Running it CAN be fun!

Picture courtesy of Toronto Girl West

Ever watch Friends? Maybe Im dating myself, but I remember an episode where Phoebe and Rachel went running. Phoebe’s form was, shall we say, unique. Her arms swung wildly and her legs kicked strangely. Rather than be upset at her ability, her personality looked at the silver lining, she was having more fun than the people who were running ‘correctly’.

Proper form is important to avoid injuring yourself, but having fun is just as important. If you aren’t having fun, you don’t want to continue and a habit you are trying to grow will die a slow and painful death. Its mind over matter. Not that you have to convince yourself you are having fun, just convince yourself you can DO IT. Because you can.

As a child, I was never athletic. I was clumsy, uncoordinated, routinely picked last for any team sport in gym class and even the teachers would make snide comments about my ability. My nickname in gym class during the gymnastics portion was “spaghetti legs”. All this did was reinforce my inability to really do anything well physically. So, I reverted to what I was good at, academics and books, sedentary activities. Ive always said my natural state was on a couch, reading a book. Don’t get me wrong, I like that I am smart, well-read (I think) and am pretty confident that when I start grad school it will be hard, but I can do it. But I don’t think these things are necessarily exclusive.

Since starting on my journey of becoming healthier, I have started running on a treadmill. Working with my personal trainer, reading blogs like pfitblog.com and jfoyohealth.com and other sources like Jillian Michaels, I have discovered a love of running. Its not pretty, but its pretty fun. I can do anything for 1 minute. That was how it started. 3 min warm up (walking at 3.0) then running 1 min (at 5.0) and 1 min at 3.0, rinse repeat the 1 min cycle for 30min or 2 miles, whichever comes first. This is called HIIT training or Hight Intensity Interval Training, or so they tell me. All I know is by breaking it down into 1 min increments, it is doable. If I can do this, anyone can break that cycle and change their natural state, even at the ripe old age of 35! thats a lot of habit to overcome!! I’m calling it. I am no longer ‘spaghetti legs’, but a runner. For at least a minute at a time.

Raising a boy to be a man

photo courtesy of home.howstuffworks.com

Yesterday I received an email from my twins’ Kindergarten teacher. The school they attend is full-day, but only has 1 grade per class. It is a small school. We chose it for the curriculum and the location to the house. I am grateful the school is small enough teachers can tell the difference between my two boys (I think its easy, but sometimes when Im not paying attention…) Don’t even get me started about the hubs. He can’t EVER tell them apart. Gah!

With such a small school, the teachers and the parents can really work together to make sure the child is doing all they can to excel in school. The email I received today told me that Sean had peed all over the bathroom and refused to clean it up.

This was shocking, because well, Im a girl and can’t really pee all over the place without peeing on myself. So, this type of activity just baffles me at my core. Also, Sean is usually pretty good about his aim, sometimes, okay occasionally. By the time I got home, I was pretty upset. How embarrassing to be the mom of the kid who PEED everywhere, ugh! Gross!

Sean and I talked, he said he didn’t do it. I had to think to myself: Did my kid just lie to me to get out of trouble, or is he really telling the truth. So, I pulled a whammy. I said: “If I find out you are lying, and Ive gone to bat for you with the teacher – no summer camp and no going to Grandmas this summer.” Whoa!

All the while chanting to myself: Please don’t lie, please don’t lie, please don’t lie – mommy needs some down time this summer to study.

So, I asked his brother, Archie, who has done this sort of thing before when he couldn’t get his pants down fast enough. When it gets stuck straight up, he can’t control it and he pees everywhere. (At least that is what I HOPE happened. Something about buttons on pants.) Well, I made the same promise/threat to Archie. “Tell me truth and you will still go to Grandmas even if you have consequences for today’s actions.” Then, I laid down the guilt pretty thick with the “Whats your favorite thing to do at Grandmas? etc.”

Lo and behold, Archie – not Sean – peed all over the bathroom! He watched his brother take the rap for it and didn’t even speak up! When I found this out I was flabbergasted. Where was that ‘Twin Love’ Id always heard about? More like road kill after your brother throws you under the bus!

Had I done this as a child, my mom would have spanked my butt pretty hard, and grounded me FOREVER. I was MUCH more diabolical (I hope). I put the offender in his room, in bed for time-out. Which isn’t really that drastic, except I took out every stuffed animal, including his precious, his Baby Bear. Baby Bear has been around since the boys were almost 2 and has been a constant companion. After the meltdown calmed down, I used the feeling of loneliness Archie felt to compare with the loneliness Sean must have felt when he was abandoned by his brother not speaking up. We also role-played about what to say to the teacher if this happens again.

I only hope I got through and he actually remembers. Baby Bear was returned after lights out when he was mostly asleep. I only hope he has learned a valuable lesson: Honor means speaking up when you are afraid to. Honor means standing up for what is right, even when it is uncomfortable. Honor is doing the right thing. Because if I am growing my boys into great men, this is definitely a lesson they need to learn!

Bacon Delivered

I love bacon. You love bacon. We all love bacon…Hey! Its almost a song. I have found a way to get great bacon, for cheap and delivered. Not to your door, but to your neighborhood at any rate. I have written posts about Zaycon before. They have a great deal for Chicken Breasts. Now, they are offering and I have ordered their bacon as well! Bacon is not something that I eat every day, even if I want to. But I do like to add bacon in my Broccoli Salad, soups or as a side with breakfast. I still try to eat healthy and work out, update on my Fitness Friday this week. But, sometimes, a little bacon goes a long way. Stay tuned for more bacon recipes or check out this blog: 365 Days of Bacon, its delish!

If you click on this link to Zaycon, you can register to order bacon for only $3.49/lb. That is less than what I find at the grocery store. I am a deal finder, a hound if you will for decently priced meat, and bacon seems to be the one to break my self imposed per-pound limits. So yummy and a great treat once in a while. Here is an excerpt from their site to tell you more:

• High quality, medium-cut hickory smoked sliced bacon (14-18 slices per pound)
• Order includes 12 X 3 lb packages per case (Total order size is 36 lbs)
• Bacon is fresh, but frozen for your convenience
• Premium, high-quality and consistent, this hickory-smoked bacon has a wonderful flavor and represents a great value for families
• Easy to share with a friend if you do not think you can use the entire case. Our new smaller 3 lb packages make it even easier to split up with friends and family.

 

**full disclosure: By clicking on the Zaycon link above and here, I do receive a referral for the company. But seriously it’s GREAT!

Homemade Cheez-It Crackers

Im pretty stoked about this reblog. My family loves Cheez-It crackers! But, with all the strange ingredients and general un-healthiness of them, we generally reserve these as ‘Treats’ for a special occasion. Then I stumbled up on this recipe from the Americas Test Kitchen Feed and Im sold. Soooo good. In order to make sure I give credit where it is due (definitely not me) I have linked the picture to the left from the original blog and the link at the bottom to the original recipe. Enjoy!

Homemade Cheez-It Crackers from America’s Test Kitchen Feed (step-by-step pictures also available here!) {Note: the annatto seeds are completely optional, they just give the crackers their orange color. I didn’t have any luck finding them locally and ordered mine from Amazon.}

3 tablespoons boiling water 1 tablespoon annatto seeds
Coarsely ground 6 oz (1 1/2 cups) finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a heatproof bowl, stir together the water and annatto seeds. Allow to steep for 5 minutes, then pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the seeds and save the (now orange) liquid. Let the liquid cool to room temperature. Add the cheese, butter, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture comes together and starts to stick to the sides of the bowl, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cornstarch, beating until incorporated – the mixture should look like coarse sand. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid the annatto seeds steeped in and mix just until the dough starts to come together. (If the dough seems too dry, you can add up to 1 tablespoon of additional plain water to bring it together.) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a rectangle with a thickness of 1/16-inch. Using a pastry cutter (or if you don’t have one, a pizza cutter or sharp knife will work) cut the dough into 1-inch wide strips, then cut 1-inch squares from those strips. Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheets – you can pack them in pretty tightly, they don’t spread much.

via Tracey’s Culinary Adventures: Homemade Cheez-It Crackers.

How to Help Oklahoma Recover

Reblogged from The Do-Gooder Mama:

I am watching CNN and in shock at the devastation that Mother Nature inflicted on Oklahoma.  As a mother, my heart aches for the children who lost their lives at their school today and for their families who have to move forward and pick up the pieces of their lives.  So many lives, young and old, lost.  So many homes destroyed. 

Read more… 180 more words

My friend, the Do-Gooder Mama has created an amazing list of ways to help those affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. Please read, please donate where your heart leads you. If you want to donate to a faith-based organization, she has listed the Salvation Army. I want to list one more: World Vision. Their corporate headquarters are local to Federal Way, WA (my neighbor really) and do great work domestically and abroad.  Check them out too. Hugs and love to all affected. Praying for you and donating for you!