I'm seriously feeling old here with my achy, creaky body. Last Tuesday, I did my tempo run and had a little trouble with it. I couldn't get my breathing regulated. I couldn't keep and maintain my speed. That sort of thing. On Wednesday, I went and did my regular 4 mile run with my running group (in 106* - holy moly it was hot!), and couldn't run very far. I thought it was just the heat, but the further I went, the more my left hip started hurting. Boo! On Saturday, I headed out to do my "easy" 10 mile run. And easy it was not. My hip hurt SOO bad. I ended up walking most of 8.7 miles and then called it quits. I stopped to do some stretching at the end of my run/walk, and when I went to stand back up, it was painful to stand on. I shuffled back to my car and drove home.
Once I got back home, I took some naproxen, took an ice bath, and then iced my hip and thigh on and off for a few hours. Luckily, my mom and step-dad were here, so they helped me keep the kids entertained for the day. We went to the pool for some easy swimming/playing and then made a trip to Mecca. Er, I mean Toys R Us. We were trying to find Danny a skid steer. The kid is obsessed with skid steers for some odd reason. It might be because his new favorite show is Mighty Machines (on Qubo Channel at 10am here in Texas). Toys R Us showed that they had it on their website, but we couldn't find it in the store at all. So instead, Danny got an encyclopedia of Cars cars. As Derek called it - it's a catalog of all the Cars cars that he doesn't have (Mom! I need that car, that car, that car, that car, that car, etc, etc, on for infinity). It is kind of cool because it gives some back story of all the cars and also includes the characters from Mater's Tall Tales, Cars, and Cars 2. If you have a Cars lover - this would be an awesome Christmas present. Piper got a giant ball with Dora the Explorer on it. That girl loves her Dora! After the kids got their new toys, we headed back home to meet my sister and her boyfriend for some delicious, healthy supper and board games.
By supper time, my leg was killing me again. I took another naproxen and was alternating heat and ice while playing board games with the family. I won two rounds of King of Tokyo, and then my mom won once and then it was midnight and I was falling asleep in my chair! This morning I woke up and my hip hurt still. I took some more pills, more heat and ice, and have just basically sat on the couch all day (other than a quick trip to Run On to try on some new shoes and get some gels). I guess it's a good thing this week is a taper week because I am pretty sure I am out of commission for the next week. I'm really hoping that I'm not in too much pain to run the Hottest Half on Sunday. It's very disappointing to be injured.
From everything I read on the interwebs, it sounds like I have a hip abductor strain/tendonitis, which can be caused by an increase in distance, speed work, and hill work. What? Your aren't supposed to increase all three of those in the same two week period?? Ugh! I am awful at biting off more than I can chew when it comes to running. It's just so addicting and makes me feel so good - yet at the same time, if you overdo it, it can hurt SO bad. Anyway, from what I read, it said that I need to just stay off my leg, rest, ice/heat alternately, take ibuprofen, and do some light stretching. So that'll be my week this week. Along with play dates and grant writing and starting cheer/tumbling classes for Piper. When did my little girl grow up?
Speaking of little girls, my friend Erin that I've mentioned in previous posts is in Ethiopia right now (!!!) picking up her little girl that her and her husband are adopting. They are actually taking her out of the orphanage tomorrow. I am so, so, so incredibly excited for them and am now praying that their "cocoon" period goes smoothly and that they make a seamless transition from a family of four to a family of five.
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Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Playing at the Cemetery??
Today has been one of those days. I woke up to two crying kids who were fighting over what TV show to watch (yes, we start our day with a healthy dose of recreational screen time; yes, I feel guilty about it). Then the cat peed on the bathroom rug so I had to wash that. Some friends were heading out to a park so I scrambled and got the kids ready and into the car so that they could hopefully run off some energy.
Once in the car, my GPS couldn't find the park that my friends were at. After searching google maps, I found a park about 10 -15 minutes away. So I headed out to the park. As I got closer, though, all I saw was a cemetery. I kept looking for a playground or just an open field, but all I saw were tombstones. And then it dawned on me. Ridgeview Memorial Park was not a playground. It was a cemetery! Oh my!
Luckily the cemetery was near Whole Foods, so I stopped in there so the trip was not completely wasted. I found an awesome deal when I first walked in: buy a package of sliced brisket ($12.99) and a package of chopped brisket ($6.99) and get a jar of cherry lemonade juice, prepared potato salad, buttermilk hamburger buns, and a 28oz container of cut up watermelon free. The free items amounted to about $15/$16, so I spent about $20 and got $15 in free product. I like it! And, now I have a yummy 4th of July meal ready to go for tomorrow. The deal is good for a couple of days only, so if that sounds delicious - you better get to Whole Foods pronto!
We dropped our food off at home and then went to our community's little playground area. The kids had the run of the place and had a blast going up and down slides, climbing up ladders, and swinging on the swings. Have I mentioned that I love our new community? It's just so nice! Last night Derek and I took the kids to the pool and played for a bit before supper. It was just a nice way to keep the kids busy and entertained while at the same time wearing them out so that they'd sleep better. Maybe they didn't sleep enough though, based on their attitudes this morning!
I'm trying to save money and sell some items to make some money, so I have listed a few things on craigslist to sell. I have been talking with a lady on craigslist about selling our pack n play. She lives in Fort Worth and wanted me to drive out there (which is WAY far away). I knocked $5 off the price and she is driving out here to get it. Selling things on craigslist is always a little scary for me. You never know who is going to show up at your door. With the way my day has been going, I wouldn't be surprised if she was an axe murderer. Everyone say a prayer that she is a nice lady who buys the pack n play and then leaves with no drama or craziness!
Once in the car, my GPS couldn't find the park that my friends were at. After searching google maps, I found a park about 10 -15 minutes away. So I headed out to the park. As I got closer, though, all I saw was a cemetery. I kept looking for a playground or just an open field, but all I saw were tombstones. And then it dawned on me. Ridgeview Memorial Park was not a playground. It was a cemetery! Oh my!
Luckily the cemetery was near Whole Foods, so I stopped in there so the trip was not completely wasted. I found an awesome deal when I first walked in: buy a package of sliced brisket ($12.99) and a package of chopped brisket ($6.99) and get a jar of cherry lemonade juice, prepared potato salad, buttermilk hamburger buns, and a 28oz container of cut up watermelon free. The free items amounted to about $15/$16, so I spent about $20 and got $15 in free product. I like it! And, now I have a yummy 4th of July meal ready to go for tomorrow. The deal is good for a couple of days only, so if that sounds delicious - you better get to Whole Foods pronto!
We dropped our food off at home and then went to our community's little playground area. The kids had the run of the place and had a blast going up and down slides, climbing up ladders, and swinging on the swings. Have I mentioned that I love our new community? It's just so nice! Last night Derek and I took the kids to the pool and played for a bit before supper. It was just a nice way to keep the kids busy and entertained while at the same time wearing them out so that they'd sleep better. Maybe they didn't sleep enough though, based on their attitudes this morning!
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| The community pool and splash pad |
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| The kiddos playing at the community park |
I'm trying to save money and sell some items to make some money, so I have listed a few things on craigslist to sell. I have been talking with a lady on craigslist about selling our pack n play. She lives in Fort Worth and wanted me to drive out there (which is WAY far away). I knocked $5 off the price and she is driving out here to get it. Selling things on craigslist is always a little scary for me. You never know who is going to show up at your door. With the way my day has been going, I wouldn't be surprised if she was an axe murderer. Everyone say a prayer that she is a nice lady who buys the pack n play and then leaves with no drama or craziness!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Race Recap: Run Like A Mother 5k
You might have guessed it, but I'm a little behind on my race recaps. I have still been running my one (or more) races a month, but I just haven't sat down and written all of it down. I'm trying to catch up this week now that our move is over, so just bare with me - I'll be flooding the blog with race recaps.
The Run Like A Mother 5k was a Mother's Day race. I ran it with my Mom and it was her first official race where she got a race bib number and a timing chip. My mom is awesome - she runs 5 miles a day pretty much every day. She is genetically tall and super model skinny (Why oh why did I miss out on this gene???), but has some cholesterol (or maybe it's blood pressure??) issues that cause her to exercise to keep it in check. That and she just likes to exercise and be physically fit. I keep trying to talk her into doing a half marathon with me, but she keeps saying she doesn't know if she can do it. I think she can. We'll see who wins :)
The day before the race, my mom, Danny, and I headed out to Run On to pick up our race packets. And were pleasantly surprised. In addition to the normal t-shirt, we got a super cute bag with the "Run Like A Mother" logo on it. It's a nice bag - big and roomy - and is made of a plastic-y material so it wipes up clean easy. You know - perfect for a mom who is constantly on the go and carrying 18 bajillion toys, sippy cups, sunscreen, matchbox cars, crayons and coloring books in her bag. I use the bag on a regular basis now and absolutely love it. I also wear the shirt quite a bit too. I was a little bummed about the shirt - only because I ordered an X-Large thinking it would be a woman's sized t-shirt and thus more form fitting; however it's pretty loose and I easily could have worn the large. It's still nice, just next year I will have to remember to get the Large instead. My Mom ordered the right size and hers is adorable. I just love the Run Like A Mother logo. That's actually why I wanted to do the race.
The day of the race, my mom and I got up early and drove down to Dallas for the race. We got there with time to spare, so we got to talk and hang out before the race started; which was nice because usually when my mom comes to visit we busy with my kiddos (who had stayed home with Daddy and were meeting us post-race for mother's day festivities). The day before our race, I had ran 10 miles, so my legs were still a little tired, but nothing major. I felt pretty good and ready to run. They had a 1 mile kid's dash before the 5k and oh man! Those kids were FLYING! I was very, very impressed with how fast those kids were going.
The time came for our race to start, so mom and I lined up in the front-middle and when the starting buzzer went off, we took off. My mom had kept telling me how slow she was, and how I should wait for her at the finish line and I kept telling her that just because I run long distances, doesn't mean I run fast. I don't think she believed me until the race was over (and she totally smoked me!). But I digress, let me talk about the race course.
The course was on the Katy Trail. It was a nice place to run and if I lived closer, I might go run there often. As it is, though, it's a good probably 45 minutes from where I am now, so I'll stick to my little running trail that I discovered at my new house. Anyway, it started out pretty flat and then there was a killer hill. And I mean KILLER. It was steep and my quads were screaming. I honestly should have walked up it and saved my energy. Like my mom did. I, though, chose to run up it and wear myself out completely. Which - hooray for me! - I did. After the hill, I slowed WAY down and couldn't get my energy level back up. I started walking and watched as my mom passed me just before the turn-around point for the out and back course. She was bookin' it!
With sweat pouring down my face, I crossed the finish line at 35:06. Which was a PR, but not really what I wanted. I think I've been doing a lot of distance running and not really focusing on speed. I should be happy with the PR, but honestly, I wanted to be somewhere a little closer to what my mom did. My mom rocked a 32:56 for her first timed race. I think that's pretty awesome!! After we crossed the finish line, we were handed roses and invited to go over to the food table - which was a pretty decent spread for a smaller race. I think my mom and I both guzzled about 3 bottles of water each post-race. It was pretty warm!
Derek was meeting us with the kids for a playground and lunch mother's day extravaganza at the park where the race started, so mom and I hung out to listen to the race winners. And guess what?? Mom came in 2nd in her age group! How sweet is that?!?!? Even sweeter, her "win" was a free entry into next years race. So I guess this is our new mother's day tradition :)
All in all, I would definitely do this race again next year. It was a fun way to celebrate being a mom and get some running in as well.
The Run Like A Mother 5k was a Mother's Day race. I ran it with my Mom and it was her first official race where she got a race bib number and a timing chip. My mom is awesome - she runs 5 miles a day pretty much every day. She is genetically tall and super model skinny (Why oh why did I miss out on this gene???), but has some cholesterol (or maybe it's blood pressure??) issues that cause her to exercise to keep it in check. That and she just likes to exercise and be physically fit. I keep trying to talk her into doing a half marathon with me, but she keeps saying she doesn't know if she can do it. I think she can. We'll see who wins :)
The day before the race, my mom, Danny, and I headed out to Run On to pick up our race packets. And were pleasantly surprised. In addition to the normal t-shirt, we got a super cute bag with the "Run Like A Mother" logo on it. It's a nice bag - big and roomy - and is made of a plastic-y material so it wipes up clean easy. You know - perfect for a mom who is constantly on the go and carrying 18 bajillion toys, sippy cups, sunscreen, matchbox cars, crayons and coloring books in her bag. I use the bag on a regular basis now and absolutely love it. I also wear the shirt quite a bit too. I was a little bummed about the shirt - only because I ordered an X-Large thinking it would be a woman's sized t-shirt and thus more form fitting; however it's pretty loose and I easily could have worn the large. It's still nice, just next year I will have to remember to get the Large instead. My Mom ordered the right size and hers is adorable. I just love the Run Like A Mother logo. That's actually why I wanted to do the race.
The day of the race, my mom and I got up early and drove down to Dallas for the race. We got there with time to spare, so we got to talk and hang out before the race started; which was nice because usually when my mom comes to visit we busy with my kiddos (who had stayed home with Daddy and were meeting us post-race for mother's day festivities). The day before our race, I had ran 10 miles, so my legs were still a little tired, but nothing major. I felt pretty good and ready to run. They had a 1 mile kid's dash before the 5k and oh man! Those kids were FLYING! I was very, very impressed with how fast those kids were going.
The time came for our race to start, so mom and I lined up in the front-middle and when the starting buzzer went off, we took off. My mom had kept telling me how slow she was, and how I should wait for her at the finish line and I kept telling her that just because I run long distances, doesn't mean I run fast. I don't think she believed me until the race was over (and she totally smoked me!). But I digress, let me talk about the race course.
The course was on the Katy Trail. It was a nice place to run and if I lived closer, I might go run there often. As it is, though, it's a good probably 45 minutes from where I am now, so I'll stick to my little running trail that I discovered at my new house. Anyway, it started out pretty flat and then there was a killer hill. And I mean KILLER. It was steep and my quads were screaming. I honestly should have walked up it and saved my energy. Like my mom did. I, though, chose to run up it and wear myself out completely. Which - hooray for me! - I did. After the hill, I slowed WAY down and couldn't get my energy level back up. I started walking and watched as my mom passed me just before the turn-around point for the out and back course. She was bookin' it!
With sweat pouring down my face, I crossed the finish line at 35:06. Which was a PR, but not really what I wanted. I think I've been doing a lot of distance running and not really focusing on speed. I should be happy with the PR, but honestly, I wanted to be somewhere a little closer to what my mom did. My mom rocked a 32:56 for her first timed race. I think that's pretty awesome!! After we crossed the finish line, we were handed roses and invited to go over to the food table - which was a pretty decent spread for a smaller race. I think my mom and I both guzzled about 3 bottles of water each post-race. It was pretty warm!
Derek was meeting us with the kids for a playground and lunch mother's day extravaganza at the park where the race started, so mom and I hung out to listen to the race winners. And guess what?? Mom came in 2nd in her age group! How sweet is that?!?!? Even sweeter, her "win" was a free entry into next years race. So I guess this is our new mother's day tradition :)
All in all, I would definitely do this race again next year. It was a fun way to celebrate being a mom and get some running in as well.
Friday, June 1, 2012
A New Place to Call Home
Well, I looked at three houses today, and two of them were pretty nice. One of those though, was already taken, and the other one had an application in. Crap! My new realtor called the property manager/realtor from the house with the application in, and it turns out that the applicant had two big dogs and the owners weren't crazy about renting to big-dog owners. So, I filled out the application and we were approved!
YEAH!!!!!!
The house is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath with two living room areas (one of which is now a play room), a community pool complete with a splash pad and an adjacent playground, and it's in McKinney. Oh - and it's about a 10 minute drive from my husband's work rather than a 45 minute drive. Could not be happier! I was totally nervous about putting in the application because Derek couldn't come with me, so he signed off on it sight unseen. I can't help but question if he will/will not like it. I'm sure he will, right??
We move in on June 15 - which will be a week before we have massive amounts of family come to town and then we all drive down to San Antonio for vacation. I'm hoping that doesn't make it an extremely stressful move. Anyway, off to bed!
YEAH!!!!!!
The house is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath with two living room areas (one of which is now a play room), a community pool complete with a splash pad and an adjacent playground, and it's in McKinney. Oh - and it's about a 10 minute drive from my husband's work rather than a 45 minute drive. Could not be happier! I was totally nervous about putting in the application because Derek couldn't come with me, so he signed off on it sight unseen. I can't help but question if he will/will not like it. I'm sure he will, right??
We move in on June 15 - which will be a week before we have massive amounts of family come to town and then we all drive down to San Antonio for vacation. I'm hoping that doesn't make it an extremely stressful move. Anyway, off to bed!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Sick
I'm feeling really, really anxious and sick to my stomach because we don't have a place to move into yet (really, though, we don't have to be out of our current house until 6/30/12). And that Derek is trying to get a new car in the midst of us trying to find a new place to live. It's just so stressful! When we moved to Dallas, we did a short-sale on our house, and now that should be showing up on our credit report. Which makes even more wary because what if we don't pass a credit check? I don't know what rental agencies really think about short-sales. Or what they'll think if we take out a loan for a new car with an already bad credit score. *hyperventilating*
I am seriously hoping that we can find something nice, but right now there just aren't any rental properties available. Shouldn't they be starting to advertise some that are coming available? Derek found a guy on craigslist that was interested in trading his custom-painted motorcycle (custom paint job was neon blue with skulls on it. Freaking. Awesome.) for Derek's volvo. He's going to look at it today and see what happens. So maybe we won't even have to get a loan?? But then I guess I can worry about Derek being on a motorcycle and getting into an accident. haha There's no end to my anxiety!
Piper, meanwhile, is actually sick. She has a cold and has thrown up twice; the throwing up I think is just due to her cold, but I'm not positive. Either way, we are just taking it easy today and I am letting her rest. I'm planning on focusing my energy on working to make some extra money and just trying to get as many hours in as I can without completely ignoring my kiddos. I've got to think of something fun for them to do today while I work that won't make a huge mess. I'm thinking about busting out their giant coloring pages and letting them go crazy. They like that. Right now, though, I'm going to go make another cup of coffee, and settle into a work groove.
If you are the praying type, please say a prayer that Piper starts feeling better, we get some extra money to make the burden of finding both a house and car a little more bearable, and that a nice, 4 bedroom, 2 bath house comes available in Allen in our price range and that they accept our 3 ten year old cats as well.
I am seriously hoping that we can find something nice, but right now there just aren't any rental properties available. Shouldn't they be starting to advertise some that are coming available? Derek found a guy on craigslist that was interested in trading his custom-painted motorcycle (custom paint job was neon blue with skulls on it. Freaking. Awesome.) for Derek's volvo. He's going to look at it today and see what happens. So maybe we won't even have to get a loan?? But then I guess I can worry about Derek being on a motorcycle and getting into an accident. haha There's no end to my anxiety!
Piper, meanwhile, is actually sick. She has a cold and has thrown up twice; the throwing up I think is just due to her cold, but I'm not positive. Either way, we are just taking it easy today and I am letting her rest. I'm planning on focusing my energy on working to make some extra money and just trying to get as many hours in as I can without completely ignoring my kiddos. I've got to think of something fun for them to do today while I work that won't make a huge mess. I'm thinking about busting out their giant coloring pages and letting them go crazy. They like that. Right now, though, I'm going to go make another cup of coffee, and settle into a work groove.
If you are the praying type, please say a prayer that Piper starts feeling better, we get some extra money to make the burden of finding both a house and car a little more bearable, and that a nice, 4 bedroom, 2 bath house comes available in Allen in our price range and that they accept our 3 ten year old cats as well.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Update on the Reset
I am so proud of myself! While I haven't hit the 160's yet, they are RIGHT around the corner. This morning I weighed in at 172.0 - which is huge because it was the Monday after a holiday weekend and a Mom visit. Family visits (which we have a lot of here recently) and holidays are super hard for me to lose/maintain weight. There are just so many treats around and so much going out to eat. But all this weekend, I just told myself that if I really want to see the 160's then I have to realize that family visits and holidays are going to happen and that I can't let them stand in my way. So I didn't. We even ate out and I stayed right on track. Go me!
I've also been drinking water like crazy. Like 90 - 120 ounces a day. I had been drinking about 40 ounces of water a day and about 48 - 60 ounces a day of pop. It was diet pop, but still, not all that great for you. I'm hoping the increase in water is helping me flush all the junk out of my body and filling me up so I'm not just mindlessly snacking.
I kept pretty busy this weekend too. I ran 10 miles on Saturday (in 2hours, 10 minutes!) and then did the Run Like a Mother 5k on Sunday with my Mom (race recap coming soon). It felt good to run so much and keep my legs moving. Today, I'm taking a rest day - which is good because I have a major headache. These weather changes we are having here in Texas are killing my sinuses!
I joined a running group this weekend too. It's a meetup group that meets on Saturday mornings in Plano and does their long runs together. I'm going to my first one this Saturday and I'm hoping that they can help motivate me to run a faster pace. I really want to run my marathon in 5 hours or less. That just means I have a lot of work to do between now and December. My last half marathon was done in 2:53 minutes - and my half in two weeks (from today - eek!) I'm hoping to do closer to 2:45. I'm contemplating signing up for the Hottest Half in August - but I'll probably take that one slow because of the heat. It will definitely be a challenging run!
I've also been drinking water like crazy. Like 90 - 120 ounces a day. I had been drinking about 40 ounces of water a day and about 48 - 60 ounces a day of pop. It was diet pop, but still, not all that great for you. I'm hoping the increase in water is helping me flush all the junk out of my body and filling me up so I'm not just mindlessly snacking.
I kept pretty busy this weekend too. I ran 10 miles on Saturday (in 2hours, 10 minutes!) and then did the Run Like a Mother 5k on Sunday with my Mom (race recap coming soon). It felt good to run so much and keep my legs moving. Today, I'm taking a rest day - which is good because I have a major headache. These weather changes we are having here in Texas are killing my sinuses!
I joined a running group this weekend too. It's a meetup group that meets on Saturday mornings in Plano and does their long runs together. I'm going to my first one this Saturday and I'm hoping that they can help motivate me to run a faster pace. I really want to run my marathon in 5 hours or less. That just means I have a lot of work to do between now and December. My last half marathon was done in 2:53 minutes - and my half in two weeks (from today - eek!) I'm hoping to do closer to 2:45. I'm contemplating signing up for the Hottest Half in August - but I'll probably take that one slow because of the heat. It will definitely be a challenging run!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
We're here to PUMP - you UP
I made it to my Body Pump class last night at my gym! I have been trying to make it to this class (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) for about 2 months, so I was glad to finally make it to class. The instructor was really nice and showed me what kind of weights/gear I would need for class and then we began. Holy God! About five minutes into class (and what turned out to only be the warm up!), I was hurting. My legs were screaming and shaking. I couldn't believe that. Six months ago, I could hold my own in a weight lifting class. It's not like I was a body builder or anything, but I could go through class without having to take major rest breaks. Not so this time! I had to rest three times and let my muscles relax. I knew my muscles would be weaker, but I thought I would be a little stronger than that. Just goes to show what six months and no weight lifting will do! I'm glad I did the class, though, and feel better for it. I just hope that Saturday's class goes a little better :)
I had some grand plans to grill this for supper, but seeing as how the Body Pump class was an hour long and started at 5:45pm, I quickly discarded that plan. Instead I got some spicy chicken nuggets and a small chili from Wendy's. I avoided the fries, but still felt slightly unhealthy after a day of healthy eating and working out. There was just no way the kids were going to last if I tried to cook - they were hungry!
Derek came home from work yesterday afternoon (he came in early and completely scared the dirt out of me - I thought someone was breaking into our house!!) with a bad cold/cough. Derek and I were married for six years before we had kids, and Derek was sick exactly one time in those six years (plus the 1.5 years we dated before getting married). Now that we have kids, Derek gets sick probably once a month. I swear sometimes he's sick more often than the kids! Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon and will get to enjoy the weekend. This is the first weekend in almost a month (or maybe more??) that we haven't had out of town guests staying with us. I love company, and I love my family coming to visit, but it'll be nice having the place to ourselves this weekend! I might just sit on the couch and watch TV all day to catch up on some shows. If Piper will let me watch something. She's developed a little girl crush on Diego (Dora the Explorer's cousin) and demands Diego at all times. It's cute, but that show is a little annoying....
Today the kids and I went to Celebration Park again. I really do love that park! We met up with a friend whose husband works with Derek. She is also a stay at home mom with two little ones. We didn't get to talk much because we were each chasing kids and she has a 4 month old who is still nursing, but it was nice just to go somewhere and know someone else. The park was getting new bark put in, and Danny was fascinated with the tractors and front loader. Little boy Heaven. Unfortunately, he kept getting in the way of their work and by the end of our hour and a half there, the construction team was calling out, "Where's Danny?" before they backed up the tractors. I'm just glad they didn't get annoyed - they seemed like they understood that I had two little ones - who of course wanted to go in opposite directions - and couldn't keep Danny out of their hair at all times because Piper was busy climbing parts of the play structure that I'm sure were about 3-5 years out of her age range. She would climb up, pull herself up, and then say, "help mama!" as she dangled from a ladder or some crazy climbing thing. Cute, but made my heart skip a beat or two. Here are some pictures from the day.
I had some grand plans to grill this for supper, but seeing as how the Body Pump class was an hour long and started at 5:45pm, I quickly discarded that plan. Instead I got some spicy chicken nuggets and a small chili from Wendy's. I avoided the fries, but still felt slightly unhealthy after a day of healthy eating and working out. There was just no way the kids were going to last if I tried to cook - they were hungry!
Derek came home from work yesterday afternoon (he came in early and completely scared the dirt out of me - I thought someone was breaking into our house!!) with a bad cold/cough. Derek and I were married for six years before we had kids, and Derek was sick exactly one time in those six years (plus the 1.5 years we dated before getting married). Now that we have kids, Derek gets sick probably once a month. I swear sometimes he's sick more often than the kids! Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon and will get to enjoy the weekend. This is the first weekend in almost a month (or maybe more??) that we haven't had out of town guests staying with us. I love company, and I love my family coming to visit, but it'll be nice having the place to ourselves this weekend! I might just sit on the couch and watch TV all day to catch up on some shows. If Piper will let me watch something. She's developed a little girl crush on Diego (Dora the Explorer's cousin) and demands Diego at all times. It's cute, but that show is a little annoying....
Today the kids and I went to Celebration Park again. I really do love that park! We met up with a friend whose husband works with Derek. She is also a stay at home mom with two little ones. We didn't get to talk much because we were each chasing kids and she has a 4 month old who is still nursing, but it was nice just to go somewhere and know someone else. The park was getting new bark put in, and Danny was fascinated with the tractors and front loader. Little boy Heaven. Unfortunately, he kept getting in the way of their work and by the end of our hour and a half there, the construction team was calling out, "Where's Danny?" before they backed up the tractors. I'm just glad they didn't get annoyed - they seemed like they understood that I had two little ones - who of course wanted to go in opposite directions - and couldn't keep Danny out of their hair at all times because Piper was busy climbing parts of the play structure that I'm sure were about 3-5 years out of her age range. She would climb up, pull herself up, and then say, "help mama!" as she dangled from a ladder or some crazy climbing thing. Cute, but made my heart skip a beat or two. Here are some pictures from the day.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The animals at the Zoo
My Dad and Granny went back to Nashville yesterday, and I have to say...those two exhausted me! They got in around supper time on Saturday, so we just sat and chatted. The last time I had seen my Granny was at my Grandpa's funeral in December 2010. We had a lot of catching up to do! I was so happy that my Granny had decided to come with my Dad since she had two back surgeries very recently (she cleared it with her doctor before she sat in the car for the 10 - 12 hour drive), and she's still a little hesitant about doing things.
Sunday, my Dad and I had our indoor triathlon in the morning and then we had some delicious Papa Murphy's Veggie DeLite pizza (love, love, love that pizza!) before heading into downtown Dallas. On the way down there, we had to stop at a gas station because Danny had to go to the bathroom. If you've ever stopped half-way between Rockwall and downtown Dallas (along I-30), you probably know that it's not the best area to stop in. Let's just put it this way: there was a guy "working" the corner of the gas station and I'm pretty sure we saw multiple drug deals going down. Great place to take your kid to pee, but there wasn't anywhere else and Danny was getting desperate!
We stopped at the Convention Center and hung out with some cows and cowboys. And then made our way to Highland Park area. Beautiful homes through there! We found a cute little park with running trails and took the kids to play for a bit. The kids loved their little adventure. I was pretty tired from the triathlon still, but had a great time. We stopped for Chinese food on the way home (it was about 8pm by the time we started eating). Danny had fallen asleep in the car at about 5:30 pm and he stayed asleep for the rest of the night. Until about 3:30 am. When he woke up. I tried everything to get him to sleep, but it was a no-go. So he and spent the (early, early) morning on the couch watching Wall-E.
We decided that we would spend our Monday at the Dallas Zoo. In Spokane, we didn't have a zoo, and here in Dallas, there are TWO! There is the Dallas Zoo and the Fort Worth Zoo. Everyone keeps telling me that the Fort Worth Zoo is a million times better, but we haven't checked that one out yet (my mom is taking the kids there in May; which is why we didn't go there this time). I wasn't even sure if the kids would like the zoo, but man, they LOVED it. We were able to rent a wheelchair for my Granny so she didn't have to walk so much, and Piper hopped right on and toured the zoo from her lap.
Danny was stuck in the double stroller, but I let him out at pretty much every exhibit.
They had lots of cool animals and a fantastic kids area where Piper went down the slide about 30 times and Danny splashed in the little mock-river they have set up. It was great! We stayed until about 1pm, when the kids started to meltdown (especially Danny - being extra tired and hungry was not a great combo!). We went to the McDonald's by the zoo - which was decorated like a zoo and was incredibly cute!
After that, we sat out in the sunshine at my house and just talked, drank a few beers, let the kids play, and grilled some ribs. It was a great day and great trip for my Dad and Granny. I wish it could've been longer, but my Dad has this crazy thing called work that he had to get back to. My Dad and Granny left early the next morning and made it back to Nashville in a pretty good time. I spent yesterday getting my car fixed (oil change, new timing belt, and some other things that I'm not really sure what it is but it keeps my car running!) and being incredibly lazy. I was so sore and tired from the triathlon and pushing the stroller all around the zoo.
Today I'm going back to the gym and doing a weight lifting class. Can't wait to try it out - if I can make it to the class on time! But before I do that, I need to do about three hours of work. I better quit procrastinating and do it!
Sunday, my Dad and I had our indoor triathlon in the morning and then we had some delicious Papa Murphy's Veggie DeLite pizza (love, love, love that pizza!) before heading into downtown Dallas. On the way down there, we had to stop at a gas station because Danny had to go to the bathroom. If you've ever stopped half-way between Rockwall and downtown Dallas (along I-30), you probably know that it's not the best area to stop in. Let's just put it this way: there was a guy "working" the corner of the gas station and I'm pretty sure we saw multiple drug deals going down. Great place to take your kid to pee, but there wasn't anywhere else and Danny was getting desperate!
We stopped at the Convention Center and hung out with some cows and cowboys. And then made our way to Highland Park area. Beautiful homes through there! We found a cute little park with running trails and took the kids to play for a bit. The kids loved their little adventure. I was pretty tired from the triathlon still, but had a great time. We stopped for Chinese food on the way home (it was about 8pm by the time we started eating). Danny had fallen asleep in the car at about 5:30 pm and he stayed asleep for the rest of the night. Until about 3:30 am. When he woke up. I tried everything to get him to sleep, but it was a no-go. So he and spent the (early, early) morning on the couch watching Wall-E.
We decided that we would spend our Monday at the Dallas Zoo. In Spokane, we didn't have a zoo, and here in Dallas, there are TWO! There is the Dallas Zoo and the Fort Worth Zoo. Everyone keeps telling me that the Fort Worth Zoo is a million times better, but we haven't checked that one out yet (my mom is taking the kids there in May; which is why we didn't go there this time). I wasn't even sure if the kids would like the zoo, but man, they LOVED it. We were able to rent a wheelchair for my Granny so she didn't have to walk so much, and Piper hopped right on and toured the zoo from her lap.
Danny was stuck in the double stroller, but I let him out at pretty much every exhibit.
They had lots of cool animals and a fantastic kids area where Piper went down the slide about 30 times and Danny splashed in the little mock-river they have set up. It was great! We stayed until about 1pm, when the kids started to meltdown (especially Danny - being extra tired and hungry was not a great combo!). We went to the McDonald's by the zoo - which was decorated like a zoo and was incredibly cute!
After that, we sat out in the sunshine at my house and just talked, drank a few beers, let the kids play, and grilled some ribs. It was a great day and great trip for my Dad and Granny. I wish it could've been longer, but my Dad has this crazy thing called work that he had to get back to. My Dad and Granny left early the next morning and made it back to Nashville in a pretty good time. I spent yesterday getting my car fixed (oil change, new timing belt, and some other things that I'm not really sure what it is but it keeps my car running!) and being incredibly lazy. I was so sore and tired from the triathlon and pushing the stroller all around the zoo.
Today I'm going back to the gym and doing a weight lifting class. Can't wait to try it out - if I can make it to the class on time! But before I do that, I need to do about three hours of work. I better quit procrastinating and do it!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sink or Swim!
Triathlon day is here! I got up early thinking my Dad (who thinks getting up at 4am is a "normal" time to get up) would be up, but he's still fast asleep. So, I of course decided to blog a bit. I can't wait to see how this triathlon goes and if I'll be a convert. We were joking around last night and I said I was going to be a 'triathlete' and my husband said, "Your going to try to be an athlete??" Which I thought was pretty funny. But maybe that's just me because that's what I feel like sometimes. Like I'm really trying to be athletic. Before I took up running, I would never have thought of myself as an athlete. But now.....am I a runner? An athlete? I don't know. I just know it feels fantastic when I run and I'm training for my third half marathon in one year. That just sounds crazy to think that my first half marathon ever was only last year, and now I have set a lofty goal of completing a full marathon in December and possibly doing a sprint (outdoor) triathlon sometime this summer. I feel athletic...so maybe I am!
I still haven't cut up my veggies for my breakfast salads, so I decided to try something that Monica over at RunEatRepeat makes. And OMG! Now I know why she eats it so much. It's so incredibly good!! Here is what I did:
I still haven't cut up my veggies for my breakfast salads, so I decided to try something that Monica over at RunEatRepeat makes. And OMG! Now I know why she eats it so much. It's so incredibly good!! Here is what I did:
- Warm up a 1/2 cup of pumpkin in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
- Add a little Splenda to your taste.
- Add pumpkin pie spice and vanilla (I just shook some in; didn't measure)
- Add some granola (I did a 1/4 cup of vanilla almond)
- Throw on some Chia seeds (which are actually pretty good - a little expensive - but pretty good)
- And the best ingredient: 1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter
- Mix it all up and enjoy. You'll thank me!
It kept me full until about 1:30 pm when I ate it at 8:30 am yesterday. I'm doing it again today for race day. It's a little high in points, but it was so good and filling, that I'm going back for more. Now I better go get ready for that race!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Catch Up
I feel like I haven't been on here in forever when in reality it's only been like 3 days. I've just been super crazy busy and had taken all these pictures that I wanted to incorporate into my blog. But I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to dig through pictures and decide which ones I like/don't like, and which to put up here. I know, big decisions, right? I was starting to miss blogging though, so I decided I would post now and do a picture post later.
So I'm officially 30 now. I used to always think that 30 was old. Now that I'm here, though, I'm starting to second guess that. I feel so much more alive that I did in my teens - so much happier! I had a lot of 'stuff' going on in my teen years that contributed to me just being unhappy. I was overweight, depressed, and listened to way too much of The Cure than is good for any one person. My 20's I was still trying to 'find myself' and still felt VERY shy. While I'm still trying to discover who I am, I feel a lot more confident with myself, my body, and my choices. I have a great husband and two amazing children, and I feel like I've found my place in the world. Plus, I am much more active and healthier, which I think affects so much in your life. I'm happy!
Speaking of being active, I have gotten a few runs in. Although, they've been pretty quick! Yesterday, I only made it 1.5 miles. For lunch yesterday, I made Pioneer Woman's jalepeno poppers (got from her cookbook), and OMG! They were SOOOOO good. So good, in fact, that I ate 22 of them. They were really low weight watchers points, and so incredibly delicious that I just kept eating until they were all gone. Awesome. Anyway, after putting it off for most of the day, I decided to get out there and run. So off to the gym I went. And discovered that eating 22 jalepeno poppers was NOT the best "fuel" for running! My stomach was twisting in so many knots that I had to stop. Lesson learned. If I'm going to eat 22 jalepeno poppers, I should do it on a non-run day!
Other than running, I've been working and cleaning house. Yesterday I got in 4 hours of work (go me!), and then cleaned like a crazy person. My father in law found out that he was going to be attending a training in Dallas, so he is coming in tonight and leaving on Saturday. It's been almost a year since he's seen the kids, so I know he's excited to see them. After he leaves on Saturday morning, my mom is coming into town to celebrate Easter with us (she arrives Saturday afternoon, and will stay until Sunday afternoon). Then, next Saturday, my dad and grandma are driving from Nashville to Dallas to spend a few days with us. It's total parent overload - and I love it! It just makes me so happy to have family around, and for the kids to be able to interact so much with their grand-parents (and great-grandma!).
My Dad is coming in late Saturday night, and then we are turning around and doing a super-sprint triathlon on Sunday morning. It's a 10 minute swim, 20 minute run, and 30 minute bike ride, all indoors at a gym. I think I got everything down except the swimming. I can swim, but I'm not the best at it. So, 10 minutes is going to feel like forever. My friend in Virginia wants to do a half-Ironman (70.3 miles) and I said that I was interested in doing it as well. We are shooting for October 2013. I really need a bike to be able to do the triathlons though. My sister said she would loan me hers, so I might get that from her and start training. I honestly haven't ridden a bike (non-stationary) in years, so I'm curious to see how that will go!
Anyway, better head off of here. Just wanted to stop in and say hi. I have to a lot more cleaning/picking up I want to do before the father-in-law gets here tonight.
So I'm officially 30 now. I used to always think that 30 was old. Now that I'm here, though, I'm starting to second guess that. I feel so much more alive that I did in my teens - so much happier! I had a lot of 'stuff' going on in my teen years that contributed to me just being unhappy. I was overweight, depressed, and listened to way too much of The Cure than is good for any one person. My 20's I was still trying to 'find myself' and still felt VERY shy. While I'm still trying to discover who I am, I feel a lot more confident with myself, my body, and my choices. I have a great husband and two amazing children, and I feel like I've found my place in the world. Plus, I am much more active and healthier, which I think affects so much in your life. I'm happy!
Speaking of being active, I have gotten a few runs in. Although, they've been pretty quick! Yesterday, I only made it 1.5 miles. For lunch yesterday, I made Pioneer Woman's jalepeno poppers (got from her cookbook), and OMG! They were SOOOOO good. So good, in fact, that I ate 22 of them. They were really low weight watchers points, and so incredibly delicious that I just kept eating until they were all gone. Awesome. Anyway, after putting it off for most of the day, I decided to get out there and run. So off to the gym I went. And discovered that eating 22 jalepeno poppers was NOT the best "fuel" for running! My stomach was twisting in so many knots that I had to stop. Lesson learned. If I'm going to eat 22 jalepeno poppers, I should do it on a non-run day!
Other than running, I've been working and cleaning house. Yesterday I got in 4 hours of work (go me!), and then cleaned like a crazy person. My father in law found out that he was going to be attending a training in Dallas, so he is coming in tonight and leaving on Saturday. It's been almost a year since he's seen the kids, so I know he's excited to see them. After he leaves on Saturday morning, my mom is coming into town to celebrate Easter with us (she arrives Saturday afternoon, and will stay until Sunday afternoon). Then, next Saturday, my dad and grandma are driving from Nashville to Dallas to spend a few days with us. It's total parent overload - and I love it! It just makes me so happy to have family around, and for the kids to be able to interact so much with their grand-parents (and great-grandma!).
My Dad is coming in late Saturday night, and then we are turning around and doing a super-sprint triathlon on Sunday morning. It's a 10 minute swim, 20 minute run, and 30 minute bike ride, all indoors at a gym. I think I got everything down except the swimming. I can swim, but I'm not the best at it. So, 10 minutes is going to feel like forever. My friend in Virginia wants to do a half-Ironman (70.3 miles) and I said that I was interested in doing it as well. We are shooting for October 2013. I really need a bike to be able to do the triathlons though. My sister said she would loan me hers, so I might get that from her and start training. I honestly haven't ridden a bike (non-stationary) in years, so I'm curious to see how that will go!
Anyway, better head off of here. Just wanted to stop in and say hi. I have to a lot more cleaning/picking up I want to do before the father-in-law gets here tonight.
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