Friday, January 31, 2014

My appointment with the Glaucoma specialist & my five things Friday


Today was the day that I was dreading for weeks: my appointment with the Glaucoma specialist. Aka: when I had to have my eyes dilated. For some reason I was really freaked out about getting my eyes dilated. I knew they just had to put drops in my eyes, but it was the unknown feeling that was going to come and not being able to control that feeling, that was making me anxious. 

Well, obviously I lived though it. It wasn't as bad as I thought and I didn't have a panic attack. My pupils got ginormous! 
That lovely thing on the inside of my eye is a Teratoma tumor. The Dr. said that I need to have it removed because it is located in a spot where every single cell of my body is and it can pretty much grow whatever it wants out of it. Disgusting! I know! It could have been my twin. Haha! I'm freaking myself out. Moving on.
There were three different things going on with my eyes. The tumor is one issue.
After they put the numbing dye in my eyes. My eyes felt fat & swollen! 
The dilating eye drops came later.

The second (actually it is the first and most important) thing that the Dr talked about was Glaucoma. Since my grandma has Glaucoma and is almost blind, I am 30 times more likely to have it. It is only genetic. If I am diagnosed with it, my children will be getting eye exams in the near future. My optic nerve in my right eye (same eye with the twin tumor) is larger than my left. The pressure of both my eyes are at an o.k. level BUT what causes him to want to do more tests is the concern of the larger optic nerve. So I go in on February 20th for further testing and should have a clearer "yes you have Glaucoma" or "No, you don't". 


My support & driver. 

The third thing is Exotropia. It is when your eyes or in my case your right eye, turns slightly outward rather than straight forward. This makes it harder for the eye(s) to focus in on things like reading or looking at something right in front of them. There is an exercise that I need to do daily to help bring my eye(s) to where they should be. My husband took a close-up photo of my eyes to try to show me how large my pupils are, and I seriously had tears starting to flow because of how much my right eye points outward. I know that sounds so shallow, but it scared me. I would never think someone was a weirdo or a freak because of a disorder, but to see it on me, was really scary.


Too cool for school.


Just trying to lighten the mood a little. 

Subject change!
1. Here's a pic of my boy working hard on his Idaho report. He sure is a handsome fella when he's acting smart eh?

Kate wanted something to "work" on too.

2. A fellow blogger friend wrote an awesome post about Raw Beauty. Amy at LongDriveJourney is a very talented writer/blogger. Her posts are very informational, inspirational, and simply wonderful! Go check out her blog and see if you can spot my "raw" photo. 

3. We watched Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. A bazillion times in less than two days. There are quite a few unnecessary parts that children don't understand so why put it in the film, but I'm really loving the song at the end. It's not the kind of music I listen to but it's catchy and cute. 
You can't help but dance at least a little. :-) 

4. I'll be adding a "workouts" tab at the top of my blog within the next day or so. Be on the lookout! 

5. Last but not least I leave you with this: 


Sorry, I couldn't find anything better that fit with this post. 

P.S. I was able to workout yesterday without any pain my left leg/knee. So since it wasn't hurting I decided to *whispers* go for a run! I ran .60 of a mile then as soon as I felt the slightest twinge of pain, I walked. And I ACTUALLY thought, I could totally be ok with walking a mile or two a day. For now. :-D

How's your Friday going??
What do you have planned this weekend?
Our kiddos will be staying with my parents tonight and possibly be getting spoiled tomorrow with a shopping trip. What will the man and I do? I'm sure we'll think of something.

Enjoy your Friday everyone! 
P.P.S-Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and for all my new followers! I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you! I hope you'll enjoy my posts and hope we can become close blogging friends :-)



Thursday, January 30, 2014

The best easy beef and broccoli stir fry

This is one of my favorite things to make for my family because everyone loves it. Well, three out of the four of us loves it, and Daniel doesn't complain so I'll take that as a like from a picky eater.

I thought since it's one of our faves I'd share it with you!
I got the original recipe from food.com but made it my own by a few alterations.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1/2 c water, plus 2 tbsp water divided
Garlic salt
1 lb your choice beef, cut into 2 in strips
2 tbsp canola oil (what I had on hand)
4 c (more or less, your choice) broccoli florets
1 small red onion, chopped
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
1/3 c soy sauce
1/8 c teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
Hot cooked rice

Directions:
1. In a bowl combine 2 tbsp of cornstarch, 2 tbsp water and garlic salt. Mix until smooth.

2. Add beef and toss.

3. In a large work or skillet over medium heat, saute chopped onion and about half of the mushrooms.


4. Once the onions are cooked, add beef and cook to desired doneness.
5. Pour into a bowl, set aside but cover to keep warm. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan and saute broccoli florets and remaining mushrooms.


6. Sauce: mix together soy sauce, teriyaki, cornstarch and about half a cup of water.

7. Add beef and sauce back to pan with broccoli and mushrooms. Cook to desired doneness. Rice should be done when beef and broccoli is done.


8. Serve over hot rice and enjoy!


The winner of the bloghop giveaway has been announced and emailed! Thank you to everyone who participated and followed my blog! Congratulations Natasha Areena!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

I forgot to add a title..

So I applied for a j.o.b. today. I went to school in 2007 for Dental Assisting, worked for about six months then became pregnant with our daughter and haven't gone back to work since. Well, Kate will be going to kindergarten in August and what seems like a great position has come open so I faxed in my resume! We'll see if they like what they read..but in the mean time I had to tear apart our house and a bunch of boxes to find my portfolio.
I didn't find it. I'm pretty sure it's gone forever. Thankfully I was smart enough to call the school and they're going to mail copies of my certifications to me! For free!

Wheat thins are my favorite cracker right now and I was so happy to find a whole bunch of different flavors at the store. So far this one is my fave.

Since my sinuses have been so full I can barely bend over without my head feeling like it's going to burst, the hubs made dinner tonight...
This was Kate's plate. She was really excited to have a turkey dog. We usually don't buy them but I figured it's been a long time. She devoured it. He made burritos and taquitos for himself and Daniel. I made my own dinner..
Shredded chicken with lettuce and avacado and sweet potatoes. :-)

I'm still nursing my leg and knee. If my sinuses feel any better tomorrow I might get a workout in. I definitely don't need my head popping off so well see how I feel.

How was your Tuesday?
Are you training for an upcoming race?
Do you like sweet potatoes?

Enjoy your Wednesday everyone!!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Bad choices, some good movies and a nice visit

After my virtual race yesterday  morning I haven't had much down time. I should have forced myself to rest but I didn't. The kids went to stay with their g ma so Michael and I had last night and part of today to ourselves. We went to Costco and picked up a few things that we needed in bulk like mayonnaise and mickey mouse chicken nuggets. I was starving so we got some lunch from the food court on our way out. 

Hot turkey & provolone sandwich with a garlic pesto/mayo, tomatoes, and onions that I picked out, and some swirl fro yo. 
(This sandwich is seriously worth the splurge) 
This was the beginning of my bad eating this weekend. I guess you could say I was trying to drown my sorrows of taking a break from running with bad food..? NOT a good idea. I'm pretty ashamed with what I ate this weekend which is why I didn't snap any photos and share with you. I'm really not feeling good right now. Thankful tomorrow is a new day. I will definitely be detoxing for a couple days. 

Once we got home we realized we wished we had a good movie to watch so we went to good ole Walmart.
We got in a little fender bender which turned into a pretty big ordeal that took about 45 minutes to sort out because the person at fault didn't want to own up to hitting us, when both vehicles had evidence, that she tried rubbing off of our car! Anyway, not going there again. 

Walmart was fun. It was late in the evening so it was pretty quiet. Plus we didn't have the kids with us so that made it easier to browse.

$5 movie bins = good finds

Winners: Soul Surfer (Great movie!) & Pride and Prejudice (my favorite)
See those Snickers? Gone. Hey, I shared a few.


This morning (Sunday) Michael and I decided to go to a car swap meet and look at all the cars and junk. I know it's not junk but it sure looks that way until you use it on a car. I was a gimp and was slowing him down so he went ahead of me a few times. 
He looks like a man on a mission.

We also had a birthday party to go to today. We are tired! Aren't weekends meant for relaxing? Maybe next weekend. 



Around lunch time we went to visit my grandpa in the nursing home. He was living in Oregon but since he needs full time care, the family decided to put him in a nursing home here in California. I used to work there, my sister worked there and my aunt and cousin work there now. It's a five star nursing home. After our visit today I realized he is being very well taken care of. 
<3 One of the most important men in my life. <3


How was your weekend? 
Did you race? I'd like to hear about it!
Did you relax or stay busy like we did? 

P.S. Friday is my appointment with the Glaucoma specialist. I'm so nervous I had a really weird dream about it last night... Do you have dreams about upcoming events or issues in your life? Or am I really that much of an anxious person?

Enjoy your Monday everyone! 

(Don't forget to check out the giveaway!)
It ends Friday!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Making some changes

Today I ran my first race of the year. It was a virtual 5k hosted by Licorice and Olives

I ran on the canal behind our house since it's a bit more cushioned than the road or sidewalk and I'm still dealing with an IT band injury. (which could result in a dr visit)

I wrapped up & set off.



While running I (like most people) was in deep thought. My leg/knee started hurting at about 1 mile. The pain came and went but it was a constant worry. I kept picturing a horror scene in my mind of hearing a snap and me falling to the ground. I'm a stubborn person and I know that now more than ever. I'm pretty competitive too. Stubborn & competitive do not go well with an injury. I finished in a decent time. Not my best and not a PR  but I ran my heart out. Once I was finished I could barely walk. I had to walk almost a mile back to the house since I finished at the end of the canal. I'm in a good amount of pain right now.

(after having my phone for about 4 months we finally learned how to do a screenshot)


So, after a lot of thinking I decided to take a break from running. I know this will hurt my goal of running 14 races this year, BUT, with an injury like this, it would be impossible to run any race. I barely  made it through 3 miles today. I'm going to look up other ways to exercise (safely) and possibly dust off my bike. I have a love for running and that will never change, so I'll be back at it one day. I don't feel like a failure in any way. I just need to listen to my body for once and let it heal.





I am also going to be making some changes to this blog. It's time to get real with my readers and myself. I am still on a journey to loving myself and becoming a happier, healthier version of me. I hope you'll stick with me for the ride and offer advice and encouragement. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to help someone going through something similar. I'll be updating my "about me" section and possibly upgrading to my own website.






Thursday, January 23, 2014

Thirteen Things Thursday

I woke up today thinking it was Friday. I was thinking about what I could add to my "Five Things Friday" post...Then I realized it was Thursday.

So here's my Thirteen Things Thursday!

1. I'm so excited my first race of the year is in Saturday! It's a virtual 5k and I really hope my IT band cooperates!

2. I'm really enjoying fresh juices right at home. I've been getting pretty daring with the fruits and veggies I put in. This morning I had a handful of kale, one celery stalk, one orange, one green apple, two carrots and a teaspoon of chia seeds. Tasted great!

3. Since I can't run much I've been finding other things to do. I went on a walk with Kate on the canal. We went just over a mile. I didn't want to have to carry a tired 5 year old back home if we went too far. She wanted to run a few times but mostly stopped and threw rocks. It was a nice change.

4. I can't believe they made a book out of this song. If you haven't heard "What Does The Fox Say?" Then you're very fortunate. But if you're curious then look it up on YouTube.

5. I thought I'd take a swing at creating my own workout since I've been cross training for a while now, thanks to my injury. I've done plenty of different exercises to throw some together for the dreaded: Leg Day.
I warmed up with 20 Jumping Jacks, some IT band exercises (side steps w/band & clamshells). 
Psst, Ashley...I kinda copied how you post your workouts. I hope that's ok! 

I honestly did 100 scissors. No joke. :-)

6. My all time favorite apples are fuji apples. Sweet, crisp, and just a tad bit tart.

7. Bacon and avacado were meant to go together.

8. Crockpot meals are the best.


9. This girl owns half my heart. (The other half belongs to her brother)
She fell asleep sitting up on a pillow.

10. Frozen yogurt is our favorite dessert these days.

11. I'm a little worried about needing to walk tomorrow after today's workout.

12.
That's my girl! Running shoes with her girlie outfit. Always ready to run!

13. And last but not least! It's past my bedtime so goodnight! Sleep is our friend. 

How was your Thursday?
Tell me one random thing you're loving!

Ps don't forget to check out the blog hop giveaway!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

8 Years & Counting

Eight years ago yesterday (January 21st) my husband and I made it official that we were dating. We were 18 years young and he took me out to Mountain Mike's pizza. He had planned to play a song from his phone to hint that he wanted me to be his girl. Well, it must have been destiny because as we were eating the exact song he planned on playing, came on the radio! It was Jet's "Are you gonna be my girl?" I kept saying, you planned that! But really, how could he have planned for a radio station to play a song at a certain time? It's possible, but he didn't plan it. Obviously I agreed to be his girl and here we are today, eight whole years later and I'm more happy today than I was then. We have been through a lot together, and never once thought about quitting. God is our center and that's what keeps our relationship strong. 

For our 8 yeariversary we went out to one of our favorite restaurants: The Branding Iron. I only took one picture of our food because the place was packed and Michael said he wasn't taking a picture of his food. So I snapped one of mine, checked it later and it was pretty dark. I got a French dip tri tip sandwich (my fave) and he got a huge bacon burger. 

On a much less corny note, here's a pic of the fam. We can't get a normal photo to save our lives.




Yesterday I also did another one of Ashley's workouts. You know, the cool chick from KickAshMom
I warmed up with some IT band exercises: Side steps w/resistance band
Clam exercises
Hip Abductors w/resistance band

I'm really loving planks. I feel the burn all over my abs. 

Followed by:
 1 round of Plank It Up
2 rounds of 10's Cardio Workout
Single leg squats (10 each leg-my left knee was starting to ache)

Finished up with Yoga for Runners
Cool Down

Do you like planks?
How was your Wednesday?


Monday, January 20, 2014

A not-so-motivational Monday

This morning I was kidless so I decided to go for a run in town. I was feeling very tired and sluggish but had my heart set on 3 miles. I wrapped my knee and set off. It felt good until right under a mile. So I walked a little then ran a little. That only lasted for another mile. Then I could only walk because any time I tried to run it hurt with the first step. I walked all the way back to the truck. That was the longest mile ever! I almost cried I was so frustrated. I sucked it up and took some pictures and tried to be happy that I could walk.
Isn't it beautiful? To make me even more frustrated, someone drove past and blared their horn and startled me. They did it for a good laugh..people do that to runners and bikers around here. It's pretty annoying.
This is how I felt after my "run". So I went shopping at Target.
A little Starbucks.
A new shirt and table cloth. Both on clearance!
Now that's a good deal!
This was pretty motivating so I took a picture of it. It wasn't on sale.

I stayed in my running clothes most of the day because I really wanted to get in a good workout. I ate a piece of toast with Justin's almond butter on it and then read some blogs while waiting for it to settle so I  could workout.

I did another workout from Ashley over at Kickashmom

10's Cardio Workout (x2)
40 sumo squats
Some IT band exercises from Monica @ Runeatrepeat Here's her youtube channel
Lots of stretching and foam rolling! I found a very sensitive spot in my left thigh that I will be focusing on.

Heading to bed now. Hoping for a good night's sleep. My little Kate is pretty sick so we'll see how the night goes. Goodnight!

How was your Monday?
Anyone dealing with an injury?
Any advice for me about IT band syndrome?

Don't Miss The Blog Hop Giveaway!


Saturday, January 18, 2014

A new ride and eating in the dark

Kate and I went to storytime yesterday at the local library. I've been taking her to storytime since she was about a year old. She's pretty much the oldest kid there now..she'll go to kindergarten in August :-( 
(She's the one in pink)

A little learning action.

Fast forward to dinner and we were grubbing on some pizza. It wasn't all that..


Today was much more interesting. My husband traded his '68 mustang for an '88 "fox body" mustang. I actually think it was the best trade ever and his new stang is pretty sweet. 


Healthy snack/breakfast for under 4 bucks.

The first time I heard about Justin's nut butters was  yesterday on one of the blogs doing the giveaway blog hop. I asked where it is sold and then today I found it at Walmart! These single serving packs are 88 cents each! I got two to sample. The maple almond was so good! I can't wait to try the other one tomorrow! 
Slathered on toast=Yum

After a quick ride in the new stang I got in two miles on the treadmill. Our power went out so we ate dinner by candle light. How romantic! Hey I'll take romance where I can get it. I've been replaced by a car!


After the kids went wild for about half an hour, the power came back on. Why do kids go nuts when it's dark? 

How was your Friday and Saturday? 
What's you're favorite kind of nut butter? 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

PS, Don't miss out on the blog hop giveaway happening now!
Click Here