Catching up and a little phone dump action

Once again I've been a lurker in blog land and not much of a poster.
But I can't stay away from sharing random things from my life for too long.

First up, let's talk about my relationship with running. Back in December I was up to running 5 miles nonstop. I injured my IT band because I increased my weekly mileage too quickly. Since then I haven't been able to get my miles back up. My leg and knee feels great most of the time but I just can't seem to get that mojo back. I seem to be thinking more about biking than running so a change might be happening. Soon. My husband on the other hand is just cruising along running sub 7 minute miles.. *sigh*..
We also decided to run the 2 mile race on the 4th of July instead of the 5 mile. With the heat and me not being able to get my miles up we're just going to focus on some speedwork and try to place in our age group.

I have been enjoying yoga lately while listening to relaxing music. So I'm just gonna go with the flow and do what I enjoy in the moment. And get fitted for a bike because the bike my father in law gave me is a bit too tall.

I'm also thinking of changing my blog name..but that's just a thought.

Moving on to some phone dumping action..

This is what I did for about two hours last Sunday. I went out to the college to set up food and drinks for the pacers and runners previewing the half marathon course coming up June 8th. I walked around the parking lot too. I did a mile :-)

I am so excited to help out the pacers. The people I met at the course preview are all so nice and encouraging. They were so appreciative of all the volunteers so that makes it a lot more enjoyable in helping them with whatever they need on race day. One guy is an ultra runner! And he's seriously one of the nicest people I've ever met!

I've been experimenting with my oatmeal in the morning. Today I added a tsp of almond butter, couple swirls of honey, chia seeds, raisins and fresh blueberries. I didn't really like the blueberries in it. I prefer dried fruits in my oatmeal.

Yogolicious happened at least once this week. And I'm sure it'll happen again soon.

My grandma wrote a children's book and she asked me to type it up for her. She has a deal with Barnes & Noble to make it an e book. I'll share more info when it's available!

Meet Mr. Pickle. I discovered him while cutting pickles for burgers. Kate didn't hesitate to eat him even though he had a face.. if anything, it made her want to eat him even more.. -_-

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! I've been enjoying reading about what everyone did over memorial weekend.

Have you ever found a face in your food?

Pass The Baton

While catching up on some of the blogs I follow I came across something quite amazing.

Erica @ EricaFinds shared an app and information about Mizuno's quest to help people dealing with homelessness get "back on their feet" through runners like you and I.

Here's how it works:

Mizuno will donate $1 for every mile ran with the Mizuno Baton to Back On My Feet which is a non-profit organization that helps those experiencing homelessness turn their lives around through running.

Here's what you do:
1. Download the app (click on the Mizuno Baton link above) and activate when you are ready to run.

2. You will have one week to log as many miles as you can.

3. Mizuno will donate $1 per mile you log to Back On My Feet.
(Terms)

4. Pass the baton to a friend and increase your impact.

*Join Mizuno on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to follow the "transformative power of running" as it moves across the U.S.*

BE PART OF THE ANSWER! PASS THE BATON.

Dental cleanings and tadpoles

Kate and I had appointments for an exam, x rays and dental cleanings today. (I apologize if that sentence wasn't quite correct..I can't seem to make it sound right)
The only other time Kate has been to the dentist was when she was three and that wasn't a good experience. She started out excited, then the nerves settled in, shed a few tears then decided (on her own) to let them do what they had to do and left happy.

No cavities and all smiles!

(That dress is her favorite thing to wear right now)

I was next but my photographer was busy playing with her goodies. No cavities for me! Yay!

Last night I gave our kids the bright idea to catch tadpoles.. we now have about 22 tadpoles swimming in two buckets out back. Great. 

Confession: I'm terrified of frogs! What the heck am I going to do with 22 frogs?? To make it worse, my kids are calling the big ones "juicy ones". Blech! 

At least they found something fun to do. -_-

So just the other day I posted about how my husband was going to get laid off by the end of this month..well he came home early today. They let him go. BUT they gave him a severance package! They paid him for the last two weeks plus to the end of this week and gave him three months worth of pay! We will have our health benefits for three months as well. We are beyond thankful with the way things ended there. He also got a call from a company in northern California that wants him to come for an interview! Just one day ago we were panicking. Today we're feeling so encouraged and hopeful that everything will be fine. 

*praising God for always providing and taking care of us!*

One bonus to Michael being home for a little while is I'll probably be able to get in some more runs. ;-) 

 Have you ever caught tadpoles?
How about pollywogs? ;-) (that's what we used to call them)
Do you enjoy getting your teeth cleaned? I do :-)

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!!

The winds of change are blowing again

Before I jump into the more serious part of this post I want to mention that I'm feeling 100% better and I'll be getting back into my regular workouts/runs soon.
I don't usually share a lot from my personal life but I'd like to vent a little today.
My husband had an amazing opportunity to take over a business. He had an investor that was willing to back him more than we even imagined. The day he was waiting for the owner of the building to print up the lease papers, he found out they leased it to another person. This wasn't just something that popped up over night. My husband and his investor worked on all the details for a month or so before deciding to go for it. We got excited and looked forward to some day soon living more comfortably.
The bad news doesn't end there.. last Friday we found out my husband is getting laid off at the end of this month. He has less then two weeks left of work. We've been in some pretty scary situations financially but nothing quite like this. I'm trying really hard not to have a melt down because that will only make the stress worse on Michael.
We trust that God will work everything out because He's done it many times before!

So that's where my mind is right now..wondering what's going to happen next. And entering into survival mode.

On a lighter note, my focus in life and on this blog is changing. Since I've lost all the weight I gained while pregnant with our daughter, changed my eating habits and find time to workout or run at least three times a week; I'd say I got the "physically fit" part down. It's time to focus more on being spiritually and mentally fit.
A big reason I'm changing my focus is my children. They're only getting older and I don't want to miss anything because I'm too wrapped up in training. I will still run races and run for fun but I want to do more with my kids. I can conquer the world later in life right?

Whew! So much typing. So much reading! (For you)
Here are some pics from today and some randoms to shake this serious post up a bit.

Kate and I went on an adventure walk. We saw tadpoles, dragonflies and ducks!

There were some ducklings but the closer we got, the further they swam. I guess they didn't know we weren't going to hurt them. :-/ Kate tried to tell them in duck language but it didn't work.

If you thought of Toy Story when you saw these clouds then you win all the money!

These baked croutons are so good I've been eating them like snacks. Don't worry, I know they're supposed to go on salads so I'll eat them with some lettuce for dinner.

Since my kids like surprises in their popcorn and Kate caught me in a good mood, I decided to pick out some marshmallows from the marshmallow mateys and add them to her bowl. She was very happy. And I won mom of the year award.

I forgot to share some fun news with you!  I'm volunteering at a local half marathon on June 8th. I was asked to help at the pacer table and help out with whatever the pacers need at the finish. I was recently asked to come out to the University this coming Sunday to help out while some of the pacers do a preview run. And to a brunch afterwards! I'm excited to meet other runners in our community!

Looking forward to whatever the future has in store for us!

How's your week going so far?

Do you snack on croutons?

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

Three words per photo

Daniel's track meet

Three good friends

So free spirited

Everybody line up

Snow cone = happiness

Our garden's growing!

Kate's a photographer

"Runt" and I

Ginger's so tolerable

This post took way too long to do since I'm using my not-so-smart phone.. So there might not be many posts with lots of photos because my phone doesn't cooperate very well.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone!!

Oh body, why do you ail me so?

For the past two days I haven't been able to eat without extreme pain in the upper part of my abdomen and it hurts all the way down two my lower abdomen. It's been very painful to walk and even drive. I went to urgent care yesterday and the Dr said I have a bad bladder infection. She advised me to be seen at the hospital to rule out appendicitis. So my husband left work and took me right away.

Waiting for test results took over four hours. We didn't get home until after 10pm. They ruled out appendicitis so that good. I'm hoping the bladder infection is the only thing going on.

I have to take antibiotics for ten days. I may have to try broth and crackers so I can have something in my stomach. I was able to eat a blueberry waffle without syrup just so I could take the meds. (I had to mark one with a "p" because p stands for pain and I don't want to take more than one pain pill a day)

Anywho, on a lighter note, we got our first two squash from our garden the other day!

This Greek yogurt is the best! And it was on sale for 2.99!
(It isn't very healthy, but it sure is tastey! Moderation is key.)

My husband and I have decided to run the 4th of July 5 mile race this year! I'm so excited to have something to train for that's just around the corner! He's never ran more than 3 miles so I'm looking forward to his

Liebster Award

First off I'd like to thank Chaitali @ RunningandEnjoying for nominating me for this award. And thank you for all the comments you leave for me!
If you haven't checked out her blog I think you should!

This post is really late so let's get started!

1. What inspires you to lead a healthy lifestyle?
My kids inspire me to lead a healthy lifestyle. I want to be the best example for them in many areas of their lives and I think physical health is a crucial part of their well being. 

2. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging some time ago when I was wanting to take my writing a bit further. I love to write. Funny story: so when I first started blogging, I had no clue what I was doing. I would create a whole new blog every time I should've just been creating a new post! As soon as we get internet back I will be transfering all of those posts here to this blog. I used to write more from my heart than I do now. But as time changes so do we. 

3. What is the biggest obstacle you've overcome?
I think I'd have to say overcoming self doubt. Sure I have my weak moments but I am a much stronger person in many ways than just physical than I was before I started my weightloss journey. I know I'm capable of doing what I set my mind to do.

4. What is your favorite vacation spot?
Hmm..since I haven't been to many places I'd say Monterey, Ca. That's where my husband proposed to me and where he took me whale watching for one of my birthdays. Plus, I really love the beach.

5. What is the one piece of gear or clothing that you would recommend to a new runner?
Of course: running shoes! I would highly recommend getting fitted at a running store. The employees are much more educated when it comes to running than someone from a regular shoe store.

6. What was the last book you read and would recommend to others?
I'm actually reading two books right now that are great! ChiRunning and Born To Run. Go figure they're running books! ;-)

7. What is your preferred way to spend a weekend?
I love being with my family but I also dream of quiet alone time. I'd love to just sit around and read all weekend long. And snack on chocolate. :-)

8. What is your favorite race you've run so far?
I really enjoyed my second 5k. It was the Blue Devil's Dash n Splash about a year ago. My husband ran it with me and I was able to keep up with him most of the time. We both ended up placing second in our age group so that was a plus! The course was nice and well planned out. The food was amazing afterwards. Breakfast burritos, watermelon, bananas and lots to drink. And the option to jump in the college pool if you wanted. I'd run this one again but maybe the 10k this year.

9. Puppies or kittens?
Both as long as they stay young. Haha I like cats but ssshh don't tell my husband. 

10. What is a dream race on your bucket list?
Hmmm.. I don't really plan my races but I have read many great things about a Disney race or the Nike women's races. Those are two that come to mind when thinking of races I'd like to do.

Since I was nominated I need to pick at least ten blogs to nominate for the liebster award. Most of the blogs I follow have been around for a bit longer than 2 years so here are some blogs that I'd like to nominate and give a little shout out to:


1. Lindsay @ LindsayWeighsIn
2. Kristy @ RunawayBridalPlanner
3. Stephanie @ CatLadyRuns
4. Ashley @ KickAshMom
5. Mindy @ RoadRunnerGirl
6. Lauren @ BreatheDeeplyandSmile
7. Jo W @ RunFastEatLots
8. Zaneta @ RunnersLuck
9. Courtney @ TheTriGirlChronicles
10. Katie @ FromIcecreamToMarathon

Here are your ten questions:
1. How did you come up with the name to your blog?

2. What's your favorite distance to run or your favorite workout?

3. If you could eat one kind of candy for the rest of your life, what would it be?

4. Best advice you've ever received? (Doesn't have to be fitness related)

5. Are you easily amused? If so, tell us something that would make you laugh.

6. Do you live in workout clothes or think it's "tacky"?

7. How many siblings do you have?

8. What's your favorite color?

9. Can you tell I can't think of any more questions?

10. Have you held signs for a race? What did they say?

Whew! This post took way longer than expected!
Check out these awesome blogs if you haven't already!

I hope all the moms had a great mother's day!

Two birthday parties and another Mustang

Yesterday we went to our neighbors house for a birthday party. It turned out to be a double party for their 3 year old and their friends' five year old.
There were lots of kids, food and cupcakes. I may or may not have had two chocolate cupcakes..

Today was my nieces 2nd birthday party. My sister in law always has amazing food so I made sure to get in another Insanity workout so I could graze freely. ;-)
I even indulged in a diet Pepsi.

Here are some pics from today.
Birthday Girl:

Super cute cake my sister made. It was delicious by the way.

Kate, drinking her "ocean water". (She didn't want her picture taken.)

Fishing game:

Colton (my nephew):

Auntie and Colton:

Food:

I ate way too much junk and my stomach was hating me by 6pm. But it was a fun party.

So some of you may remember not that long ago my husband got an '88 Fox Body mustang. I fell in love with that car but his friend found a '68 coupe that's some sort of special kind..well..it's sitting in our driveway right now. And the Fox is up for sale. :-(

All American Muscle. I do have to say, this car is pretty sweet.

Happy mother's day to all the moms out there! Enjoy your day!

A Day in the Life of a SAHM

Yesterday I decided I wanted to do a "day in the life.." post. Now that it's the end of the day I'm kind of exhausted by all the details I wanted to remember for this post. Take note: this was a "low key" day for me.

It is now almost 8pm and I'm trying to get as much of this post typed up before 8 because that is when I'll be getting miss Kate ready for bed. Getting a head start..I've got five minutes!

My day starts anywhere between 6am and 7. Today it was 6:45. And it's always to the sound of pounding feet running across the wood floor to my room. Kate's awake and the day begins.

I get my coffee and her hot cocoa and get to sit for about five or ten minutes then I have to wake up Daniel.

I drink my coffee and catch up on emails and blogs while he gets ready for school.

7:30am- Go out to check on the garden. Try to conquer the gophers. Gophers:10/Humans:0

7:55- Get kids out the door in time to walk to school.

8:10- Daniel gets to school. Kate and I head home.
8:15- Retrieve stroller, phone and Kate's bear and "ni ni" from small canal. Kate decided to push the stroller real hard then let go. Thankfully nothing was lost!

We decided to keep walking instead of heading home.
 
8:35- Scarf down some banana bread and feed Kate.
9:20- Bible reading and prayer.

9:45- Put roast in crockpot.

9:55- I decided to do an Insanity workout since I couldn't go for a run. (Treadmill is not an option..my knee hates it) I did Pure Cardio. I really like Insanity. It doesn't leave me feeling like a penguin for days at a time.

10:50- Shower
11:30- Playtime with Kate

12:30- Lunch & Paper Mario on the gamecube.

Around 1:30 I wished she would take a nap but I knew better. Does she even look tired? She was singing at the top of her lungs "let it go" from Frozen...

2:45-

3:50- Add veggies to crockpot. Finish dishes in sink. 

5:30- Dinner then clean up. 

6:30- Go for another walk with the kids to get their energy out. 

7:20- Make popcorn for the kids and escape to my room for ten minutes of peace before I have to get them ready for bed. Just to wake up and do it all over again. Don't et me wrong, I love being a stay at home mom. Some days are long and boring but there are plenty of things that keep me on my toes to make up for those low key days.  I wouldn't change my life for the world. ;-) 

It is now 10:02pm and I am actually pretty awake. Probably because this is my only "me" time. But I'm off to bed because this stay at home mom needs as much sleep as she can get. 6am comes quick. 

Goodnight everyone! 

And if you read all of that, kudos to you! 

Saturday Sharing #3 or #40

So today was the Stroke Awareness 5k an my husband and I decided to be spectators and cheer on the runners. It didn't go as well as we thought it would..

I don't even know why I made this face..

So the first set of runners were the super fast, springy guys. They literally looked at us, didn't even smile, gave us disgusted looks and kept on going. After the fast runners passed we had a group of people who were laughing and saying thank you. One lady said "Aw I run for you!" Since I was holding the injured runner sign. But every now and then there were people who looked like they hated that we were there. One lady even said, "we needed that water station way back there!" (We were close to the only water station..but it was only a 5k..) one guy even dropped the F bomb about our "no crop dusting" sign. I left feeling really unappreciated and kind of like an idiot.  I'm sorry but I don't really want to be a part of that sort of running community. That's the sort of attitude that I never want to have towards anyone, let alone to people who got up early to cheer me on!
Ok rant over.

I got in some retail therapy yesterday and today.

Just me and my sidekick Iron Girl.

She has way too much fun in the clothes racks.

Then grandma taught her how to play catch in Target..

Look! I have a sandal tan!

I made Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole the other night. It came out really good so I'll share the recipe sometime. :-)

I did one round of Jillian Michaels' Killer Buns N Thighs about two days ago..

I thought I foam rolled and stretched enough but I guess not. I'm walking like a penguin..

Since the weather has been warm I've been walking Daniel to school which is about half a mile one way. Getting exercise and saving gas = win-win!


Tell me something completely random!
Liike..what's your favorite kind of cake?

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!