Meetings and Subscription Boxes

I am so glad yesterday is over and today has begun.  Not that yesterday was horrible, but it started off frustrating and it stayed that way.  I got up early to do my PiYo and then the DVD player wasn't working so I could only do 15 minutes of the workout.  Annoying.  I think I may have told you that yesterday.  But then my bus friend was on the bus and we hadn't seen each other since before I'd gone to Los Angeles so we had some catching up to do.  But I was tired and catching up meant I didn't get to sleep on the bus.  I got to work and just wanted to nap in my chair, but I didn't.  I didn't even drink caffeinated coffee!  So, I was tired all day.

I thought about not going on my run, but decided to go anyway.  I was glad I did because it turned out to be a good run and it woke me up.  Plus, there are a ton of African leaders in town for the USAfrica meetings so there are motorcades up the wazoo.  I saw two motorcades while on my run.  Big ones.  Where I had to stop on the corner and I couldn't move until a bunch of really big, armed SUVs passed by.  I didn't recognize the flags though, my African country flag knowledge is not that high.  I got back to work drenched in sweat but feeling good.

The rest of the day was uneventful until my Graze box came!

I had received a coupon for a free Graze box in a Barnes and Noble shipment and I decided to try it out.  It's a weekly subscription (although you can easily halt the subscription and not get snacks weekly) of different snack foods.  I opted for the calorie-counter box meaning the snacks are low calorie.  There were about 50 snacks to choose from and you can rate them so that the snacks you like you get more often.

I tried my first little box of bananas foster.  It had dried bananas, seeds, and little caramel blocks.  Very yummy and totally satisfying.  I had the box delivered to work so I could get the snacks at work and it was a spectacular idea.  I was really in a snack mood yesterday and wishing I had brought more food - so I was quite pleased when an entire box of snacks was delivered right to my office.

Then it was home, dinner, bed.  My goal was to get to bed before 10pm and I crawled in bed around 11pm, so not too horribly bad.  I made a stir fry with black soybean tofu for dinner.  I saw it at the grocery store and thought it looked good so went ahead and bought it.  It didn't taste any different than regular tofu (which is made with green soybeans) but maybe it had different health benefits.

Today is a long day of meetings - I am working out the details for my consulting plan at work.  I agreed to consult for 10 hours a week while in school.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well because I'd really like to see my grant through to the end and the extra money will be a HUGE benefit.  However, I'm worried it might be too much work or that I might end up having to do all the work.  So, we'll see. 

It's a rest day for running and I did my Define: Lower Body PiYo workout this morning.  I used the mini-DVD player this time so the DVD didn't skip and I was able to finish my workout.  I actually did the entire thing without stopping to take a rest.  That must mean some kind of progress, right?

What did you have for dinner last night?

Do you like online subscription boxes?  Which ones have you done?
-- I love Stitch Fix (clothes/accessories), Green Kids Crafts (craft box), Hello Fresh (meals), and CookSmarts (recipes).  I've wanted to try BirchBox (make-up) and StrideBox (runner gear) and Conscious Box, but think I've already maxed out on monthly subscriptions!

Eating more veggies and Evan's favorite place

One of my goals these days is to eat more vegetables.  I scarf so much fruit down (last week I ate 2 pounds of grapes in two days), which I don't think is bad, but I hardly ever eat any veggies.  Like none.  Sometimes I eat carrots and I eat cabbage in my eggs, but that's about it.  I'd really like to start incorporating more veggies into my meals, particularly lunch and dinner.  Maybe eventually I'll get veggies into my breakfast, but I'm not quite ready to go that far yet.  So, my first step in this plan was to actually buy vegetables!  On Friday, Evan and I walked (or ran, since I tend to turn any opportunity into a running opportunity) to my doctor's office so I could get my TB test read (I got a TB test last week but then totally forgot to actually get it read - so this was actually my second test).  On the way out, I spotted a Farmer's Market in the parking lot.  Perfect!  Since I had been at the doctor's and needed ID, I had my money with me (normally I don't carry my wallet on runs) so I could actually buy things.

This is what I ended up with:

Instagram: @mapleandmud

Some carrots, really, really sweet tomatoes, and string beans.  I also bought an Australian Crystal Apple Cucumber, which is a rare heirloom seed.  The guy selling it said that it tastes similar to honeydew.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know what it's like.

The string beans are purple and green, but when you cook them the purple ones turn green.  It's funny, but at least lets me know when they are done cooking.

Instagram: @mapleandmud

I sauteed the string beans in coconut oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  They were pretty tasty.  I even cooked extra and brought some in my lunch today.  The tomatoes are good to snack on because they are so sweet, but I've also been eating them in salads too.

After the farmer's market we headed to the playground, of course.  The playground is always on our agenda when we are out for a run.  I feel like it's only fair that after sitting for an hour in the stroller Evan gets a bit of time to run around.  He loves the playground, until someone else shows up.  It's funny really - he'll be playing and running around and then the second someone else shows up he wants me to pick him up.  Randomly, our friends came to the playground while we were there and he totally clammed up.  After about 15 minutes he got enough courage to go play though, so that was good.  He loves this little yellow car.

He rocks it back and forth so fast.  I love this playground because it's fairly simple without too many large structures that he could fall off of.  Plus, it's often completely empty.

The see-saw or teeter-totter (not sure what the appropriate name is) is a great thigh workout for me because Evan likes to go up and down but I have to be sitting on the seat or he gets mad.  I tried to just push one side down, but that didn't work.  Of course not.  I need to be sitting and working my thighs.

The rest of the weekend was spent teaching golf, watching my nieces again, and getting household chores done.  While watching my nieces we made Power Packed Fruit and Veggie Muffins.  I found the recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it out.  They turned out really good and all the kids liked them, even though they saw me put broccoli and zucchini in the batter.  The only problem was they really stuck to the muffin baking cups.  The recipe noted this and suggested using parchment muffin baking cups, but the girls really, really wanted to use pretty baking cups.  So, we used the pretty ones and all the muffins stuck.  I did notice that when I put all the muffins in a zip lock baggie and the moisture kind of built up a little, the paper got damp and peeled off much easier.

Yesterday I didn't get a run in because it was pouring out in the morning.  I may have gone in the rain, but I wasn't going to make Evan go in the rain.  I was bummed because on top of running, the hubs and I had a date to go golfing together.  Oh well, hopefully we'll go next week instead.  Instead we put our bed back together, cleaned out a few closets, and did a lot of laundry.  Fun times people!

That was my weekend - nothing spectacular but still a good time.  This morning I got up to do PiYo Sweat but the DVD machine wasn't working very well so I only go 15 minutes of it done.  I guess better than nothing - but, I could have used those extra 15 minutes of sleep!

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What was your best moment this weekend?

Do you say see-saw or teeter-totter?

PiYo and Pinterest

I have nothing much of interest to report on.  I didn't take any pictures so I have nothing much to show you either.  Guess this is going to be a really exciting post! 

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a run.  It was only 59 degrees in the morning.  It felt great, even though there was a small bit of humidity.  I just did my regular four mile loop.  Then I came home and did my Define: Upper Body PiYo workout.  It wasn't too bad.  Today I got up and did my Define: Sweat workout and boy was I sweating.  And exhausted.  I thought getting up at 4:30am was exhausting, but getting up an extra 20 minutes early really puts me over the edge.  I've had to have real coffee every day this week, which I NEVER do.  There's real caffeinated coffee in there!!!

Next week my goal is to get to bed earlier!  I can't tell how well the PiYo is working (i.e. am I getting "toned") because I'm never super sore afterwards...but is that because I am being lazy and not working hard enough?  Some of the moves are complicated and I'm probably not doing them exactly right, but I think after doing it a few times I'll start getting better at it.  I hope.

Yesterday I made another Pinterest meal that was pretty decent.  It was called One-Pan Chicken Burrito Bowls. 

Photo Credit: no. 2 pencil

It turned out pretty good and Ivan really liked it.  Total win!!!! The only reason I wasn't a huge fan was because it was made with white rice and I'd prefer to eat brown rice.  I had bought brown rice to make with it but then the cooking times are so different that I was unsure if it was ok to make the switch.  Plus, it was 7pm by the time I started cooking and white rice only has to cook for 20 minutes and brown rice has to cook for 40.  It was still good, especially topped with Greek yogurt and avocado.

Although Wednesdays are work-from-home days when I am supposed to be finished work early and able to get dinner on the table early...I tend to take Evan out to play after picking him up from daycare.  Today we met my friend Anne (from my A&P class) and her daughter at the park.  Anne did an accelerated nursing program and today is her last day!!!  She's doing an RN program (a two-year degree vs. BSN which is a four year degree) and graduates this summer.  Then I start a few weeks later.  Yikes!  I still can't believe it is coming so soon. 

Today I sign my loan papers for $20,000 from Wells Fargo though - so it's about to become super real.  Scary stuff people, scary stuff.  Wells Fargo now owns me.  And my family.  And my future.

Ok - I am about to fall asleep while writing this so I am going to nap for the last hour of this bus ride. 

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What good Pinterest recipes have you made lately?

White rice or brown?

My last work trip and a PR

I've been gone for a while and I have so much to tell you.  I still haven't even posted about my last day in Vermont, which I still want to do.  Maybe you aren't that interested but I want the memory written down.  However, today I am going to give you a quick recap of my trip to Los Angeles, which is where I was for the past week-ish.

But first, my exciting PR news.

Yesterday I ran a neighborhood 5k.  I'd been doing some speed work and signed up for this race specifically to see whether I could improve my speed.  My previous PR had been 23:49 back when I was 21 years old and I was hoping to beat that.  And I did!!!  Not by much, but my new PR is 23:46 - a whole 3 seconds faster.  However, I am definitely NOT 21 anymore so I was excited that I actually got a new PR.  I came in 19th place overall (out of 376 people) and 3rd place for my age group.  Excitement people!

And now, a quick recap of my trip to LA.

Every year I organize HIV testing for a big national conference.  This year the conference was in Los Angeles so my co-worker and I headed out there.  With Evan (because he hasn't missed a work trip yet) and my Aunt Pam (who was nice enough to come hang out with Evan while I was working).
 

This conference is huge and stressful and I am pretty much stressed from May until I get back into the office and have paid all of the bills and our boxes are returned.  The thing about this event is something, or many things, always goes wrong.  It's a huge exercise in problem solving.  This year was no different.  All kinds of crazy things went wrong, but luckily it was a huge success on the outside.  No one but us knew the internal drama and disasters that were going on behind the scenes.

I'm not going to describe them all because I am sure my work is not the most interesting thing to read about, but I will describe one.  Like how we brought in a mobile testing unit this year and the unit ran on a diesel generator and we couldn't run it inside the convention center.  That meant that our entire testing unit had to be run on the battery...the lights, the refrigerator that held the tests, etc.,  and there was no air conditioner so the temperature kept rising and the tests become unstable in temps higher than 86 degrees.  Nice.  So we ended up having to run to an auto parts store, buy a 12-volt battery, and plug it into the wall.  This actually didn't solve the problem because it still wasn't enough power and although the fridge was working, we could only turn the lights on in one testing room.  Ahhh!!  These are some of the problems I dealt with.  Fun stuff.  It made for a very long trip with anxiety as to what disaster we were gong to be faced with each day.

However, we did squeeze in a bit of fun.  My aunt and I made it out to the Santa Monica beach!

As you can see - I made another tragic weather assumption.  I thought Los Angeles was going to be HOT so I brought a bunch of shorts and t-shirts for Evan and me.  Nope.  It was chilly.  Evan had to wear my sweater when we went to the beach because it was so chilly.  Next time we go anywhere I'm just going to bring a bunch of sweaters and pants no matter what the temperature is supposed to be because I sure can't seem to figure it out!

We walked along the promenade (I think that is what they called it).  The houses right on the beach were beautiful. I was wishing I could go for a run along the promenade, but obviously that was not going to happen!  Plus it was downright cold so I would have wanted long pants and a long sleeved shirt, which of course I didn't bring.

And the pier was fun too.  A bit crowded for me, but it was fun people-watching for a while. 

We walked around long enough to see the sunset, which was beautiful.

I think this was the first time I'd seen the sunset over the beach.  On the east coast we usually have to get up really early to watch the sunrise, but never the sunset.  It was beautiful.  Actually, I changed my mind.  I think I've seen the sunset on the Pacific coast when I was in Acapulco like ten years ago.  But usually I think of sunrises on the beach and not sunsets.  Both are equally stunning and beautiful.  And really, can you see those people in the water??!!  It was freezing out!! 

That night we ate at Seasons 52.  I had never heard of it, although I guess there is one in northern Virginia (and I just looked at the website and one is opening near me soon).  The name means something like 4 seasons (they have a different menu each season) and 52 weeks in a year.  And everything on the menu is less than 475 calories - however, that doesn't mean you can't order an appetizer for 475 calories and then a meal for 475 calories, and then a dessert for 475 calories.  I got the Summer Vegetarian Tasting which was sooooo good.  It had a quinoa-citrus salad, soft taco, seasonal vegetables, and cedar-roasted tofu with a tropical salsa.  It was delicious.  Evan got the kiddie flat bread pizza and LOVED it.  He loves pizza these days.  I try to make it at home with whole wheat pita so that it is a bit healthier than Papa Johns.

The rest of the trip was pretty much taken up with work, work, work, and dinner.  We ate at the Yard House twice (both times I got the 5oz burger - for some reason I was really craving burgers), George's Greek Grill, The Farm of Beverly Hills,(for breakfast and dinner), and The Original Pantry Cafe (a historic cafe that's been open since 1924 - and actually opened since that day, it's never closed because it's 24/7 and they say they've been opened and had a least one customer since then).  I'm not sure why I think you're interested in where we ate every day, but I guess since all I did was eat and work, I figured I'd share.  If you are ever in downtown LA, these were all good restuarants.

We stayed at the JW Marriott LA Live, which was right next to the Staples Center.  Lady Gaga played there the last night we were there.  It was VERY interesting to see what people were wearing (or not wearing...lots of skin showing) to the concert. 

The hotel was beautiful and Evan loved hanging out by the window looking at the pool.

Luckily my aunt was nice enough to take him to the pool a few times.  He LOVES the pool and literally spent hours looking at it from our room and saying "agua" over and over again.  It was adorable, until the 900th time.

At the conference I got the pleasure of meeting Dora and her new friends, Kate and Pablo.

I wrote a little sign for my niece that said, "Good luck in kindergarten Peyton, Love Dora" and I was SOOOO excited to show her the photo.  She starts kindergarten this year and I thought that she'd be really excited to get this little picture from Dora.  I posted it on Facebook and my sister said she was really excited.

The only other experience was the 5 hour non-stop flight with Evan, by myself.  Evan's come on all my work trips so I am used to traveling with him alone.  However, before this trip, the longest we'd been cramped on a plane was 4 hours.  Not that an hour is that much more, but in toddler hours - it is FOREVER.  Plus, the plane was completely full so there was no space.  Evan and I were jammed into one seat by the window.  Surprisingly, he was an angel both there and back.

That's not a very flattering photo of either of us, but it was hard to get one.  He was so good on the way there that TWO people complimented me on how well-behaved he was.  Now, I did come prepared with books, toys, one or two iPad apps (he is not allowed on the iPad anymore due to a few breakdowns when I took the iPad away from him...it was great for the plane and for the trip, but definitely not ready for an iPad-addicted toddler), and lots of patience.  I really think the key was staying calm myself and pretending we were at home and not on a small, confined plane with a large audience.  The way back he slept for 2/3 of the flight (amazing) and so that was a small blessing.  I still nurse him on take-off and landing (even when we are jammed super close to our seatmates and it's a bit uncomfortable), so that works like a charm.  And it calms him down when he starts getting antsy, which is nice.

So, that was my trip.  I got back on Tuesday night but I took the rest of the week off because my sister was out of town and so we didn't have any daycare.  And plus, we needed all that time to readjust to East Coast time!  We just hung around, met up with friends, and played.

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Sunsets or sunrises at the beach?

Your saving grace for long plane rides?

Favorite restaurant??

Wet Shoes

My run yesterday was the hottest run I've experienced yet.  It was SO HUMID I thought my clothes were going to melt on my body.  It really felt like I was running in a wool sweater and pants.  Completely gross.  I was so sweaty when I got back that I was talking with a co-worker and drops of sweat were falling off my chin.  Nice, huh.  Don't worry, I didn't snap a photo so you are safe from seeing that disgustingness.  My usual mantra while I'm running is "Slow and steady wins the race" and "I can do hard things".  The slow and steady one has been a real winner this week because twice I've had to "battle" it out with a guy who wants to run faster than me.  I'll pass him going my normal speed, then he'll speed up to pass me but then slow back down, so then I pass him again, then he speeds up, etc.  It really aggravates me because I feel so awkward the entire time.  However, both times now as I've slowly trudged along at my normal pace, I have eventually passed guys (on separate occasions) as they take a walking break and then never see them again.  And each time I think - see, slow and steady DOES win the race! 

That was a long tangent - my point was that yesterday it was so hot I couldn't even manage to get my mantra out.  The entire run I kept repeating to myself, "It is SO HOT" over and over.  That was the only thought I could muster.  Surprisingly, it was still a good run and although I was hot, I felt strong.  I'm not sure why - must be that special Monday feeling after running with the BOB all weekend.
Then when I went to wait for the bus after work it started pouring (like torrential down pour, wind, lightening, and thunder) and by the time I got to the bus stop I was completely soaked.  Completely.  I had to wring my shirt out.  I figure someone wanted me to have a shower so decided that the best time was on the way to the bus.  And if I had had some soap - I totally would have been able to shower.  Then I had to sit on the bus for 1.5 hours in my wet clothes.  And when I put my shoes on this morning, they were still wet.  It was a crazy day!
When I got home, this lovely package was waiting for me.

My first nursing school book!  I got it early so I could start studying.  We have an exam the third week of school and if we don't get 100% we have to take it again.  And you only have three tries to get 100% or you fail the class.  Yikes!  I decided I should start studying as soon as possible so that I get 100% on the first test and don't have to worry about it.  That's my hope anyway.

And for dinner I had some of that lasagna I made yesterday.

It really doesn't look that appetizing, but it's actually quite tasty.  I love the basil taste and the squash is really excellent!  It was a lot of work so I probably won't make a vegan lasagna again, but I'd definitely make a spaghetti squash pesto lasagna again - with real cheese!

And that was pretty much my day.  I leave for LA on Thursday for my last work trip and I can't wait for it to be over.  This is my big event of the year and it takes so long to organize and I'm so stressed that things won't go well or I will have forgotten to do something.  I will be so happy when the entire experience is over and I can just relax.  And I will barely have time to see LA because the work days are so long.  Boo.  I have never been to LA before so I'm excited to go.

I am less excited about taking Evan on a 5 hour plane ride by myself.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the plane isn't full and we have at least one seat open next to us - otherwise it's SUPER crowded.

And my aunt is coming to watch Evan and I'm super excited to see her again.  I haven't seen her since she came to Birmingham, AL to watch Evan last April!

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Any fun ideas to keep toddlers occupied for five hours straight?

Do you prefer running in hot or cold weather (or do you just prefer to not run!)?

A Weekend of Food and Running and Food, of course

Every weekend I think maybe I'll blog so that Monday isn't just a recap of my weekend.  But then I can't find time to do anything on the weekends, so it never happens.  So then I am left recapping the last three days on Monday.  Oh well.  I'll get back to my Vermont recap soon.  Maybe tomorrow.  I did remember to take a few pictures this weekend, so at least you don't have to just read a bunch of text.

On Fridays I work from home most of the time and Evan hangs out with me.  Usually he plays by himself while I get work done until my husband gets home around 10am.  This past Friday I decided rather than just eat our lunch together we would take it outside and have a nice picnic.  So, I packed our lunch into a picnic basket and we put a blanket out in the grass on the side of our apartment building.  It was so fun!

Evan had pizza (his new favorite food) and rice.  He ate his pizza and then my yogurt, but wasn't so into the rice. 

Then he was up and running around.

He's really into throwing sticks these days and was so excited to find a bunch hiding in the grass.

Then he realized that he could wander around and I'd stay sitting on the blanket.  He was thrilled not to have me following him around.

He kept walking around and looking to see if I was coming.  Then he'd come back and eat some yogurt and pizza and then go for another "walk".  I was fine as long as he didn't try to go into the street.  It turned out to be a great lunch.  I think we'll do these little picnics more often - it beats sitting inside all day while I work on the computer.  Plus, it tired him out so he went down for his nap really easily!

I usually try and get a run in Friday evening, but Ivan wanted to go out to eat.  Ivan and I have had a few "talks" about how I veto all his ideas without considering them...like when he suggests we go out to eat.  It's not like I don't like his ideas, it's just that I'm cheap and don't like wasting our money on going out to eat. However, when he suggested we head to his favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner...I agreed instead of saying no right away.  That definitely doesn't make me wife of the year or anything, but I'm trying!  So we called up some friends and met them for dinner.  We hadn't been there in over six months or so.  A long time.  We really don't eat out much anymore (probably because I veto the idea all the time).  It was fun though.

Saturday I was back at golf, after two weeks off.  Summer classes are always a lot smaller and I enjoy them a lot more.  The girls are so adorable.  And sweet.  It does make my weekends go faster though because by the time I get home it's the afternoon already.  I made it to the grocery store though and even made it for a short three mile run with a stop at the playground.

instagram: @mapleandmud

We got home really late (well, late for Evan).  Sometimes I feel like the only mom that has no schedule for their child.  I left for a run around 6:30pm and texted my friend to see if she wanted to meet me at the park and she said they were eating dinner, then it was bath time, and then bed time (for her daughter, obviously, not for herself).  I had a twinge of guilt because here Evan and I were heading out for a run, then a playground trip, and we still hadn't dinner yet.  We got home around 8pm and I gave Evan some of the spaghetti Ivan made.

He loved it.  Ivan makes "Honduran" spaghetti - which means he melts a stick of butter into his sauce.  I tend to not eat it because I don't like a bunch of butter in my spaghetti.  However, Evan loves it...probably because he LOVES butter!  He was shoving spaghetti into his mouth like crazy.  After dinner, he took a shower with Daddy and was in bed by 9pm.  Not too horrible, right?  And we had a fun playground date.

Sunday was a bit hectic, like it usually is.  I woke up and made 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter and Banana muffins.  It was a Pinterest find and I thought they would be good muffins to take to LA this week.  They aren't good muffins to send with Evan to daycare because my niece is severely allergic to peanuts, but it didn't make too many.  They were super easy and quick.  I had them mixed and made before Evan even woke up. 

After he did wake up, we changed and headed out for a five mile stroller run.  It was around 9am and it was already HOT and HUMID.  Ugg.  We did about four miles and then stopped at the playground.  We had brought Evan's new tractor that his Papa had bought him (Evan calls it Tractor-Papa) and I thought it would be fun to play in the sand pit.  Unfortunately, the sandpit was filled with a million bees.  Boo.  So, we just put the tractor down the slide and played with it on the ground.

Evan thought it was fun to just push the tractor around.

And yes, Evan went to the park in his jammies.  No one was at the park anyway.  We stayed for an entire hour and not a single other person showed up.  I think people sleep in on Sundays or go to early Sunday church services or something.  Evan loved having the playground to himself (except for having to share with the bees)!  Then we ran the last mile home.

After we got home it was cooking, cooking, cooking.  I had a lot of things on the menu to make: vegan lasagna, zucchini tots, shrimp-stuffed shells, tres leches cake, shredded chicken, and black bean burgers.  I didn't get all of it made - just some of it.

I wanted to make Vegan Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna for my friend Allyson.  She was doing a crazy big two-day bike ride in Colorado (like 130 miles each day, over three mountains) and I thought she'd like something in her fridge when she got back.  In Honduras, when I'd go out of town my neighbors would clean my house the day before I returned.  It was so nice arriving home to a super clean house.  I used to do the same thing for my sister - I'd always scrub the floors and toilets and vacuum, etc. before she came home.  I feel weird cleaning my friend's house though (and it looks pretty clean anyway), so I figured food was the better way to go.  So, I whipped up this crazy complicated lasagna.  I am not vegan and had never made vegan cream sauce.  I've made lasagna with tofu before, but nutritional yeast was not really in my pantry.  All in all, it turned out pretty tasty.  I hope she likes it! 

I also made zucchini tots for Evan - they were delicious and Evan ate three of them after dinner.  I wanted something new to put in his lunches and saw these on Pinterest.  They were super easy to make and turned out to be a winner.  I got the shrimp-stuffed shells made for Ivan - I've made them many times before and he always loves them.  They are a bit time consuming, but I felt like I was making a bunch of other complicated things, so why not add something to it.  I also got the chicken cooked - I just put it in the slow cooker with some water for four hours and then shredded it.  I don't need it until Wednesday to make Easy Chicken Flautas (another Pinterest find), but wanted to have it already done so that the cooking process didn't take as long.

I ran out of time to make the tres leches cake and black bean burgers though.  Maybe I'll have time this week before I head to LA.  Otherwise they'll have to wait until I get back.  I can only make so many things in one day!

I crawled into bed around 12am - yikes!  I seriously need an extra weekend day to get all my stuff done!!

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Did you cook anything fun this weekend?

What types of things do you "pin" the most, if you use Pinterest? 
      - I mostly pin food and clothes (for my Stitch Fix stylists)

A Big Deal, More Vermont, Too Many Photos, and a Very Long Post

I am so glad today is today and not yesterday.  Yesterday was NOT a good day.  I'm not going to go into many details but I can tell you one thing.  At 8pm I was at the Apple Store at the mall because someone's iPhone dropped and needed to be replaced.  Not good.  We have a lot of other things we could have spent $200 on.  Oh well - the guy who helped me kept saying he was so surprised at how great of a mood I was in and how he doesn't normally deal with people who have such a good sense of humer about a broken iPhone.  So, at least there's that.

Today is a big deal for me. 

Today is the first day I'm not pumping at work since I returned to work after baby (December 2012).  I have been pumping for over a year and a half.  When I first returned to work I pumped four times (7:30am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 4:30pm), then after Evan turned a year I went down to three times, then when he was 15 months I went down to two times, and then when he turned 18 months I went down to once.  Now, it's 0.  I'm still nursing him at night and stuff, but he's just not drinking any milk during the day with my sister so I just send it and she sends it back.  Or he takes the smallest sip and then refuses anymore, so she has to throw it out.  I feel like it's pointless to keep pumping for no reason.  So, today I decided I wouldn't pump anymore at work.  I have some milk in the freezer if need be, but won't be adding anymore.  I'm kind of sad and nervous about the whole thing, but in reality, it will be fine.  It does make me a bit nervous that he doesn't drink any milk all day, but hopefully it's not too big a deal.  And maybe he gets enough at night.
 

And now, back to Vermont (where I wish I could go back to rather than sitting on this bus)!

Although we had a busy weekend with lots of fun activities, we also spent a lot of time just playing.  Especially Evan.  He loved having a big outside area to play and being able to play in the driveway and ride his little tractor (on loan from Cousin Lucas) wherever he wanted.  At home he has to stay on the sidewalk, which to him, is very constrictive.  He wants to ride all over the street, of course.  Here, in Vermont, he can!!

Not sure why he's not smiling, but I promise he was having a great time!  And notice his outfit - his pajama pants and a sweatshirt that was supposed to be for this winter...since I forgot appropriate clothes for the cooler weather. 

Here he is zooming along.  And he'd turn that stirring wheel like there was no tomorrow, although it didn't have any affect on the direction of the tractor.

My parents have a really long driveway so Evan had a blast riding his tractor up the hill and then coasting back down.  Mishka (the dog) had a great time just sitting there.  She's 10 years old and is developing some hip problems so doesn't run around like she used to.  We love her to pieces though!

Up the hill my parents have a big field where they are taking care of some friend's cows.  They are Low Line Australian Angus Cattle.  Or something like that.  I'm not a cow expert or anything.

Evan loved going to look at the cows (and the neighbor's horses).  Cows attract a lot of flies though, so that was not fun.  We didn't get too close.  Plus, that is an electric fence, so we sure didn't want to risk getting a nice electric shock.

When we weren't outside playing around, we were inside playing around.  Evan had so much fun with my mom (Mimi) and Dad (Papa).  Mimi was so much more attentive than I am!

Complete and utter attention is the best way to a child's heart!! 

Same with rocking cows.

He was a bit of a daredevil with this rocking cow - he'd rock so far back that I was afraid he'd tip over.  He never did though, thank goodness.  This cow is on loan from the neighbors.

Feeding the doggies treats was fun too.

Look at how well-behaved Mishka is!  My parents have another dog too, Kuma, who is the same breed but bigger.  He's a little more hyper, but still well-behaved.  Mishka is the angel dog though - I've never met a sweeter dog.

Our big activity for Saturday was our bike ride!!  This year we trekked our bikes all the way up to Vermont (I may have looked at the bikes a million times on the ride up because I was terrified that they were going to somehow fall off the car) so I was determined to ride them.  My parents live close to a rail-to-trail path and I was excited to ride our bikes on that (since you already saw the road - no way was I riding bikes on that road I went running on!).  My aunt and uncle just moved to Vermont and their new house is right off the same trail - so we decided to ride to their house.

My mom didn't have a bike, so she drove to my aunt's house, but the rest of us biked there.  It was SO FUN.  I loved it!.  Even if I had a Schwinn Jaguar Cruiser (6 speed bike) and Ivan had a very crappy Target mountain bike...and my Dad had a very nice Cannondale.  He went faster than any of us.  Evan was thrilled because he loves bike rides.  And he fell asleep.

His head bobbed around like a little bobble head because of the big helmet he wore (the helmet fit, it is just kind of heavy when he's sleeping)!  It was adorable.  And that water bottle spilled all over him so he was soaking wet.  He didn't seem to mind though.

The trail was nice and flat (my kind of bike ride) and beautiful.

Parts were shaded in the forest and others went through corn fields. 

The weather was perfect though - not too hot or cold.  And not windy, which is my worst weather condition.  I was in the front for a while - leading the boys along.

But on the way back the boys left me in the dust.

I think it was because my bike was for "cruising" and not for actually riding.  At least that's my excuse.  And bike riding uses different muscles than running does...and the few muscles that are the same were tired from my 6 and 4 mile run that morning and the day before.

When we got to my aunt's we hung out for a while (and Ivan mowed their lawn because that's the kind of thing he does) and got to take a tour.  It was beautiful!  I am so happy they moved to VT and we can now see them every time we go up to visit my parents.  We usually saw them anyway because they used to drive over from NH, but now it's even better.  And my aunt had Pretzal M&Ms - she knows the way to my heart!

After our bike ride we headed to Ivan's favorite Chinese buffet.  It's not really that great but it's all-you-can-eat for $5.25.  So, you can't beat that price - especially when you eat as much as Ivan.  We have to go at least once every time we go - sometimes we go two or three times.  He's addicted.

When we got home, Evan wanted to try out my bike.

He has a few years before he'll be ready!  I'm thinking of maybe getting him a balance bike for his bday?  Anyone ever buy one of those?  Thoughts?  Advice?

Ok - another long, long post!  I'll finish up our last day Vermont recap tomorrow.

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Who else was sad when they stopped pumping?  Anyone?

Chinese buffets - yay or nay??

Random Running Thoughts

I can't formulate a good post today because I amt too depressed about the Hobby Lobby decision, so I thought I would leave you with a few random running thoughts that were going through my head yesterday while out on my very hot run.  But first, here is Evan helping to take out the trash.  We are really into chores at our house and have decided to start him really young.  :-)

And now my running thoughts.

1) The National Mall is not a great place to run when it is 90 degrees and sunny.  There is NO shade.  It is blistering sun for miles and miles.  With a few trees thrown in there, but not many.  And it is HOT.  It's like running through the desert or something.  Especially during the lunch hour.

2) When I was in college and running in really hot weather and feeling like I was going to die, I would imagine that I was a Marine running from captors through the hot African desert and I couldn't stop until I reached the U.S. base.  Back in high school I wanted to join the Marines and in college I did Army ROTC for a while - so I was more into military daydreams.  It tended to work though because I ran a lot faster then.  I need a new motivating day dream these days, especially on those hot days when I pushing a 50 pound stroller up a huge hill.  Any ideas?

3) People think I am not a serious runner because I run in a skirt and all my running outfits match.  I get a lot of comments about how running in a skirt is so "girly".  Yesterday I past (as in, I was running faster) two guys running and I heard one of them say, "We just got passed by a girl in a skirt".  I wear a skirt because I find it much more comfortable than shorts - I hate how the shorts bunch between my legs.  That never happens with a skirt.  And yeah, I like my running outfits to match.  So what.  I am still a decent runner and train hard.  It's like that Verizon commercial I've seen on Facebook about running like a girl or throwing like a girl - girls can be strong at sports too and even girls that like to have cute running clothes can be just as tough as girls who wear scrubby shorts and tank tops.  People need to stop judging others based on appearance.

4) Running through DC in the summer is like running an obstacle course.  There are a million people around and they are walking all kinds of crazy so you try to dart in one direction and they go that way, you try to go in the other direction and someone on those rental bikes comes flying down the street.  Yesterday I almost got hit by a car because he was making a left hand turn on red and didn't look for pedestrians - only cars.  Luckily I am overly cautius and never dart out into traffic, but still.  Look before you turn!!!  Don't walk 10 across the sidewalk and then not move when someone says excuse me!

5) I am one of the few people that follow the rules when it comes to crossing the street.  I wait for the little man.  Always.  Even if no cars are coming and the road is completely clear, I still wait to cross the street.  So what if I have to wait an extra 40 seconds, it's not worth running into traffic.  Even when you have the little man, you still need to be careful (look at #4).  I just always like to wait to cross.  No jaywalking for this little lady.

6) You know you've lived in DC too long when you are trying to run by the White House and you hear a very loud motorcade and see a huge throng of people by the gate and you are more annoyed that they are blocking your way than you are interested in seeing the President's car.  Or whoever important person is being escorted by a motorcade.  I will be sad when I have to switch to running in Baltimore though - I love Baltimore but it's not really a running city. 

7)  When I get back to my desk after running I am sweating buckets.  And eventually I just put my work clothes back on.  And I don't even shower when I get home - I just shower the next morning.  Gross.  It doesn't bother me though.  I usually wash my face because it is covered in salt, and I use wipes to "wipe" myself off.  That's it though.  So far no one has complained about me smelling so I think I am safe.

8)  Even when I change my clothes back, I sometimes keep my tennis shoes on. 

When it's not raining I like to get off the bus early and walk a little to my house and my tennis shoes are much more comfortable than my work shoes.



And one non-running random fact:

I made these delicious Asian Lemon Chicken Tenders last night. 

My picture doesn't do it justice, but it was so tasty!  Ivan devoured almost all of it and the sauce turned out to be really good.  It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be - so that was a big plus.  It was another successful Pinterest find.

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What are some random thoughts going through your head?

What did you have for dinner last night?

2.5 Hours Can Be a Long Time

Boy was Evan in a mood last night.  Since he can't talk enough to tell me yet, I'm going to assume it was because he was exhausted.  My sister took him to the pool in the morning and I think that completely wore him out.  He pretty much cried, fussed, and flailed the entire night until he went to bed.  The bad thing about this is that it makes it difficult for me to get anything done, so he still didn't get to bed until 9pm.  Now that he's eating a little more, I hate to put him to bed without dinner but then it took me forever to get dinner on the table between holding him and him crying on the floor.  And I was only making quinoa and microwaving food...not making a gourmet meal or anything.  We took a long break to play with play dough outside though....so that slowed things up.  I hate coming home and spending our only time together cooking dinner.  So, when he wanted to go out on the balcony to play with play dough I went out there with him.  So, we didn't eat until almost 7:45.  And then since he had sunscreen all over him I felt like I really needed to give him a bath.  All of those activities resulted in a 9pm bedtime, even though he probably could have fallen asleep much earlier.  What can you do?  Although I got home at 6:30pm and Evan went to bed 2.5 hours later - the night seemed extra long with all those temper tantrums!

And then I made pancakes for Ivan.  I had made some over the weekend but Evan was eating them for breakfast, so Ivan wanted a few too.  So I whipped up a batch.  I discovered if you put some oil in the bottom of the pan they kinda fry and then you have delicious lightly fried pancakes.  

And I made them with Banilla (I'm assuming Banilla is banana+vanilla) Yogurt and bananas, so that made them even more yummy.  I want to eat one right now!

I also made it for a run yesterday.  My friend says I'm on a roll with the running and it sure feels that way.  Except my "rolls" don't last very long.  I have gone every day except Saturday for the past week. Yesterday I wore my Team In Training shirt and a few people called out "Go Team" while I was running around the mall (as in the mall in front of Congress, not a shopping mall).

That is always a great feeling and really motivates me if I'm feeling tired.  Yesterday I had an accidental tempo run because for the three miles I was running on the mall these three guys were behind me and I could tell they wanted to pass me but they weren't quite fast enough.  It made me run a little faster to keep them behind me.  Sometimes that aggravates me but yesterday I was feeling strong so it was a good challenge.  Mondays are my best running days because after a weekend of pushing Evan in the stroller (about 50 lbs), a run by myself seems so much easier.  That effect dies off by the next run, but for one day I feel like I'm going fast!  Today is a day off and my hamstrings are thanking me.  I am still doing all my glute stretches and exercises and I think it is really helping.  The pain in't nearly as bad as before.

Ok, I better take a nap because I have a tone of work to do today and I want to be well rested.  I got 5 hours and 25 minutes of sleep last night, so that's not too horrible...but still, a nap will be nice.

Have a great day!

Sleeping, Pools, and Eggs

On Tuesday night Evan fell asleep at 5:30pm and didn't wake up until 6am...and only because I woke him up.  Sounds amazing, right?  Well, not particularly because for some reason he didn't want to sleep alone.  So, I had to hold him from the second I got home.  This made it difficult to do much...like change out of my work clothes, eat dinner, get lunches ready for the next day.  I kept trying to wake him up thinking he'd eventually wake up and then never go back to sleep.  Nope, he would flutter his eyes open and then they would slowly close back up.  There was no waking him.  He has been sleeping horribly the last week or so - not napping, going to bed at 10pm, etc. - so maybe his body needed to catch up on some sleep.  I didn't successfully put him in the bed until 9:30pm.  I watched a lot of 19 Kids and Counting on the iPad on the sofa with little kiddie in my arms!

Yesterday I did something I haven't done in weeks.  I went for a run!!!  I was supposed to do a track workout with my friend but she texted me in the morning saying she wasn't feeling well.  Normally I would have just been lazy and hopped in the shower and started working but since I already had all my running clothes on I decided to just go.  Plus it was supposed to be over 90 degrees out so I figured a morning run was a good idea.  And it was.  It felt really awesome getting out there again.  My favorite thing about running in the heat and humidity is the scent of honeysuckle.  It seems even more potent than usual when it's extra hot and humid.  It reminds me of the summer I trained for the Marine Corps Marathon in memory of my Uncle - there was a lot of honeysuckle on my route and I loved breathing the scent in.

I did about four miles and when I got back I could feel my hamstring pain again.  You would think that after three weeks of no running my hamstring would get back in order.  Nope.  So I did some glute-strengthening exercises (I read that weak gluteus can lead to hamstring problems) that I saw on Runner's World and then I did half-pigeon pose to stretch out my glutes, hips, and hamstrings.  They were still sore all day but feel better this morning.  I also sat on a nice pack.  I hope all this helps.  I brought my running stuff with me today but I am uncertain whether I will venture out at lunch since it's supposed to be 97 degrees today.  I will be a ball of sweat and then will have to change into my work clothes again.  Not sure if I'm that brave.

After work  I picked Evan up and my sister mentioned that they were going to head to the pool...so we decided to join them.

My mom and Evan had a blast in the pool in Atlanta so I figured he would love it.  The minute he saw the pool he kept saying "Mimi agua" which I interpreted to mean that since he saw a pool he thought Mimi would be there, since Mimi was at the last pool.  Nope, no Mimi.  He had a blast walking around, playing with toys, and being swung around by Daddy.  I actually ended up playing with my nieces the entire time - throwing fish in the water and then making them find them.  They loved it, but sometimes other kids found them and picked them up which made it a bit challenging.

After the pool Evan took a bath and then headed straight to bed.  He hadn't napped all day and was exhausted.  Ivan went to bed too, so it was just me awake for the rest of the night.  I made eggs with cabbage for dinner the second night in a row. No wonder we go through 24 eggs in a week - that's all we eat.

And now it's another day!

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Have you made it to the pool yet?

Eggs -yes or no?

What was your workout for the day?

Hotdogs and Love Languages

Yesterday was tiring, but with the help of some coffee, I managed just fine.  I was productive at work, ate the rest of my chocolate caramel popcorn, went into a sugar coma, and got home refreshed and not starving (due to the amount of popcorn I consumed).  Mondays are good commute days - the traffic is lighter and so I get home about 20 minutes earlier than usual.  It makes for a good feeling.

I quickly made some pasta for dinner - with sauteed hotdogs and spinach.  I know - dinner of champions.  The pasta and spinach weren't too horrible but the hotdogs were a weird addition.  I wanted some added protein and that was the only option I had.  They were Applegate Organic Turkey Hotdogs so at least they were nitrate-free.  I sauteed them in a little coconut oil and they turned out quite flavorful.  Evan didn't like them, but oh well.  He seems to be opposed to anything with skin these days - including blueberries and grapes.  He puts them in his mouth, realizes they have skin, and spits them back out.  It's annoying because he's loved blueberries from day one and now refuses to eat them.

I have found a new way to entertain him while I'm cooking.

I let him stand at the sink and play in the water.  The water just dribbles out so it's hardly anything, but then he fills his cups and plays around.  This particular face is because he just dumped some on the floor.  That's his guilty look.

After we ate dinner we took a nice walk around the circle.  It was awesome!  I haven't been running in about three weeks due to my cold/bronchitis/sickness I've had for weeks.  I've also been having some weird leg problem - super tight hamstrings that won't go away.  Now that has morphed into a weird pain on the outside of my leg which can't be good.  All my left leg muscles have just been super tight - I can't even touch my toes, or close to my toes.  I can barely bend over because my leg muscles are so tight.  Not sure what's going on, but running hasn't happened.  So, I was very excited about going out for a walk.

I thought this would help Evan sleep, but nope.  I tried to put him down around 9pm but he didn't fall asleep until 10:20pm or so.  Very annoying.  At times like this I wish we had just let him cry it out and fall asleep on his own.  Over an hour to put him to bed is kind of like a nightmare.  Usually it is just two minutes or so, so I'm not sure what is going on.  He has really been fighting bed time - he rubs his little eyes and twirls his hair so I know he's tired, but then he refuses to close his eyes.  I hope this phase ends soon!!!

At least Ivan did the dishes while I was putting Evan to bed so I didn't have to worry about that when I finished.  I've never really done those love language things, but I think Acts of Service might be my love language!  I always feel extra loved when Ivan does something for me.

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What did you eat for dinner last night?

Have you ever thought about what love language you are?

Let's Get Random

Don't be too shocked, but it is Thursday evening and I am riding the bus home and have an urge to post.  I'm not sure why because it was a busy day and I am tired, but when an urge to post hits...I don't ignore it.  No, wait, that's not true.  I often ignore the urge to post because I am too busy and can't find the time.  But I have no excuse because I am on the bus and there is never a lot to do.  And my bus friend isn't riding (although he gave me a ride this morning so that contributed to me not getting my nap in and being tired) so I am not talking to anyone.  Don't get too excited though because I don't have much of value to post about.  So, here are a bunch of random thoughts.

1) My necklace broke.  Yup, that beautiful necklace from yesterday fell apart.  I wonder if it was a sign that I was being too greedy.  I felt like I should have only bought one or two things from my Stitch Fix box but I just really loved four of the things and thought that settling on three was a good compromise.  Not when one of those things breaks within the first eight hours of wearing it.  How tragic.  And it wasn't cheap.  I was quite perturbed, with myself for buying it and with the company for selling something that would break so easily.  My coworker happens to be a jewelry fixing expert so she said she can put it back together, so I am hopeful.  I did write a comment to StitchFix too, but I had to complain last time when my shirt shrunk in the wash so they probably think there is something wrong with me.  I think in my note for my next fix I am going to say not to give me clothes that I have to hand-wash or dry-clean and to only give me toddler-proof accessories...because although Evan didn't touch the necklace, I apparently can't handle grown-up jewelry either.

2) I got waxed today in preparation for the summer pool and I forgot how amazing it feels (sorry if any boys read this, but I kind of doubt they do).  Because even though it's a tad painful during the process...it is fabulous afterwards.  Waxing is amazing.  Don't worry, I am not going to show a photo of this.  That would be weird.

3) On my way back from the waxing joint I passed the Popped Republic gourmet popcorn truck.  

Umm, yummy.  On Tuesday I passed the Ben and Jerry's Core Tour truck and snagged a cup of their new salted caramel ice cream for free (it's delicious, if you were wondering).  The popcorn truck wasn't free and I was determined to stay strong and go back to the office and eat my lunch.  So I did.  However, my veggie soup didn't look that appetizing anymore.  And I couldn't get my work done because I kept thinking of pop corn.  Yummy chocolate caramel popcorn.  After a while I got up and made some hot tea thinking that would do the trick.  

Obviously not because I have this delightful photo.  Along with the photo of the bag above.  I felt like it was my responsibility to get this popcorn in the name of productivity.  I couldn't afford to have a unproductive afternoon, could I?

It was quite tasty.  And I probably still have some stuck in the teeth.  I will admit that I might have eaten one handful too many and my tummy is sugared out now.  I left the rest at work in case the craving comes next week.

4) The World Cup starts today and my husband is over the moon.  I was in Honduras two world cups ago ( I can't believe it was that long ago) and it was awesome being there for that.  It was such a unifier.  I could go anywhere and the game would be one and I'd be welcome to watch.  It's not as fun here, but it's still fun.  And the husband is beyond excited.  Honduras plays on Father's Day and I sure hope they win!

5) I am tired and have no idea what I am cooking for dinner tonight.  We already had our lazy dinner of eggs and beans so not sure what else to have.  I made chicken soup last night but it's possible the husband ate all of it.  Pasta?  Stir fry?  No clue.

Alright.  That is all the fabulousness that I am going to leave you with today.  Enjoy your weekend and Happy Father's Day!!!