A possible breakup, an easy recipe and something funny

So last October I bought some new running shoes. My New Balances were pretty worn down and it was my birthday so I was due for some new shoes. After trying on a bazillion shoes I settled with some Nike's. They were my first pair of Nike's ever. I ran in them a couple times, didn't like how light they were so thankfully the store allowed me to exchange them. I found some Saucony Cohesion 6's. I wasn't thrilled about the colors they had in stock, so again, I settled on these:

They remind me of tennies from Walmart, but they are really comfortable. Little did I know that comfort wasn't all that I needed. 

I have been dealing with an IT band injury since the beginning of December of 2013. I can run, but I only make it to about half a mile then the pain sets in. Some days I made it to 1 whole mile then stopped in pain. 

The past couple months I have foam rolled, iced, stretched and rested. The pain is still there and still keeps me from running. 

After much research I think I have finally realized that I am a supinator. My new shoes are slightly worn on the outer edges of the shoe. When standing, I stand on the outer edges of my feet. Don't ask me why, I just do. My husband pointed it out not too long ago and asked if I noticed that I do that, and I said not really. Today I've been paying close attention to how I walk. I also looked at the bottoms of the other shoes I wear and they are worn on the outer edges. I know changing my shoes will not heal my leg, BUT wearing the right shoes is VERY important for any runner, especially a supinator. (Or someone who doesn't pronate) So I may be breaking up with my Saucony's.

I also did a quick test of my own to see what kind of arch I have. I always thought I had a high arch which needed more support, well after today I realize I have a pretty normal arch. 

I'm super excited to finally (possibly) be heading in the right direction back to running pain free! The beauties that I REALLY want cost $110! The Saucony's cost about $40. I should probably stop being a cheap skate too. :-/ When my husband see's that price he's going to tell me to just give up running! Anyone wanna donate to my new shoe fund? Just kidding. . .maybe. 

Brooks Ghost 6 

(I know better than to order shoes online, and I promise I will try them on and run around in the store first, then run around in the house for a few days before making my final decision, but aren't they purdy?)

Moving on.
I made some lazy cockpit chili and theater cornbread for dinner. Here's the recipe:
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of black beans
1 lb ground beef cooked with chopped onions
Pack of McCormick chili seasonings
1 small can can of diced green chili's
Chopped zucchini (optional)

1 pack Marie Calendar's cornbread

Put everything (except cornbread) into the crockpot. Add seasonings if Set on high for a few hours. Voi la!
Dinner is served!

I thought it was pretty tastey.

Here I am, icing my leg and feeding hotdogs to turtles. (Proof that I'm taking care of my injury)

My sister told me to watch "convo's with my two year old" on YouTube. She usually knows what will make me laugh. This definitely did because it's so true how random kids are! 

Have you seen these videos??
Are you a supinator like me? 
Do you make cheat meals? Of course you do. Everyone does. Right?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Tuesday!

5 Ways Our Bodies Tense Up & Cause Stress

Some of you may know that last year I suffered from Exertion Migraines which were caused by a pinched Ocipital nerve in the back of my neck. These migraines were debilitating. After seeing a neurologist I was sent to physical therapy to get that pinch worked out. I learned quite a few things that helped tremendously. I'd like to share them with you just in case you or someone you know could be suffering from the same thing. If you'd like to know more about the migraines please feel free to send me a personal message and I'll be happy to talk about it. 

Here are five ways (in my opinion) that our bodies collect stress without us even realizing it. (most of the time)

1. Driving. When my physical therapist told me she tenses up when she's driving, I realized that I do too; and probably so many other people do as well. The next time you're driving, think about your shoulders. Are they up a little higher than normal? 

2. Using the computer. Often times we use the computer and probably don't even realize how tensed up we are. Maybe we're typing up a paper for school that is due the next day, or maybe we are simply checking emails and posting on our blog. Our shoulders may be (again) higher than normal, we may have our legs clenched tightly underneath the computer chair and our arms are probably tensed up from typing.

3. Mental Stress. Constant mental stress keeps the body in constant tension. 

4. Lack of sleep. This one is part of a vicious cycle. Lack of sleep can cause so much more than just tension or stress to your body. (Most of us know this) If you are losing sleep, your body is most likely more tense during the day than someone who sleeps regularly. With tension also comes sleep loss if you are unable to relax. See, vicious cycle. 

5. Poor posture. Did this one surprise you? When we "hunch" over while eating or doing other daily activities, we are creating tension in the back, shoulders and neck. Slouching and shallow breathing combined can cause blood flow problems as well. I've noticed I slouch when brushing my teeth. Weird huh? Since I'm in front of a mirror I usually see it right away and correct it. 

"Chronic tension affects each of us differently. Depending on the person it can cause sleep disturbance, increased or decreased appetite, headaches, stomach aches, poor concentration or irritability. Some diseases may be caused by or made worse by chronic tension. Also, our immune system can be weakened. Thus, making us more susceptible to colds and other infections. "
Source

You may be asking, "So how do you relieve some of this tension?"

Here are some things I learned in physical therapy that I still do every day, to prevent chronic tension from returning. 

 Neck stretches: There are four different neck stretches I do. Some more than others because hey, let's face it, some are much more convenient to do than the rest; but they all work wonders!

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*Sit in a chair. Hold onto the bottom of the chair with one hand (not too tight) slightly tilt head (ear to shoulder) lean away from the arm that's holding the chair and just breathe. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

*The second one is similar to the first one but instead of tilting your head, turn your nose to your armpit then lean away from the arm that's holding the chair. Hold for 30 seconds.

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*The third stretch is my favorite. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, tilt head down (chin to chest), clasp hands together and pull your arms forward (gently) until you feel a stretch in the space between your shoulders and neck and around your shoulder blades. Hold for 30 seconds. 

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*This stretch is very effective. It can hurt if you go too far.

Place your forearms on a door jam at shoulder height, take a small step forward, title head down and lean forward very gently. Hold for 30 seconds. 

Here's a technique my physical therapist taught me to relieve stress in the upper neck/base of the head:

Take two tennis balls, put them in an old (clean) long sock. Tie the end but leave enough room for the balls to move a little. For tension in the neck, push the balls close together, lay on the floor and place the balls directly on the spot that is tight. Lay there for 5 minutes or more, depending on how long it takes to release the tightness. 

Another great thing to remember is to pay attention to your shoulders.

 Look in the mirror, let your shoulders drop and hang (as they should). Do this throughout the day and it will help relieve more tension than it seems! 

For mental stress relief, I would recommend mediation. I've heard great things about meditation and have been trying my own form during the early morning hours before my kids are awake. 

How do you relax?

Have you (or someone you know) suffered from migraines, possibly caused by stress?

Date night on a budget

It seems like we've been fortunate to be able to have date nights almost every weekend. This time our kids stayed with my parents Friday night. Money is pretty tight right now so we went to our favorite sub place: The Sub Shop.

Bacon was meant to be put on sandwiches.

Then we browsed Walgreens after returning a redbox movie. I think we had a little too much fun with these glasses.

Oldschool MySpace selfie. Member those?

My stud.

I'll be going back to buy these ones.

It's always nice to sleep in and not wake up and be a personal slave assistant before your feet even hit the floor.

I cleaned the house. In peace.
I did laundry. Without interruption.
I ran errands. Without whining.
Then I took our dog Ginger on a 2 mile walk. Without hearing the words "I'm tired!"

She wouldn't look at me for a photo. Her nose was too busy.

It was a beautiful day for a walk. It made me happy that I can still walk. I can't run yet so I'll walk and choose to be happy about it. I think Ginger had a good time too.

I forgot to share what I had for breakfast:

Warmed up homemade banana bread and fresh juice. Here's what I juiced, just in case you'd like to try it.

1 whole cucumber
5 small carrots (not baby carrots)
1 apple
1 stalk of celery
Half a lime squeezed in cup
1 tsp chia seeds

You can juice about any fruits and veggies and it usually tastes good!

How is your weekend going?
Do you like to just slow down and walk sometimes?
Do you have a pet? What kind?

Have an amazing Sunday everyone!!

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.

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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: 

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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 :-)

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!