

May 28, 2012 //
1

This weekend, Memorial Day weekend, has been fantastic. The weather has been phenomenal! Yesterday we had a “day off.” No parties, no visitors, no obligations. Just the three of us enjoying a family day together!

It was much needed. We are always so busy we rarely have time for days like yesterday. Sometimes I really hate that. I mean Jack is barely 16 months old (he is officially 16 months in a week from today). It is kind of insane how busy we get with obligations and activities. It will only get worse the older he gets.

So sometimes it is nice to just take some time to spend together and ignore the rest of the world. We had a very outside day!

The morning and early after noon consisted of a trip the the spray park/beach down the street.

woo hoo spray park!

We took him a bit last year. He was still a little blob though. Mostly not even able to sit up on his own. He liked sitting in the water but couldn’t do much. I don’t think he remembered this place. It took him a second to warm up. It was kind of funny watching him walk around looking like he was thinking what the heck is this place! Then he had a blast!

We haven’t had time to do one of these pics in a while!

We used to always take photos like this. It seemed to have stopped after Jack was born. Too busy taking care of him or taking photos of him! But I made us stop for 2 seconds yesterday and take one. Ahhh the good old days!

Dad this is so fun

My boys were soaked! We were all having a blast. Jack is squealing with joy in this photo, not crying. He would just run around squealing. It was adorable. He cracks me up!

We hung out there for a quite a while. Then Jack spotted the beach….and pointed to it…..soooo….

first bikini photo of the year….

sand!

He thought the lake was TOO cold! But he loved the sand! I am hoping he likes the water a bit more as it warms up over the summer. But he really enjoyed the sand. We have a small beach in our backyard but I think it is a bit dirty. I don’t know who of our neighbors thinks it is ok to smoke there and toss their cigarettes but if I ever see them they will hear it from me. I think I have to get him a sandbox. This beach was pristine, it is paid to get in to. Mostly families. I didn’t notice any trash on the beach. But sometimes it would be easier to just walk out our door and play in a sandbox. Instead of hiking it up to the park.

dinner on the boat

After a very very very long nap on Jack’s part, we decided to have dinner on our boat. He LOVED the boat!He even kept pointing to other boats exclaiming “boat!!!!!”

no big deal just eating on the boat

It was like he was born and raised on the boat. No big deal to him. Walking around perfectly. Just eating the whole time. Playing with some toys. His hat even blew off and one point. Into the water. We had to turn around and Jason was able to grab it. Didn’t even phase him when I put the wet hat back on his head. This kid is a little boy through and through.

After our boat dinner we headed BACK to the spray park! I didn’t take any pics there because at that point I mean, they would look about the same as the morning. But we went and it was fun. We have a season pass. That is nice because we can come and go if we please. Without a season pass it is a bit expensive every day for adults. 8 dollars an adult each day! After a handful of visits the pass will have paid for itself.

Then Jackman stayed up until a bit after 9pm! We played in the living room. At one point all 3 of us started doing our own thing. Jack was in some other world playing with and arranging his toys. Happily playing on his own. Jason was on the floor playing a video game, and I was relaxing on the couch reading. So we ended the day of togetherness each doing an activity of our own choosing.

All in all it was a great family day. Today we have a birthday party to attend. Later this afternoon. I am going for a run after this. Gotta keep that bikini body looking acceptable! :-)

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all our troops past and present!

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Categories Exercise, fitness, Healthy Living, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, Running, toddler, toddlerhood, weather, working out

Baby shower

May 27, 2012 //
2

I have mentioned before I am somewhat of a crafty lady. I am probably down playing that a bit. If you ever saw my crafting area you would probably poop your pants. I have a lot of supplies. A LOT. I love to scrapbook, make cards, and I recently started making decorations for parties. That started with Jack’s party really. I have been scrapping and cardmaking since high school (so a long time har har har)

Yesterday we celebrated my best friend, her hubby, and their unborn baby boy. It was their baby shower! I am so excited for them and I love that little nugget to pieces already.

I made a few things to help celebrate their day.

raincloud

I made 10 of these rain clouds. They really turned out super cute. I used my Cricut to make the rain drops. Those are white poofs from the party store and I used fishing line to hang the drops.

Banner

This was one of my favorite decorations. I am a little obsessed with banners this year. I really loved how the stripes and dark blue complimented one another. I was seriously in love as soon as the triangles were cut. Maybe I will have to make some to just hang in Jack’s room! haha Again I used my Cricut. Threaded it with some double faced white satin ribbon and voila!

Cupcake toppers

While I fancy myself something of a baker/chef as well as a fitness freak and crafty gal, I did not make these beautifully iced cupcakes. I made the umbrella and pinwheel toppers. I am also obsessed with pinwheels this year. Used the Cricut to cut them. Then I used glue dots to adhere the toothpicks to the back. I added a little gem to each one for a little dimension and pop.

Rattle cake pops

rattle cake pops

As I just mentioned I fancy myself a bit of a baker. Especially things like these, cake pops and cuppycakes! I have made cake pops a few times for parties and get togethers. Usually I stand them upright in a box with some flower foam and cover that in a colorful shred. This time I wanted to try something different and it really worked out well. I used glue dots again for the little poof balls on the top and double faced baby blue satin ribbon for the sticks. The cake was a blueish color as well. It wasn’t a striking blue. I learned my lesson with the last batch I made for a party. I did blue velvet. I make it from scratch. No boxed cake mix here. Well if you use the correct amount of food coloring in order to wash out the coco every person who takes a bite will have a blue mouth. Since I knew this would happen this time around I couldn’t in good conscious bring mouth dying cake pops to the baby shower! So they weren’t quite the blue inside I liked. It did look like a blue-brown which is the nursery colors. So there ya go!

The frosting is a cream cheese frosting. Mixed with white chips to help made it a harder shell. Light blue sprinkles. I wrapped some of the satin ribbon around the handle of my stand and then tied a big bow with the white satin ribbon. Just a small detail, but the details can really make things pop.

Fruit kebobs

I also brought some fruit kebobs with a Greek yogurt dip. My dear friend and momma to be, Jen, is much like me. I knew she would LOVE fruit kebobs and I was right. I didn’t try the dip (I am lactose intolerant and I have been making a huge effort to skip as much dairy as I can lately. I have been feeling better mostly from it) But the dip is Greek yogurt and honey. I was told it was really great! I did eat a few of the kebobs and I can tell you THOSE were great! I will definitely be making these instead of fruit salad from now on.

Dessert table

Here is the dessert table. It wasn’t quite done. In that box behind the cake pops is a beautiful canoli cake! A canoli with little canolis inside of it. I cannot take credit for all of the beautiful things on this table. Jen’s mom and sister also worked so hard to make this such a beautiful day. They did an amazing job!!! Also, ignore my Venti Passion tea lemonade (unsweetened lol). It is summer time, Starbucks iced teas are a staple in our family in the summer! mmmmm

Poopy diaper game mmmmm

I also brought a game with. The poopy diaper game. I played this at a shower in March and thought it was the funniest thing ever. You melt chocolate bars and put them in diapers. People have to guess what each diaper has. I made 6. I think 6 is a good number for this game. I used Milky way, Reese’s Peanut butter cups, Almond Joy, Rasinetes, York Peppermint Patty, and Snickers. Some of them looked like legitimate poop. Some people were really grossed out but some people really found it funny. My husband was one of the former. He couldn’t stand them on our counter yesterday morning. HA! I just think it is a welcomed changed from actual poopy diapers ;-) It was silly and fun and I recommend it. Super easy to make. I thought Jack’s diapers were too big at this point. He is in a size 4. They are huge. So I went and bought a pack of size 1. Only had to use the 6, so I gave the rest to the Momma to be. That I think is a double bonus for this game. You can NEVER have too many diapers. Lesson 1 I learned. That and wipes!

Best friends and soon we with both be momma’s to little boys!

She is seriously the most beautiful pregnant woman I have ever seen! She looks fantastic. She is all belly. I am so blessed to have her in my life. I am also so excited that we are going to be momma’s to little boys! Oh the adventures we will have together. Especially once they are old enough to play together! Jack loves babies so I know he is going to be stoked to meet his new friend.

I had such a lovely day celebrating 3 of the most wonderful people in the world! Congrats you two! That little boy is so loved already!!!!

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Categories Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, photography

Food poisoning and a haircut

May 22, 2012 //
0

Over the weekend I battled something nasty. My first ever bout with food poisoning. I went out to dinner Friday night to celebrate my future sister in law’s graduation from college. I enjoyed a few fish dishes. Seared Ahi Tuna as an appetizer and a grilled Cobia curry dish for my main meal. Carrot cake for dessert.

I am going to guess it was the Tuna. Who knows though. The very thought of sushi/sashimi, fish, or carrot cake makes me ill.

I went to bed shortly after 12. Happy as a clam. Did some reading until my eyes got heavy. I had my tea. Was looking forward to the next day. We were maybe going to get some wakeboarding in. I had barre in the morning. AND we had a date night planned.

I woke up shortly before 2 am with the most awful pain in my stomach. I had never felt that before. I was really confused. I am not a puker. I didn’t throw up once when preggo. As as matter of fact, until Saturday morning, I hadn’t thrown up since 2005. That was from too much champagne. I had been exposed to stomach viruses since then. Both of my boys have had a couple. But I managed to stay immune.

Then right around 2am on the dot all hell broke loose. I threw up. And it was a lot. I even woke up Jason. He came into the bathroom to check on me. He is a heavy sleeper and not one to jump out of bed (I have learned this through being parents together. haha I tend to hear Jack well before him) I didn’t even know how to throw up, if that makes sense. It had been so long I thought I was going to choke on it and die right there! I was thankful when Jason walked into the bathroom. I knew at least if I choked he could save me.

I won’t get into all the details because well that is unnecessary. We all know what food poisoning does to a person. I basically didn’t feel well again until yesterday. And I was still really tired yesterday.

I hadn’t worked out since Friday morning! That is insane for me. Yesterday I did some pilates in the late afternoon. I just wanted to do something. Not too vigorous but I knew I would feel better. Tonight I have barre. Tomorrow I MAY try to go for a run. But we will see how I am feeling. So far today I feel great.

We had an appointment for Jack’s 1st haircut on Sunday. I sucked it up and still took him. I had already rescheduled once and I figured we just needed to go. He did so awesome! He didn’t cry or scream or make her stop! We were so proud of our big boy. He looks like a little man.

buzz buzz

does it look good? tell me it looks good!

my little angel!

He looks SO much older with this haircut. I was hesitant to do it. But Jason really really wanted to get it cut. It was driving him nuts. It was kind of long in the back. When she asked us what we wanted I even let go of the reigns and said this is your show, go ahead and tell her. I thought he was going to look like a baby after the trim, since his hair was gone. NOPE I was way off. He looks so much more grown up with his clean cut. Sigh but then again he is growing up. Pushing 16 months and bright as ever. He is barely a baby anymore. He is definitely a toddler. But will always be my little baby.

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Categories Exercise, fitness, Healthy Living, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, pilates, Running, toddler, toddlerhood, working out

Results

May 14, 2012 //
0

Well I suppose I have to write this update. I avoided it yesterday. It was Mother’s Day and I was exhausted. I had other things to do.

I ran my race yesterday morning. My mom arrived just before 7am. We headed over. My boys showed up shortly before the start time. Jack looked tired and hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. But he wasn’t screaming his head off. He was a good little fan! Jason woke him up to bring him over.

I ran it. I gave it my all. I decided to not use my app that updates you on your average mile time. On Saturday I had a crappy run and I think when I heard the first average, which by normal means wasn’t slow but still felt too slow for my liking, I got really psyched out. I didn’t want to get that negativity in my head. I did have my Polar heart rate monitor on though, so I could roughly check up on my time if I chose to and was ready for it.

There were a lot of hills. A LOT. Now there are a few beauties on my normal running route but there were several more on this course and they were not little quick hills. That isn’t an excuse but I just wasn’t as prepared as I wish I would have been.

I ran the whole thing, as I expected. No walking. That was really a given though. I can’t remember the last time I walked during a 3 mile run.

I was able to really sprint the last .2 mile and cross the finish line in a nice 26:22. That was about 30 seconds under last year’s 3rd place! WHAT?!?!?I did it, right?

No, other than making my time goal, I didn’t place. As I stated in my last post I had to give it my all and leave the rest up to circumstance. Circumstance won this year. I came in 6th in my age group. There were 72 women in my age group and I came in 6th. In the grand scheme of things that is not bad at all. But it wasn’t what I wanted. I would have died if I had a 28 minute 5k like Saturday morning. I am finding solace in that. This was also my fastest race result ever! That is a personal best!

I also had a fantastic 2nd Mother’s Day! It was really great. I got to see my boys just before I sprinted across the finish line. They were there cheering me on! Jack fed me blueberries as we sat around waiting to hear about the awards. I was able to check my results before the announced the awards so I knew what was or rather wasn’t coming. But I decided to stick around and see the awards given. So we hung out. Jack met some dogs. It was a nice morning. We came home I got ready and we all hung out outside.

Jackson tried my salsa for the first time! Salsa and tortilla chips. It is spicy. But he loved it!

My hubby grilled me lunch. Filet Mignon, red, green, and orange peppers (a fave of mine!), and a red potato. After lunch I took a nap! Then we spent the rest of the day just lounging around the living room watching movies and playing.

The boys gave me a pepper set and a rub set from Dean and Deluca! I used one rub on my steak yesterday. Yummmmy! I am big into pepper so that was right up my alley. There are all sorts of different peppers I haven’t heard of in it. I can’t wait to use it in some of the homemade seasonings I make.

The next race I have is the Dirty Girl Mud Run on June 30th. I am on a team for that so I doubt I will be worrying about time. I mean it would be kind of a jerk move to ditch all of my teammates just to try to be the best! haha I think I will take it easy on that one, have fun, get filthy, and take some ridiculous photos! :-) I am running it with my aunt and a couple of girlfriends I haven’t seen in a very long time. I would rather catch up with them and have a silly time. I think it will feel nice to just enjoy myself.

My boy and me on our 2nd Mother’s Day! He looks annoyed because as you can see, I interrupted his chalk time. But it was Mother’s Day and what else did he expect? Moms get to be extra annoying that day and you have to give into our whims. haha!

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Categories Exercise, fitness, Healthy Living, Jack, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, Running, toddler, toddlerhood, working out

Mother’s Day celebrating my way!

May 11, 2012 //
2

Sunday is Mother’s Day. I am really excited about celebrating it this year. Last year I was too. But I had a 3 month old. I was tired. REALLY tired. He did not sleep at night! I actually barely remember last year. So this year I am super excited to celebrate. Jack is such a ball of energetic fun. He walks, runs, laughs, talks, understands what I am saying. Yesterday if I wasn’t looking at him he would move my head to face him and then plant a big kiss on my face or lunge into my arms for a big hug. He is a charmer. I am just thrilled to celebrate with that little guy!

One thing I decided to do, as I have mentioned earlier, is run a race. It is only a 5k but this time it is important for me. I think there is a great chance that I can place in the top 3 females for my age group. I mentioned this before too. However, yesterday I BEAT the time of the 3rd place runner from last year! She ran it in 26:51.

I ran my first mile in 7:06! That blew my best mile out. of. the. water. OUT OF THE WATER! I knocked over TWO entire minutes off of my total 5k time! I ran it in 26:19. Last year 1st place ran it in 25:14.

I was updating my parents about my success last night. My mom is coming to watch me run. It is the first time she is making it to a race of mine. She MAY get to see me win an award at the very 1st one she attends! AND on Mother’s Day of all days! How awesome would that be?

I was telling my dad about how I beat 3rd place’s time. He told me to go for 1st place. I said well I would have to shave another minute off my total time and hopefully my adrenaline gives me a boost.

His response “Then shave it”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I now know where I get my just get it done attitude when it comes to running and fitness. So I guess I just have to suck it up and shave it off.

I want this so  badly I can taste it. It is all I can think about this week. TWO days away. But I truly feel like it is still a week away. I know in a way I am getting my hopes up which may lead to disappointment but I have to set this goal for myself. I don’t know who is running it this year. It may not be the same women. It may be someone way faster. If I come in 4th then next year I wont. I would be thrilled with 3rd. But maybe I will surprise myself.

If I don’t and I do come in lower than 3rd at least I tried and at least I set this goal for myself. The best part is even if I don’t “place” I still have built up my endurance a great deal this year. I have repeatedly knocked my old personal bests out of the water. I now know I can run a 7 minute mile if I want to. I know I can run 3.2 miles in 26 minutes. As cheesy as it sounds I already won in that respect. I am definitely benefiting from all of my hard work, placing or not.

I know I will still be mad at myself if I don’t place. I will get over it and try harder. I will give my little goose a big hug and kiss. Go home and celebrate my day with the most wonderful loving son. His love is unconditional and he will love me and be proud of his momma no matter what. He is the biggest momma’s boy I have ever encountered. I will have that happiness to soak up and lounge around in for the rest of the day. NOW that’s a win!

My little goose and me :-)

But the very thought of getting an award just makes me smile. I really think I have it in me. I am going to give it all I have, leave it out there on the course, and the rest is up to circumstance.

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Categories Exercise, fitness, Healthy Living, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, Running, working out

Run run run

May 4, 2012 //
1

Yesterday I hit a couple personal best records while running. I am still recovering from some sort of upper respiratory issue. Both my son and I had it. It was not too debilitating but it wasn’t pleasant.

I ran my 1st mile in 8:47!  The day before it had been 8:58. BOTH personal bests but yesterday I blew it out of the water. Then I completed my 3.05 mile run in 28:00 flat. Which means I did 3 miles in under 28 minutes.

I am so proud of myself. Ha! I mean, not to boast or anything. Eh, who cares. I bust my arse to workout and stay fit. This isn’t just something I decided to do one day and it came like nothing. I have been working very hard to get to this point.

I was starting to think when I run a smaller more local race there MAY be a possibility of me placing in my age group. That would be so lovely. I would flip out. Obviously this is a huge dream and we will see. I won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen but the idea is nice. I am running a Mother’s Day 5k on you guessed it, Mother’s Day. So in a little over a week.

I just checked last year’s race results. I did not run it. But I checked the top women in my age bracket. The fastest 3 female times in it were 25:17, 26:24, and 27:29. I could do this. It is realistic. Adrenaline will surely help boost my run that day. It always does. I am always amped up at a race. I shouldn’t get myself all worked up and excited though. I don’t want to be let down if I don’t. This is the 1st race where I can sort of taste it so I am going to pause, think of it once more…………………………………….now I will let it go! ;-) Right???

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Categories Exercise, fitness, Healthy Living, Running, working out

clean(er) eating

April 26, 2012 //
2

I have been making an effort to eat more “clean” lately. The past few months really. I have been working on eliminating as much processed junk as possible. I wouldn’t say we were the household that ingested the most processed junk. I have been a healthy eater for many years. But you know in today’s world you are so inundated with processed things it can be hard to unconsciously not eat any processed products.

So I have made conscious effort to do so. It is still not perfect. But I am getting there. I know not everything below is necessarily “processed” really but I think that you can control what is in your food better if you make some small adjustments. Like calorie and sodium counts.

Here is what I have been doing successfully:

  • Making my own whole grain bread crumbs
  • Making my own salad dressings. I have made 3 myself. A balsamic one, cilantro-lime vinaigrette, and french dressing.
  • Making my own chicken nuggets. They are amazing and delicious! Even my hubby loves them.
  • Making my own cake batter, instead of just buying the box.
  • Making my own taco, chili, and all other seasonings. Instead of buying those handy little packets. It is so easy to just do it yourself. My spice cabinet is bursting at the seams with all different spices I throw together to make delicious concoctions.
  • I have been using fresh fruits for juices instead of buying a container of it to mix in recipes.
  • Made my own granola. Was supposed to be bars but it ended up breaking and turned into regular granola.
  • I never ever buy frozen or boxed meals! I never even put it in my cart. I have been making a huge effort to cook most nights. We do order pizza from time to time. Sometimes I make my own pizza. But we do love love love pizza in this house and a good pizza from a good restaurant often hits the spot. Hey, ya gotta live a little!
  • Made my own frozen dark chocolate covered bananas.
  • I have been paying a great deal of attention to nutrition labels. I have been doing that for years but I scrutinize it even more now. It is a good thing my little man is patient eating his blueberries at the grocery store! Reduced fat, low fat, etc is not always better for you! Sometimes the sodium and sugar skyrockets. Pay attention to that. Some fat is good for you. Like with everything moderation is key. Read the back, not the front!
  • Buy an all natural whole grain bread. Made at a Chicago bakery. There are just a handful of ingredients in it. I can name and pronounce them all. I know what they are. No preservatives in it!
  • Use all natural peanut butter and jelly.
  • I keep my eyes open for all things that are truly natural and where I can pronounce the ingredients.

I think that is a majority of what I have been doing as of late. There may be more I am forgetting but you get the idea. It is a lifestyle change in many ways. Sometimes it requires a bit more work, but I love to cook and really I feel better knowing where my food comes from. Knowing what is really in it. I am going to continue to find different ways to add to that list.

I think I will continue to blog and I will share recipes and things I find or come up with that have been taste approved. I truly love to share healthy and tasty food options with everyone I know.

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Categories Healthy Living, Recipes
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