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!

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!

***********************************

Have you made it to the pool yet?

Eggs -yes or no?

What was your workout for the day?

Morning blues

Good morning!  At least I hope it is.  I feel extra awake this morning, probably because I slept an extra 40 minutes.  Whoops!  My alarm went off and I talked myself into cuddling with Evan for a few more minutes and the next time I looked at the clock it was 40 minutes later.  So much for doing my hair.  I am trying my best to blow dry it out but that has only happened one time this week.  I am determined to do better.  And last night I got to bed early, so that makes no sense.  My alarm said I had a full 6 hours and 6 minutes before the alarm went off, I don't remember the last time it said 6 hours.  Apparently that doesn't matter, come 4:30am I still don't want to get up.  Wanna know who else doesn't want to get up?

Maple Baby.  He is never thrilled when I turn the lights on to wake him up.  He woke up this morning when Ivan woke up so then I had to carry him around while putting our bags together.  We have lots of bags that I have to organize and put together - three lunch bags, a pump bag (for me to take to work), and a milk bag (for Evan to take to Aunt Melissa's).  I am running out of lunch ideas and probably need to visit Pinterest.  I feel like I put the same thing in there each day.  And for myself, I actually do.  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, carrot sticks, hummus, cheese, and an apple.  Not very exciting.  Evan got eggs and rice for breakfast, homemade Mac and cheese and yogurt with blueberries for lunch, and crackers for a snack.  Yeah, my creativity is really lacking.

This morning Evan clung to my little neck, probably wishing he could go back to bed.  At least he usually does sleep a few hours more at my sister's house, so it's not the worst situation.  Next week we have to bring him to a different daycare and I am totally dreading it...I think he will cry every day when I leave him there.  Poor guy.  I hope he doesn't. 

I am wearing my new Stitch Fix shirt today.  So far I like the look of it.  I am still pleased that I purchased it.  I am also hoping to get a run in today. On Saturday my running friends and I agreed to do some trail running on the weekends and some track workouts during the week.  I am excited!  The weekend trail running may be difficult because Ivan has to work on Sundays and I have to work on Saturdays but we'll see how it goes.  And we'll see if we actually do go.  It's hard to find time these days to do any running, but maybe it'll work out.

I think I will banana split, I don't have much else to say and don't want to bore you.  I am a bit overwhelmed at work with Interim Progress Reprts, Quarterly Reports, and grant writing - all during the  month I have to take a week of vacation and decide about nursing school (aka the rest of my life). My mind is going a mile a minute.

Do you like trail running?

Do you pack a lunch or buy a lunch?

What's a big decision you have to make this month?

No Pictures Randomness

Here are a bunch of random thoughts going through my exhausted brain...

* The only thing that got me out of bed this morning was telling myself that I could fall asleep again on the bus.  I am one tired chica.  I tried my best last night to get to bed early but I missed the bus yesterday so I got home extra late.  Some days commuting really frustrates me.  I mean, it always frustrates me in the fact that I leave work at 4:50pm and don't get home until 6:30at the earliest, but it frustrates me even more when the bus comes early and leaves me behind, like yesterday.  I got there with four minutes to spare and the bus had already come and gone.  I had to wait another 35 minutes before another bus came.  Or worse, on Thursday all the express buses were canceled so then I had to take a local and that adds on at least 30 minutes to my already long ride.  Grrr.

* Boo.  I just wrote a bunch of things and it was all erased.  I hate when that happens.  I guess I will start over.

* My contacts are bothering me.  Very annoying as I just changed them and I have cleaned them numerous times.  They should be wonderful.  There is always one bad pair in the bunch, and I must be wearing them.

* Ivan's eye drops for his cataract surgery cost $115.  Isn't that crazy?  I guess that's cheaper than my haircut.... But still, it's a lot of money to pay for some eye drops, especially when you have insurance.

* I have made some good pinterest recipes lately.  I will have to do a post soon with my finds.  Most have been great.

* This week Ivan and I are celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary.  Wow!  Time flies!  I am trying to decide if I want to see Divergent or Veronica Mars.  I read Divergent when it first came out and enjoyed it a lot.  However, I watched every episode of Veronica Mars while I was on maternity leave and felt like we became best friends.  Tough decisions.  Noah also looks really good, but I will probably wait until that comes out to rent.  I have also really wanted to see Dallas Buyers Club, but haven't had a chance to watch it.

* I have an accepted student's open house at Hopkins on Friday and I hope that I can convince them to give me some money.  And a lot of it.  And I hope that I hear back from Maryland soon because the chance that I can afford Hopkins is so slim that I would feel so much better if I had another option.

* I can't fall asleep because someone brought the kid on the bus and is now singing to them.  I am trying to remain calm about it because I have a child and I know I'd be so stressed out if I had to bring him on the bus - but I am so tired and was really looking forward to a nap (see the first bullet).

Ok - share some randomness from your day!

It's Wednesday and I'm Blogging

I bet you're surprised to wake up and find a blog from me on a Wednesday!  I can't remember the last time I blogged on a Wednesday.  I have to go into the office today because I need to work from home tomorrow, so I'm on the bus.  And what better way to pass the time than to blog?  Well, there is sleep and sometimes that is way better than blogging, but I will sacrifice for you.

I really should be more tired.  Every day I set my alarm and it says how much time I have left before the alarm goes off...and it's never more than 5.5 hours.  Yesterday it said I had 5 hours and 26 minutes.  I really think I need more than five hours and 26 minutes of sleep every night.  Especially since it's said the same think for Sunday night and Monday night too.  Except I feel pretty rested this morning, definitely not tired enough for a regular coffee by any means (although I read a very persuasive article about the benefits of coffee in the March issue of Runner's World).  I wonder how much better I would feel if I actually got 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night.  I will probably never know.

Yesterday I finally got a run in.  Pretty amazing,huh.

As you can tell from the photo, it is hard for me to take a selfie with the iPad.  It's too small to hold in one hand and very difficult to angle.  I am wearing my Anna skirt, which I love.  I am tempted to break out my entire Anna outfit one of these days and run through DC dressed up like a Disney Princess.  I'm not sure if I'm that brave though.

The run wasn't't too bad.  We finally have some early spring weather so I really wanted to get out and enjoy it.  Thursday is supposed to be back to the 30s again so it won't last long.  I brought my stuff today too but we'll see if I have time to get out.  I was also starving after my run.  I hate how that happens. I didn't bring enough food to fill my belly.  It was plenty of food the day before but not enough on a run day.

Evan was getting plenty of recovery food though.

Seriously, look at how happy he looks!  I am not a huge fan of ice cream but I love sugar.  I guess Evan gets his sweet tooth from me, because his father is not a sugar person.

Ok - off to sleep.  I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

There's Sleeping and then there's no sleeping

Going through my photos I think I forgot to tell you about Valentine's Day.  Don't get too excited because we didn't do anything too amazing, but I did do a little something fun.  I made pink pancakes!  I was trying to make Valentine's a little special so we could start a few traditions around holidays, but I couldn't get as organized as I wanted.  Maybe next year.  However, I did see a recipe for beet pancakes that turned the batter pink and I thought that sounded fun.

I think I needed to put more beets in there because it was only slightly pink, but it was still fun.  They turned out just fine and you couldn't even taste the beet flavor at all (good thing because I HATE beets with a passion).

This was our meal.  We are completely out of maple syrup (hint hint mom) and so all we had left was that tiny drop.  I can tell you that Evan ate about three bites and was done, of course.  He ate well for like three days a few weeks ago and then went back to his normal pattern of not eating.  I am hoping it's just because his molars are coming in.  I also bought Ivan new slippers and a back scratcher.  We don't normally do presents for each other but since we didn't do Christmas I thought I would surprise him with those two fun gifts.

I made Evan Valentine's cards to pass out but something got in our delivery way...

and

All the snow we got made it impossible to get out and deliver them so now I have to mail them and I have no stamps.  So they will all be very late (except the ones I made for my coworkers because I handed them out on Tuesday).

On a different note, look what we did to our bed.

Can you tell it's on the floor??  Yup, we now sleep on the floor.  Ever since we moved to the new place Evan has been sleeping in our bed full-time, rather than just half the night.  He takes naps in our bed and sleeps all night with us.  However, we aren't always in the bed and hubs is terrified that Evan will fall out of the bed one day.  We were going to get rails but since he's older he can just climb over the rails and get even more injured (if he wakes up and wants to get out of bed).  So, we just decided to put the mattresses on the floor.  That way if he falls out, it's nothing worry about.

I know co-sleeping is one of those topics that people are either for or against, but I love it.  At first I was determined to have Evan sleep in his crib but I think that was more because I felt like it was the "right" thing to do.  However, when I went back to work the pediatrician suggested I try having Evan sleep with me so that I could nurse easily and get some sleep.  It worked like a charm!!  I hardly noticed him waking up to nurse and I was finally well-rested.  Plus, after being at work all day I loved the extra cuddles at night.  And I love waking up to his smiling face in the morning (on the weekends, he is not smiling when I wake him up during the week to go to daycare).  

Now that he's gotten older he spreads out a bit more, but most of the time he actually just cuddles up right next to me.  And sometimes his puts his arm around my neck and his face right next to mine so that we are sleeping cheek to cheek.  It is so sweet and melts my heart every time.  And now we rarely have sleep problems.  Although Evan is teething now and wakes up a few times screaming bloody murder, I am right there to calm him down and help him fall asleep again.  It makes nighttime so much more relaxed.

No, he will not be sleeping with us forever.  Eventually we will buy him a bed and he'll sleep in his room, but I am not really concerned about it right now.  People like to tell me he'll be sleeping in my bed forever, but really he won't.  I highly doubt a 14 year old will want to sleep with his parents!  When he is ready he'll transition to his bed.  My husband shared his bed his entire life!  In Honduras people tend to only have one or two beds in the family and everyone shares with everyone.  So, he doeosn't think it's weird for Evan to sleeps with us...he actually thinks it's weird for him to sleep alone.

And look how happy Evan looks!

So content with his little bum up in the air!

Snow and ice

Wow, this weekend went super fast.  Maybe because I had a meeting all day on Friday instead of working from home.  And those three days of meetings really wore me out.  I wanted to sleep in on Saturday but Evan had other plans.  He was cutting a tooth and so pretty much was up all night.  I think he fell asleep at around 4am.  And then he was up at 7am.  Definitely not what I was hoping for after only getting a few hours of sleep all week.  He made up for it on Sunday though and we slept until 8am.

Sunday we got our first snow fall of the season!

It ended up being about two or three inches.  I was pretty excited.  Except that my friend Sarah was supposed to come and help me pack but we were too worried about the road conditions so she didn't come.  It was a good thing too because the roads were horrible.  However,  I was sad I didn't get to see her.  Hopefully she makes it on Saturday!

I put Evan in his new snowsuit (compliments of Mimi), and we took Dolce for a walk.

It was getting a little dark so it Is kind of hard to see Evan, but he was all bundled up in snow pants and a winter coat.  That little hat is a bit problematic because it likes to fall down and cover his entire face.  That made him a bit unhappy.  At one point I took him out and let him play in the snow, which he loved, but then getting him back into the stroller was a fight.  Dolce spent the entire time eating snow, which is so annoying because then he has to go out nineteen times in the next hour.  It's a struggle I tell you!

I did get some packing done, even without Sarah's motivation.  I also made English muffin bread, pumpkin soup, chicken soup, and chicken enchilada soup.  And Ivan nicely washed the dishes while. I gave Evan a bath.

This week is a bit stressful because I have my Chem lecture final tomorrow and then moving on Saturday...which means I have to be packed by Saturday too.  The other night while I was rocking Evan to sleep (I know, he's probably too old for this but I don't care), I heard rodents in the walls scurrying about.  I'm not sure if it was mice, rats, squirrels, or what - but it was disgusting and I was counting my blessings that we were moving to a better place (can it be worse???).  We just have to physically move to that other place and that is what stresses me out!

P.S. I found the BOB weather shield!!!!!  I had been looking for it for months and couldn't find it - and then I'm packing up the bedroom closet and found it in a bag.  I was SO HAPPY!!

Did it snow where you live this weekend?

Motivation to run when you don't want to and odd impressions

Sadly I think my body has adjusted to the new time.  It was a great few days where it felt like I was sleeping in.  Today I overslept and got up a half hour late...so no more feeling like I am catching up in my sleep.  Too bad.  It was nice while it lasted.

On Tuesday I went for a lunchtime run, which is nothing short of a miracle because I haven't gotten out for too many lunch runs so far.  I was extra proud of myself because I did not want to go at all.  I had been cold all day and the thought of putting shorts and a t-shirt on was not appealing, especially since it was cold outside and I had forgotten to change my clothes out for warmer attire.  However I texted my friend and she told me to go.  So I went and I ran as fast as I could.  I only did a three mile route, but I did it fast.  My legs were sore yesterday.  And like they say, I didn't regret it.  That's usually one of my motivating phrases is that you never regret going for a run when you are finished, but you often regret not going.  Very true.  I have another one today so I am hoping to be motivated to go again.  I also chatted with some running friends and am trying to plan a few fun runs together on Saturdays, since golf is over.  I miss running with people and I hope it works out.  They are much more serious runners and have been doing half marathons and marathons since we all had babies, but I can still keep up with them...I think.

On Tuesday I got back from class and Evan and Ivan were asleep on the couch.  I put Evan in his crib and didn't think anything out of the ordinary.  When I woke up, Ivan informed me that he had cut Evan's hair, himself.  WHAT!!!!

Check out those bangs! It's reminiscent of bad haircut photos from school pictures!  Ivan said his hair was in his eyes so he tried to shorten it and Evan kept moving so he kept having to correct it.  Nice.  Luckily after his bed head went away he looked a little better.

Except it looks like he has aged five years.  Where did my BABY go???

And a random piece of information.  I was chatting with a friend from high school who said that I come off as a complete bad a$$ and that when we were friends in high school she was intimidated and a little jealous of how independent I was and how I appeared to not need anyone or anything.  She said I still acted like a bad a$$.  I thought it was the funniest thing because I can tell you right here and now that I am the most un-bad a$$ around.  I cry at sad commercials.  And I never feel independent or like I don't need anyone.  She was one of my best friends in high school and I remember always worrying that she wasn't going to want to be friends with me anymore.  It was funny chatting about it because she had always intimidated me when we were young and I was intimidating her right back.  It makes me think how different appearances can be from the real you, even to people who are close to you and know you well.  I told my husband and he laughed for a good ten minutes about me being a bad a$$.  I guess you can't fool everyone! 

Alrighty...time for some shut eye on this bus of mine.  Hope you have a glorious Thursday!!

Strange pizza, hide and seek, and next semester

So of course I had two posts yesterday, which is nothing short of a miracle, and then today I've got nothing for you.  Such is life, right?  Jam-packed one day and then empty the next.  At work I am trying to create an online learning course...I am a bit under-qualified for this and it is taking up all my brain energy to try and do it.  I feel like this happens a lot.  Anyone out there a Lectora whiz?  Wanna take a stab at designing a course for me for free?  Haha.

Since starting Chemistry our family dinners have gone down the drain.  I just don't have the time nor energy to cook a lot of meals.  Plus, Ivan annoys me and eats a big plate of food right before I get home and then isn't hungry for dinner.  Yesterday I made Evan a can of soup and some rice and I ate a pizza.  I had gotten some stone-cooked pizza crusts from Costco and decided to pop one in the oven for me.  I didn't want the plain tomato sauce with cheese though.  I wanted something different.  Enter my new pizza creation.

It was butternut squash, deli ham, and cheese.  I was afraid it was going to be gross but it was actually really good.  Evan liked it too.  He wasn't into eating too much last night because he saw the dog playing with a toy and got jealous.  The toy was Dolce's but Evan thought it was his so he was a little perturbed that Dolce was playing with it while he was trapped in a high chair.  Yeah, so dinner was super short.  

Then we played hide and seek.  I hid and Evan looked for me.  It was really funny and Evan loved it.  I love playing all night with him and not having to go to class.   Ugg, not too many more classes and then I have to decide what to do about next semester.  Do I just relax with no classes or do I consider taking a Spanish class or something.  I don't know what I feel like doing.  Or what I want to pay for.  Decisions, decisions.

I brought my running stuff to work today, I am determined to get in a few miles during lunch.  We'll see if that happens or not.  I was up until 11:30pm completing an online Chemistry assignment, so I am a little drowsy today. I hate running when I'm tired - except I am tired a lot these days and I have to get these runs in sometime or I'll never be ready for the half marathon!

So many things to tell you and the worst run ever

This may be a long post because I have so many things to update you on.  A lot has happened since we last "chatted" and since we are practically best friends I feel like I need to give you the full update.  Hold on to your seats people, it's gonna be a long ride.  But don't get too excited because I haven nothing of real importance to tell you.

First, what is this update with out a mention of Halloween?  I know I am late on this and should have posted on Friday with the rest of the blogger world, but I was swamped at work and by the time I finished all I wanted was to rest my eyes from the computer screen.  However, Evan was the cutest monster ever.  Don't you agree?  My niece was an adorable Angelina Ballerina and I went as myself, so don't make any comments about what my costume might have been.

Instagram: mapleandmud

I bought Evan's costume second hand and mainly because it looked nice and warm.  Figures it was practically 60 degrees that night, but he didn't seem to be too hot.  And yes, we had to go trick-or-treating with his Easter basket because I dropped the ball on a Halloween basket.  I also didn't have a Halloween shirt for him to wear that day either.  I am trying to keep on top of things but I obviously wasn't on top of everything.  We only got candy from a few houses because I didn't want piles of it waiting to be eaten by me.  So,  I had pretty much eaten all the candy by Friday...maybe I should have let him go to a few more houses!

This weekend was a blur of many things.  Saturday started out nice and slow because it was the first weekend with no First Tee!  No getting up at 6am to get ready for golf!  I wish I could say I was productive and did a ton of other things but no, Evan and I slept in.  We walked the dog and had some breakfast and took the morning slow.  Then when Ivan came home I went to take a shower...and read my Runner's World magazine for the first hour (no worries, the water wasn't running).  Ivan caught me though and he came to see why my shower was taking two hours!  Evan and I decided to do a little shopping and banking so the two of us headed out (Evan refused to nap so I gave up after 30 mins).  After the bank we went to my favorite baby consignment store.  I bought Evan the cutest clothes ever.  Seriously, so adorable.  I also got him some puzzles and a new sippy cup.  I then went next door to the upscale dog store for some glucosamine pills for Dolce.  He has a limp that won't go away and I think it is a bit or arthritis.  I had really wanted to buy myself a new pair of pants, but after shopping for toddler and doggie I decided to call it quits.

On the way home Evan fell asleep and when we got home Ivan was sleeping.  I put Evan in his crib and thought I'd make my favorite cookies, great pumpkin cookies, since everyone else was napping.  I have wanted to make these for a while but never found the time.  I put the flour and oats in the bowl and then realized I needed a cup of brown sugar and I only had a few tablespoons. So off to the store I went...all by myself.  Yay - party at the Giant.  When I got home Evan was awake though...so no cookies were made...until that night when he went to bed.  I think I started around 10pm - but the time was changing that night so I figured I could stay up extra late.  And it was worth it.  I love these cookies!!

My instagram: mapleandmud

Sunday was an even more productive and pumpkin day!!!

First, we came off daylight savings time, which is my favorite thing to do.  An extra hour in the day! My dream come true!  I thought I'd get an early run in since Evan would be up early, but I was mistaken.  Evan slept until 8:15am!  I got bored and actually folded and put away our large stack of clean clothes.  After Evan woke up, we headed out for a run.  The worst ever.  It was sunny and when I checked the weather I thought it said 55 degrees.  NO WAY!  I think that was the high, it was more like 46 degrees.  I bundled Evan up but I was wearing shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt.

I can tell you, it was too cold for this outfit.  The second bad thing about my run?  It was WINDY.  So windy!  So I was extra cold.  Plus, the route I went on was kinda hilly and pushing the BOB through the wind, up hills, was ridiculously unfun.  At one point the wind was blowing the stroller sideways and I was having to use all my arm muscle (which, honestly, isn't much)  to keep the stroller on the path.  Then Evan's blanket blew away and I had to run and get it.  On a few of the hills where the wind was blowing directly into my face I felt like I was running in place.  It was one tough run.  It was also the longest run I've done with BOB - 5.5 miles.  I finished the run without walking though and feeling returned to my legs and arms eventually.  And the biggest accomplishment?  Evan didn't cry at all!!!  Usually he starts crying at about the 4 mile mark and I can stretch out another half mile or so, but he was content pointing to every tree for the entire run (and eating a smoothie I made him for the road).  Let's hope this run wasn't a preview of what my winter training runs are going to be!

After I got home, I hopped in the shower and off to church we went.  I bought Evan the cutest church outfit at the consignment store the day before and I was so excited to put him in it.

Sorry for the crappy iPad photo, but he wouldn't stand long enough and at a good enough angle, so this was all I got.  I thought it he looked pretty dapper.  After church we headed to brunch with some friends and then finally headed home.  Evan went down for a nap and I started to do some major cooking.  I made pollo guisado (a Honduran dish) for Ivan and then was going to make pumpkin muffins and spinach and quinoa patties for Evan...however, when I looked in the fridge there was only one egg left and I needed five.  So, quick change of plans.  I ended up making pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin soup for Evan.  I had found some canned pumpkin with BPA-free liners and bought a bunch, so I just happened to have all the ingredients for those two dishes.  I guess I was on a pumpkin roll or something - cookies, soup, and pancakes!  I then decided I had enough energy to organize all of Evan's clothes and pull the clothes that don't fit him anymore and put the larger and more wintery clothes in his dresser.  And then I actually stuffed his diapers!

But with all that cooking and organizing - I didn't do my two Chemistry assignments and I didn't clean the bathrooms....some things never change.

And this morning I woke up refreshed from the extra hour of sleep (don't worry, my body will adjust in a day and it won't feel so exciting anymore)!

Happy Monday!!!!

Random Thoughts on Thursday

I don't have much to say today so I though I would just throw a bunch of random thoughts at you.  And maybe I'll throw in some random photos too.  Nothing like a bit of randomness to get us through a Thursday, right.

~ I didn't fall asleep until almost midnight last night.  I got home from class around 10:45pm, made lunches, washed dishes, washed my pump, got ready for bed, and then couldn't fall asleep for a while.  After thinking so hard for three hours in lab, it's hard to shut my brain off.  

~ On Wednesday after lecture I did two hours of work before crawling into bed and then I slept in until 8am.  It worked out really well because my mind was sharp from doing a billion conversion problems and I knew it would take me a while to zonk out.  So instead I started my work day early and then went to bed. I got a decent amount of work done before bed and then slept a little late.  Win-win.

~ One of the reasons I was late last night was because I met an old,old friend after class.  Andy and I waited tables at Riccutti's and then Luna Bella back in the day.  Like way back in the day...over ten years ago.  We used to be super good friends and he even came to visit me in Atlanta when I was in grad school.  Now that we are both married with kids we never see each other.  The last time I saw him was three years ago at his surprise bday party.  However, we both have class on Wednesdays that go until 10:20 so we chatted for a short while after class.  It was fun to catch up.

~ For my husband's bday my nieces made him a bday card.  My husband actually nailed it to the wall. And not a hidden wall, nope he nailed it right next to my large Ansel Adams print above the fireplace.  Definitely front and center of our living room.  

~ I haven't put laundry away in two weeks.  Both hubs and I are grabbing clean clothes from the hamper.  Hubs keeps complaining about how wrinkled his are.  I don't seem to care.  This weekend I swear I am going to catch up.

~ The photographer who did our family shots sends us photos every once in a while from our photo shoot and I love them.  I am so happy we went with photos instead of a big party.  The photos of Evan are priceless.  I just hope the photos of me turn out and I stood up straight in them.  My posture has been atrocious this past year.

Serious cuteness!

~ I am reading a book called Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm about a woman who quits her cushy job to learn about shucking oysters on an oyster farm.  It's for our family book club and I am learning so much about oysters.  Except I hate oysters so I can't appreciate the author's love of the mollusk (Are oysters mollusks?  I'm too lazy to look it up).  

Ok, enough randomness for now.  Hope you are having a wonderful Thrsday!

Bed head

This is Evan's hairdo in the morning.

Do you see how crazy it is! He has a huge rat nest in the back.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but it's pretty adorable.  I love his hair and I'm gonna be so sad when we cut it.  It will have to be soon though because his hair is always in his eyes.  And that can't be comfortable.

This morning we had extra time so we played a little soccer before heading out the door.

If I roll him the ball, he rolls it back.  That's his idea of soccer.  He also kisses the ball before rolling it.  Like a good luck omen or something.  Very cute.

Last night we played jail.

He thought it was really funny.  When I put him in his room and close the gate he loves to throw things through the bars and then reach his arm through and pull them back.  Good thing he occupies himself so well!

And now time for a little nap on the bus!  I finally feel a little more rested today, which is GREAT.  I am so tired of feeling tired.

I am dreading the start of classes in two weeks - how will I survive????

No sleep, caffeine, less sleep, more caffeine....

That is a cycle and it sure is hard to beat.  This week has been especially hard on the sleep cycle.  It started on Sunday when I was up WAY too late getting ready for the week.  I "get ready" for the week so that I'm not up so late during the week packing lunches, etc.  It kind of defeats the purpose if I stay up late on Sunday and then never get a chance to catch up.  Then I'm tired all week, even when I don't have a bunch of things to do.

After being awake until almost midnight on Sunday (this is tragic, since I get up at 4:30am on Mondays) and getting woken up at least four times by Evan, I was TIRED Monday morning.  So I broke my caffeine-free habit and made regular coffee.  Big mistake.  Caffeine is a downhill spiral, in my opinion, especially when you are breastfeeding.  And you hardly ever drink caffeine.

He sleeps so well from 4am-8am...not sure what happens between 8pm and 4am.

Come Monday night, I was wide awake so stayed up late again.  Evan didn't sleep well either.  Tuesday morning?  Another cup of coffee.  And the cycle goes on.  Yup, except I didn't relate Evan not sleeping to the coffee until yesterday.  I'm not 100% sure it's the reason he's not sleeping, but I know it probably played a small role.  He's also teething and today his nose starting running - so those two things make it much harder for him to sleep too.

Sometimes Evan just has to go to jail...except he thinks it's fun,
so it's a good thing I don't use it as a punishment!

It is hard to get my work done if I'm exhausted though, and I have a lot of work these days so I need to be as awake as possible.  However, caffeine doesn't seem to be the best solution - since it really just makes me tired the rest of the week too.  I guess I'll try to catch up on sleep this weekend and then try and start the week out better.  Haha - not sure how possible that is, but it's worth a try.

And can I just tell you this embarrassing story that happened at work??  My boss was walking around introducing his former mentor who was visiting the DC area.  He comes into my office to introduce her and I stand up, shake her hand, and she says...wow, you've got a lot going on in here...while looking at my desk.  I thought she was commenting on how messy my desk was, until I followed her gaze and realized she was looking at my breast pump!  Yikes!  I usually just leave it on my desk because the cord is hanging onto its last string and if I move it, it may not work again.  Plus, no one ever really comes to our offices so it's rare to get a visitor.  I was so embarrassed though.  I couldn't tell if my boss was annoyed at me for having my pump sitting out for the entire world to see, but he didn't say anything.  I didn't really need him to though, I put it out of view two seconds after they left.  I don't think breastfeeding is anything to be ashamed of, but I definitely don't feel like it's super professional to have my pump and its parts sitting all over my desk.  We all wear underwear but I sure don't want to go into my co-worker's office and see a pair of her underwear on her desk!  Ok - so my pump isn't quite that bad, but I had to work really hard at keeping my face from going completely red and keeping my composure!

*******************************************

Any decaf coffee drinkers out there??

What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you this week??