The Rambles of Hippie Chicky

I deserve this shirt today!

2012-01-31T17:34:00.000-05:00

My child is sick. So school was off.
My child is sick. So My workout was off.
I'm running a marathon in 17 weeks I can't put off a workout.
My husband can't come home so I can run at lunch.
I need to socialize and I am having drinks with friends tonight. So I can't run after the boys are in bed.

I can't leave the toddler alone plugged in because he's unpredictable..
My Child is sick so he's not sleeping well...hence no nap time run.

I could run while my family eats dinner...but then I miss family time.

My oldest child is a tattle tale so if his brother does something even halfway out of line he'll tell me.
An new to them movie on my lap top, a handful of snacks and specific instructions and away I go.

3 miles latter and I like them more and I feel okay that I haven't showered since Sunday. I had so many excuses and justifiable reasons. I'm glad I didn't let them win.

I really am a Bad ass Mother Runner, just like the shirt says.

I see the future.

2012-01-29T18:39:00.000-05:00

Today we put W on skis. I'm sure it seems odd to some that we stuck our 2.5 year old on skis. Just like I think its weird that 5 year olds play tackle football. Its all in where you live I guess. W has been begging to join Q and G at the mountain since last winter.

We woke up to Q giving W some really helpful tips about how " pizza was the most important thing to learn" and how "backwards pizza mad it easy to duck walk" and "how when he gets a little bigger he can go on the REAL lifts and not just the mighty mite, but for today we're all going to use the mighty mite"

W was really excited and clapped and cheered on the way to the mountain. He loved gliding but then insisted on going up ( he was mad he couldn't go on the chair lift). He skied between G's legs and then would glide for 5-10 feet on his own where I'd catch him.

There really is nothing cuter then a really little kid on skis. Q and G took a few real runs and Q met me at the bottom with " I did a few 180's and 1 360 I did 15 tricks total!!!" A little daredevil in the making.

I could easily see winters of us all on the mountain after today.

Huge smile!!

His eyes are smiling under his face mask.

a rare ski treat. French fries!!

Training Log: 1st Official Week done!!

2012-01-29T17:23:00.000-05:00

I'm sure some of you ( read all) have no interest in this. But I must keep myself accountable.
1 down 17 to go.
Monday: rest. 24 burpees
Tuesday: 3.43 Wet ,warm puddle-ly miles: I felt excited and happy.
Wed: 3 Treadmill miles: I hate the treadmill but kind of love getting sweaty and hot in the winter.25 burpees
Thursday: 6.40 warmish miles: I was happy my knee didn't conk out and that I got to get my miles in. 26 burpees
Friday: Weight lifting, 30 minute treadmill walk at a 8 incline, 15 minute easy elliptical. Many planks and 27 burpees
Saturday: Rest. 28 burpees
Sunday: 3 miles and 29 burpees

Ahh a new week.!

Anatomy of a Hippy Chickie Run: Part 3

2012-01-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

Distance: 6 (planned)(.40 unplanned)
Weather: 28 windy ( by the lake)
Power Song: Lifes a Happy song ( muppet movie soundtrack) Have you NOT heard this song it is really sweet and puts me in a great head space.

Mile 1: wow look at that speed I'm really hauling down this hill and then Battery must learn to love battery street. hmm my knee is a little twingey
Mile 1.5: OW full stop Ow of my knee. I can't keep heading out I'll head back in and see how it feels.
Mile 1.75 Ok my knees ok I'm heading out I liked the run I had planned and I think I'll be ok.
Mile 2: Oh look a Gas station I think I'll stop and pee.
Mile 3: Man this campground is a little creepy. I should tell people where I'm running.
Mile 4: My bladder will never make it 26.2 I should just embrace peeing in my pants. Oh look a gym maybe I can pee there.
Mile 5: Holy batman look at all those ducks. and the golden retriever in the lake chasing them. Its January a dog shouldn't be able to be in the lake in January.
Mile 6: so I've reached my target but I'm still not there yet..oh well more running it is.
Mile 6.40: and yay!! coffee, bread and friends. Wow I'm sure once I defrost I'm going to be stinky!!!

Human Pin ball.

2012-01-24T11:40:00.000-05:00

After a week of ~~putting up with~~ lovingly nurturing a sick child. I hadn't been able to find the time to run. So this morning I checked the weather dropped the boys at their respective schools and headed out.

W will be 3 in 18 weeks. I will Run VCM in 18 weeks. So today I officially started training. I have been gearing up my body and mind for my schedule since January started and I 'm ready. I know that the next time someone gets sick I won't have the luxury of hanging up my kicks and snuggling in. I'm not saying it will be easy to put them on, but will have no choice, I've already made my choice. gulp.

I tied my kicks on this morning and ran out for a quick 30 minutes. The sidewalks were full of puddles and 40 degrees. I often felt like a pin ball as I bounced off the grass and back onto a dryer part of the sidewalk until I finally gave up and embraced the puddles. My sneakers were soggy and my face was smiling.

It was a great time. It was well needed and so glad I can run to clear the cobwebs from my head.

Jinx.

2012-01-20T08:16:00.000-05:00

So clearly karma gods read blogs. Because they read my last post and decided to mess with me.
They saw that not only did I enjoy spending time with my children but that I enjoyed sending them back to school. They laughed at the things they could do. Then they blessed W with the Coxsackie virus. Good times.

As a whole its pretty fun. Especially if you think a 2.5 year old who can't eat, swallow or drink due to sores in his mouth and down his throat is a rip roaring good time. Its true that I haven't gotten out of my PJ's for the last 3 days which is a bonus. I've also had a 34 pound person attached to me, often ~~wailing~~ whimpering.

The saddest part for all of us it that his love and constant companion "mimi" hurts him. He can't suck on her for comfort and often gets mad at her and tells her she's bad. Its sad.

So hopefully next week you'll see a post entitled " more running less children" but honestly with the contagious factor here I'm not so sure.

More Children less Running.

2012-01-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

For what seems like forever the boys and I got a day off from school and took advantage of the time to hang out together. At home. The irony doesn't escape me. Just last year it seemed like we had days and days devoted to hanging out and doing what we wanted. Those days ~~often~~ occasionally seemed to dragged on. Now when we are blessed with an off day I don't want it to end ( cue sap sucky music ).
So anyway...I got to say yes instead of we don't have enough time before (cue dinner, school, bed, swim etc) a lot. Mom can we make sock puppets?, YES! Mom can I FINALLY use my sewing kit? YES!, Mom will you play chess with me? No, but I will play UNO ( I don't know how. cue excuses).
It was a lovely day. I won't lie though it was nice to send everyone off to school yesterday.

nothing says cheese quite like your finger up your nose.

The boy LOVES his play dough and everyone know that hence the 999 play dough toys:)

His K'nex Bat Wings. That is his fierce face.

His Cat Peter. He sewed 99% of it himself. He had so much fun doing it.

PS. W is sick this morning so my planned 3 miles might have to wait until I can hop on the dreadmill this evening.

Anatomy of a Hippy Chickie Run: Part 2

2012-01-13T18:57:00.000-05:00

The Weather: Windy and about 30ish a few flakes of snow.
The Distance: 6 Miles ( Clearly this will increase soon)
Power Song: Moves like Jagger

Mile 1: I think I have weights in my shoes.
Miles 2: How in the world will I make is 26.2 if I can't go 2 without having to pee.
Mile 3: That Starbucks guy must think I'm a super model. I really should have grabbed one of those coffee samples.
Mile 4: Sweet lost those shoe weights. I really do have moves like Jagger.
Mile 4.5: Crap their back. Time to Gu. It really is like eating a slug. a berry flavored slug, with caffine
Mile 5: Well this craptastic adventure is almost done. oooo more Maroon 5. Adam Levine is really hot.
Mile 5.75 Shit I'm here and I have .25 to go. Looks like hill sprints it is. Crap! I hate Hill sprints.
Mile 6: I must pee.

Training Log:1st week done.

2012-01-09T17:17:00.000-05:00

Well sort of. Technically training doesn't start until next week. I decided I needed a little kick ~~in the ass~~ start. So I'm doing the 1st week for 3 weeks to build myself up and remind my body that it can do things other then eat cookies and watch TV. I'm also taking part in the 100 Burpee challenge with some friends.

Sunday 1/1: 5k first run (3.1 miles) 1 burpee
Monday 1/2: Rest Day 2 burpees
Tuesday 1/3: 3miles & 15 minutes of lifting, 3b
Wednesday 1/4: 3 miles 2 miles Elliptical, 4b
Thursday 1/5: 6 miles
Friday 1/6: (should have been cross train day but had a sick kid)
Saturday: Rest Day

All in all a great week. I got to take my new Garmin out for a test run (ha) and loved it. I just need to figure it out a little better. I was able to identify my gear weak zones and invested a little money in those. I'm really excited for this week. Flash is going to join me on Thursday. It feels like its been ages since we ran together. Looking very forward to it.

Anatomy of a Hippy Chickie Run: Part 1

2012-01-06T09:21:00.001-05:00

The Weather: Snowing, Windy and 22 degrees with a pretty cold wind chill.
The Distance: 6 miles
Mile 1: Oh dear god I have 5 more miles to go. Shit its cold. I'm glad I wore my sweatpants.
Mile 2: I wonder if the gate will be open so I can cut across the High Schools Soccer field? I must look really awesome with snot all over my face. I hope I don't die on the ice, my Cell phone is dead,
Mile 3: I wonder if I knocked on that house's door if they'd let me in to pee? I'll just stop at Starbucks instead.
Mile 4: Wow the snow is so pretty. It must be warming up. This water is really cold and surprisingly refreshing.Oh crap where the hell am I? If I go this way I'm sure to find the bike path.
Mile 5: Its so peaceful near the lake. I wonder if anyone else will run here today?Hot bread and coffee! Hot Bread and Coffee! Hot bread and Coffee!!
Mile 6: Done. I have time I could likely do another mile or two...but I really have to pee.

Frozen!

2012-01-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

The weather has turned more winterish here. For the first time this year I wore long johns under my jeans. There was a high 0f 12 degrees. The wind was cold, that's for sure but it wasn't that bad. I've walked in worse. This morning was Q's first walking/scooter-ing experience in such cold conditions. Up until now he'd have been tucked into the stroller. Being too big (self declared)he opted to scooter. His keen observation was " It feels like I'm swimming with my eyes open" I still don't think its a real cold snap until my eyelashes freeze...then you can complain until then put a hat on.

New Year!

2012-01-01T20:26:00.000-05:00

I will be a better Blogger this year I promise.

Until next December when you know the world ends!!

Love to you and yours!!

Seriously Santa.

2011-12-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

I have a love hate relationship with running. Who doesn't really? I also felt like with all my training/races in October my body needed a rest. So I took 2 weeks off. While it felt great, getting back in the saddle hurts. I didn't log many miles last week and only did a few gym workouts. It hurt and also felt great. I love these mixed messages I'm giving. So now that the break is over I ran a race today. I fun race with 1200 people. In my town on a route I've run before. The kicker was all 1200 people were dressed like SANTA!!!!

The nice thing about Santa's suit is it really only looks good if you look like Santa. So picture 1200 people looking ridiculous. It was pretty cool to see 1200 Santas' running up battery street. A sea of red.

My Friend and I rocking our Santa Suits

The Start. LOTS of Santa!

So many, So few, Oh well.

2011-12-02T20:47:00.000-05:00

I have so many half written posts in my head. About W and is crazy ways ( dime, xray fibber). About Q and his newest obsessions (Chess, Chess and oh yea chess). G and his new Car ( so pretty ) and me most of my clothes being to big ( ok really only my jackets) But I'm not in a writing mood. So that will have to wait.

Seeing clearly and Mommies gut feeling.

2011-11-12T18:23:00.000-05:00

Q has been squinting since early this summer when he started to do more reading. At his 5 year I was told he had 20/20 vision. I decided to wait and see (pun intended). I noticed it off and on but I thought it could just be that he was new to the whole, reading writing thing and it was just a habit. But as he started writing more and more It became clear ( I can't help it) that there was an issue. So fast forward thru the many conversations had with people more knowledgeable then I trusting the eyes exam at the pediatricians office. Unable to shake the " somethings not right" feeling I took him to the eye dr.
Q LOVES anything mechanical and people who will listen to him talk. He also LOVED the idea of getting glasses. So the experience was a dream come true for him. Turns out that he dose have 20/20 vision but his eyes are over focusing and he needs glasses to help him rest them. He is over the moon and they didn't prove that distracting in school. A classmate told him he looked like Harry Potter.

Boy I have cute kids!! no bias here nope none.

World Run Day!

2011-11-07T16:15:00.000-05:00

I'm sure at some point I'll get over running (or at least writing about it). Until then deal.

Last year I went out for a run by myself to celebrate, this year some friends and I planned on running with a group at our local ski/sports store. Bagels, coffee and raffle prizes where promised. Sounded like a good way to celebrate. Saturday afternoon G decided to bring the kids and run too.

I love running with my family and the fact that the kiddos love coming with us pleases me pleasantly. Q decided before the run started that he was going to run. We set out and Q went fast and had a great time. Halfway up the hill ( ~1mile) he conked out and planned on walking. G urged me to go find my friends and while I sprinted to catch up with them he bribed Q back into the jogger with a post run soda (!).

The run organizers had a ipod shuffle to raffle off for the kids and our own little W won it. I didn't realize winning was a family trait!!

Having her Crazy Cake and eating it too.

2011-10-29T11:49:00.000-04:00

I have officially signed up for my first (only?) marathon. Someday I'm going to look back on the uneasy feeling in my stomach and laugh. But right now I'm just nauseous.

Icing on the Crazy cake.

2011-10-24T09:28:00.000-04:00

I completed my first 1/2 marathon at the beginning of the month. I've run 2 10k's since and I think I've been bitten by the racing bug. I know this because the idea of running a full marathon is quickly going from something I'd do someday to something I will do in the next 12 months.

This excites me and makes me want to vomit. If I'm being honest most of the "big" things in life have given me this feeling. Going back to school, getting married, having children (the vomit being literal in this case).

I posted this:

and many friends responded from yes to reminders about the first guy to run a marathon and his death at the finish. My favriote comments was this:

and so I'll sit and contemplate a little more and wonder if I'm ready to train in the winter for a Marathon....

Is it wrong that my favorite part I think will be the ~~eating everything in site~~ fueling?

That boy.

2011-10-04T13:54:00.000-04:00

Needs a bell. When he's not talking it means he's into something and you'd think I'd learn. The following are the pictures I've taken to document.

Not pictured, the poop, lotion and blistex disaster. You can thank me latter.

Wanting privacy while using the potty he closed the door.

I forgot he was in there until I quickly remembered.

Lipstick seconds as blush.

When I realized I couldn't hear the legos clinking any longer:

"Low-tin"

This one I allowed. I could here him playing with the tape, I half expected the cat to be taped to the wall.


Scotch tape= Mommy running tape

He was painting. On paper. Until....

My hands are as full as my heart with this boy.

I run, I'm running.I ran.

2011-10-03T20:45:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a nice day for a run. It was raining and cold and it seemed like a great day to run 13.1 miles. Oh wait...that sounds miserable. It was for like 2 minutes and then I remembered how much fun it is to run in the rain.

There is something about a group of people all together to run/race. We all have goals personal, out loud and those silly in our head secret goals. The rain doesn't matter because once we're running it will blend in with the sore quads and the miles in front and behind us.

The only goal I had was to finish. I imagined that I would be sore and in pain and just need to get through
it. I brought my ipod and informed Flash that if it got to be to much I was going to plug in. I knew I/we would run slow. Its how I roll. I expected to walk.

In all my training runs I walk. I walk hills, I walk through water and I walk through gu/beans, I walk just to walk. I've come to terms with it, I still apologize to Flash every time I have to/want to walk even though she rolls her eyes (heck I roll my eyes, its annoying). It is what it is.

Before the race my out loud goal was to finish. That was my only goal. Because honestly those secret in your head goals will come back to bite you in the ass.

Once we were running I felt great. The hills were a little more then I expected. FYI: rolling is code for hilly unless you live in Massachusetts where rolling means speed bumps. I realized at mile 4 that I hadn't taken a walk break yet. That felt awesome. I kept going, and chatting and refueling and at the turn around I still hadn't walked. So then I made a little secret in my head goal...no walking until mile 10. at mile 9.79 (ish) I told Flash about my secret goal, that at mile 10 I was giving myself i.e us, permission to walk. At mile 10 I looked at my watch and realized if we just kept going we'd finish before 2:30 ( which had been my guess at a time). So we ran. At mile 12 we discussed how there might just be a little sprint in me/us and then low and behold there was. 2:18 is the unofficial time.

I have to thank Flash for being along for the ride and letting me set the pace. Having her there really made it so much fun.

So I Ran 13.1 miles. The longest I've ever run. Its hard not to burst into proud amazed giggles all the time.

I think I officially have the bug...I signed up for a 10k next weekend.

Worth it.

2011-09-29T15:14:00.000-04:00

G picked Q up from school today. He Sees G and says as quick as he can
" Today was the BEST. DAY. EVER"
" Why?"
" Because Mommy came and taught my class about spiders. AND I wore a Spider shirt."

That is why I go thru the ups and downs bureaucratic nonsense to be able to volunteer in Q's classroom.

So Worth it!!

Rambles on the run....Week 12

2011-09-21T11:36:00.000-04:00

After the race in May I was super pumped and really excited to continue increasing my distance. I signed up for a Local favorite half and jumped into training. I knew it would be hard. I expected it to challenge me. I wasn't ready for how hard it was on my mind. At some point I had to let my mind out of the equation and just run. Once I did that, it became hard and a challenge but in a good way.

We ( Flash is back) set out on Wednesday for 10 miles. It wasn't easy but it was nice to catch up and we are liberal with the water/walk. We chose a very hilly route but the burning quads just reminded me that I was working. We had to pick the kids up for swim lessons and so the last mile or 2 were a little stressed and we tried to increase our pace after having just run 8 miles. It was an added challenge.

Flash ended up heading to get the kids while I ran the last mile. I feel ready. I know those last 4 miles are going to be hard but i'm really hoping the adrenaline kicks in and gets me over that finish line!!

Rambles on the Run: Week 11

2011-09-16T14:00:00.000-04:00

This running thing is interesting. I dread it and long for it all in the same breath. I should have run my 10k this week but decided that I felt better about doing 9 miles. I get the reason to do the 10k, build speed and what not but I just need to KNOW I can run longer distances more then I need speed. So I bagged it and set out to do 9 this week. alone because Flash is swimming/biking/running a race this weekend.

This week has been CRAZY and the normalcy has been out the window. So here it is Friday and I haven't really run since last Tuesday. I've walked about 3 miles a day but that is another story. It is a beautiful crisp day and I got to wear capri's and a jacket which pleased me.

I was a little shocked at how great I felt. I'm learning how to fuel and Sport beans are the BEST thing ever. My fuel belt is leaky and made me all wet...might need to figure that one out. I stopped at a friends house to pee again and she gave me juice, best rest stop EVER!!!.

I needed to make sure I hit 7.5 miles by the time I got out of the neighborhood and hit the main drag again so I was checking my gps like a freak. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't moving. I realized it must have turn off when I took my jacket off. I'm not sure how long it was off so I guess about a .25 mile. I ran until my gps said 8.75 and then got home and mapped my run. Turns out I ran 9.43 miles!!! Clearly my judge of distance is flawed.

So all in all a great run and I'm two weeks away from the race. Next week Flash is back. Next week 10.

Blurry Pictures from the Road

2011-09-15T09:57:00.000-04:00

Due to my bad blogging of late you may or may not know that Tropical Storm Irene really messed with my weekend getaway with my husband. So LONGGGGGG story short. We flew home on Sunday. The hope was make it home Sunday night so the week before school started could be as normal as possible.

Ohhhh the best laid plans. We flew out of LA with optimism but a little realism thrown in. It was likely we'd be stuck in Chicago until Monday. The boys were with my dad and were perfectly fine. Another day wouldn't really mess things up. We landed at O hare and quickly discovered that our flight to BTV was canceled. We hopped on a handy phone and were connected to an airline agent in Budapest. She informed me that we could rebook and fly out Wednesday night. ~~Are you fucking kidding me?~~. I politely declined and we set out trying to find a way home before Wednesday.

There was a flight leaving for Rochester so we decided to get on that flight rent a car and drive 6 hours home...clearly this was the best idea and EVERYONE wanted on this flight. We were 13 and 14 on stand by. There were three flights heading to Rochester that night we stood by for one and then G started calling rental car agency so we could drive home from Chicago. 20 hours. The was also the BEST idea because we couldn't find a car. We were finally able to get one for the next morning. While we were waiting for standby opportunity 2 we realized that we should just cut our losses go get a good nights sleep and take our rental car in the morning.

So we head to find a hotel. On the way in the hotel shuttle we pass 985 rental car places. G decided to head on over and personally ask about a car. I sit in the lobby of the hotel and act like we are checking in once my husband gets back. Knowing full well this may not be the case.

30 minutes latter G comes in and declares that we have a CAR!! It is 8:30pm at this point. We snag a cab who doesn't charge us so he gets tipped WELL and we walk into the rental car agency so happy to be finally heading home. Except we're not. The car we have is for the next morning. So with a little begging and few well placed crocodile tears and LOTS of please and thank yous he relents and give us a car.

For the first time in his life G says yes to EVERY extra. And we head out. Now part of me was a little bummed that our super relaxing vacation was ending in a stressed out way and the other part was really excited to get to take a road trip with my husband. The First 500 miles flew by the last 420 did not. But we had LOTS of laughs many visits to sketchy rest stops and odes of quality time. We passed many places we'd heard about ( in the dark) and most of our out of state friends hometowns but couldn't stop. G took naps in fun places like McDonalds,Rest plaza 4 and target . We listened to bad radio and saw the Adirondacks up close and personal. I added 2 states to my tally. I also took LOTS of blurry pictures to remember the journey. Warning they are blurry and sort of dumb ( i.e not much you can take pictures of in a moving car in the dark)

Kit our GPS.

Ezpass BEST rental car extra EVER

We've travel 666.7 miles.

Leaving Chicago

The first self photo.

2nd please note my costume change

Hey look another outfit.

Half way there. Sunrise in Eastern PA

a Yawn and some breakfast.

BEAUTIFUL.

We can see Vermont!!!

We made it home safe we left the airport at 9pm Sunday and got home at 5pm Monday. We didn't have to pay another day charge on the car AND the sweepstakes company ended up reimbursing us for the trip.

TL:DR Irene messed with us we drove home from Chicago. It took 20 hours it was kind of fun.

Rambles on the run....Weeks I have no idea I've lost track.

2011-09-09T17:25:00.000-04:00

SO come to find out if you eat for fuel and remember the night before you have a LONG run to run get a good nights sleep and hydrate well you don't get dizzy.

My running partner Flash ( she'll like that) ran 7.68 the 31st of Aug. We ran a different route then normal. Stopped to stretch and short walk/water breaks had a tomato and some sports jelly beans and it felt GREAT!!! I was Over the moon. That was the furthest I had run.

That weekend Flash sprained her ankle. So I was faced with running 8 miles alone. I was a little apprehensive of my ability to complete the run. I followed my own advice got a good nights sleep and ate breakfast and KILLED the 8 miles. It felt so good. One of the best runs I've had. I took short walk/water breaks had another tomato from the friendly free tomato stand. I missed Flash but it felt really great that I was able to do it by myself.

Next week: 10k at 10 k pace...which is just amusing to me. Because I don't think I really have a race pace. Well if race pace= not die then yes I guess I do.

Holy Overwhelmed Batman!

2011-09-08T20:42:00.000-04:00

I am SUCH a slacker. I have 39 half written post in my head on topics hitting both highs and lows. My laptop's power cord broke and the PC upstairs is not ideal for writing and parenting. I bought a new one ( all by myself without tech geeks help) and am now back up and running. So check back and I apologize in advance if I flood your reader. But not tonight because I have a headache and Big Brother is calling.

In the Grind.

2011-09-01T11:45:00.001-04:00

The anticipation of this new chapter was enough to kill me. Would he cry, would I? I hate unknown and I hate change. Especially when it comes to my kids. I kept coming up with worst case scenarios. How will I handle this....What if he does this.... I made plans with a fellow mom who would hand me kleenex if I needed it and assure me that Q was ready. That I was ready and that Kindergarten was not the end of the world.

The entire summer he said he was excited and looking forward to being in Kindergarten. He did reserve the right to be sad if he needed to but didn't really anticipate that happening.

The morning came and we both got up excited. I kept a close eye on my boy. He looked happy and enjoyed his super sugary breakfast and was ready to go. He posed for pictures with his backpack and set out on his scooter.
He lined up and waited with his buddy. When the teacher came to lead them to his classroom he turned and waved and then marched ahead. I watched him go. The wave of sadness and tears I was expecting never came. Instead a wave of pride and amazement overtook me. Look at that confident boy. Look what we did.

He wanted to make sure we got his backpack and Yoda.

This makes my heart happy.

bye mom.

Rambles on the Run Week:6 (really???)

2011-08-24T12:11:00.000-04:00

Today was a 5k Race...except we run on wed so ummmm no race. So we set out to run a 5 k race at race pace. Pushing joggers. I left one child at home and just pushed W. But man that adds something. I was feeling good and we were running fast(er then normal) until I started to get DIZZY! I tried to cope but turns out its near impossible to run and have the ground rotate ( or feel like it is). We ran most of the 3.1 but not all. It really is a good thing my running partner rocks.
NEWSFLASH: Eat Breakfast Rock Star. and you know get more the 6 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period.
I'm going to be better for the long run nxt week. Sleep and get breakfast, and ignore the fact that my baby boy is entering kindergarten. UGH!!!!
No Spartan Training this week. Must get ready for my super awesome weekend.

Bargining Chip...or not?

2011-08-23T09:33:00.000-04:00

Everyone can be bought. Everyone has a price. Today I discovered W's.

" Hey W. We need to wash Monkey today"
" No....Pop Pop!"
" No Popsicle at 8:30am" " Lets Wash Monkey."
" Meme. Pop Pop" Hands me Meme(monkey)
" I can wash Monkey if I give you a Popsicle?"
" Ya. Meme. Pop Pop" Handing me the stinky gross monkey.
" Done!!"

W will do distasteful things for Popsicles...but who wouldn't really?

More before 10am.

2011-08-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

Back in the day it wasn't unusual to find me asleep and in bed long after noon. It was often an achievement to see daylight in the deep winter months. Somedays like today I look back and laugh.

This morning I walked a half a mile to the gym. Ran 5 miles and walked the half mile home all before 10am.

Sharing lifes little ironic moments.

And so he did.

2011-08-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

" Hey mom, I know how to draw a heart now"

"Cool. Where did you learn how to draw a heart"

" Henry. You make a V and then a m."

And so he did.

" Hey Q do you want to watch a show"
"Sure. Wait for me."

sounds of plastic clicking and shuffling feet. Q has his arms full of his meme and a box of kinext.

" Hold on I need the directions"

" Hey Q W is taking a bath. Do you want to join him?"

" No. I have to finish my motorcycle tonight"

" You could finish it tomorrow."

" No I want to finish it today. I started it today and I want to finish it today"

And so he did.

Living to tell the tale!

2011-08-07T21:29:00.000-04:00

Because honestly while I dizzily climbed up the mountain dreaming about puddles or any other form of water I wasn't so sure. The obstacles were "easy" enough. Meaning I have been working pretty hard to be able to lift my own body weight with little effort. Those were just fun. But the climb UP the mountain was hard. I frequently reminded myself that I had birthed 2 children drug free. I also stuck with my friend and we helped each other thru it. Enjoy the pictures. All take by the Rogers girls.

My Knees.

Over

Under

We see a water station, thus avoiding drinking from puddles.

Cargo net fun.

what goes up...

If you fell off you had to do 30 bur-pees. I was NOT falling.

Rambles on the Run: week 3

2011-08-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

UGH!! is the only way to accurately describe it. My back decided last Friday to crap out mid run. This Saturday I have the Sparta race to contend with. So because of lingering pain in my back and the of my will power/ strength this weekend. I have took it easy this week. I did my long run yesterday of which was supposed to be 5 miles and we walked the last mile. I couldn't catch my breath. Me thinks my body hates me.

I am feeling pretty excited about Spartan. I've been training and practicing and while it is not going to be easy I will be surrounded by friends. Including one who is so freaking positive at times it borders on annoying ( <3 you K). So I will proudly write my bib number on my head don my sparkly tank top and get down and muddy. Next week I'm going to dig down deep and find the love of running I know I have. That is if I don't die this weekend.

Homegrown.

2011-08-01T12:04:00.000-04:00

W loves the radishes from the garden.

Did you know...

2011-07-27T21:55:00.000-04:00

That I can't "sing the star wars song right" and I should " stop interrupting (me) when (I'm) singing it"

I am also...

"mean for only throwing friend birthday parties every few years" but clearly this is okay (most of the time) because " at least we have kids in our family now and cousins are a lot like friends"

But clearly...
" you are real smart mom to know that I'd like magic tricks and star wars legos for presents" and I have great ideas because " its neat to take money I've been saving in my dinosaur bank for 5years to the bank. Its Great because now I have money to buy a toy and latter I can go to the bank and buy a car or a surf board or something when I'm older"

Five year olds are fun.

Birthday Pig. The First Five Years.

2011-07-24T16:26:00.000-04:00

July 25th 2006

July 23rd 2007

July 23rd 2008

July 23rd 2009

July 23rd 2010

July 23rd 2011

Rambles on the Run: Week 1

2011-07-22T12:53:00.001-04:00

So this hippy chick is going to run a Half Marathon in October. Oh Em Gee!
Thanks to my uber athletic and fit running partner ( I'm pretty sure she could bang out 10 miles by accident) I have a handy training plan and training partner. ~~I may or may not have shed tears and guilted her into it. Or told her she could wear a sparkle skirt.~~
This week was/is the 1st full week. Its ~~crazy, its hard and~~ totally worth it. To make matters ~~worse/~~better. I'm also training for the Spartan Race the first week of august. My body is sore and my mind happy.
Training in the hot is hard. Today was 3 miles (90degrees at 9am) after yesterdays easy day (20 minutes of yoga video) I set out with the goal, don't die of heat stroke. Committed to my goal I strapped on a fuel belt and hydrated while I ran a normally easy run. I didn't die. I did have mid run fantasy's about running in the lake though. It was a S L O W 3 miles but again I met my goal and treated myself to a LARGE Iced Coffee after. ~~The perfect way to rehydrate~~.
One down 10 to go.

Camping by numbers.*

2011-07-17T17:29:00.000-04:00

Nights-2

Campsites-3

Bowls of Pasta Salad-3

Fires Running all Day-3

Vegetarians-5

Adults-12

Hours slept-12

Bags Of Ice-14

Children-15

Hot Dogs Consumed-37

Bug Bites-46

Smores Consumed-73

Sunscreen Applications-81

Conflicts-0

Dirty Happy Tired People-27

* all numbers approximations.

Toddler in Translation

2011-07-12T16:45:00.000-04:00

Op= Open
Bapak=Backpack
Pop Pop= Popsicle OR Popcorn (its important to read the context)
WaWamelllo = Watermelon
Mop=Milk
Bum= Chair/sit
Bin/Bue= Quinn

I had an incredibly verbal toddler before. He had very few Qisums I am so enjoying the Wisums and may be guilty of encouraging them :)

So Big!

2011-07-05T19:35:00.000-04:00

"Own night night"

No more crib. After demonstrating his ability to climb out of his pack and play on vacation he got an upgrade upon return. He's doing really well. The extra tall gate in front of his door is helping I'm sure.

Overheard from my bed.

2011-06-27T09:06:00.000-04:00

" Hey W do you want me to read you a story"
"which one? This one? Okay this one is good"
" To-da-y is a bu-sy day Sa-id S-i-r T-op-ham hat"

My heart melted.

Must run in the family.

2011-06-24T12:58:00.000-04:00

I get a phone call last night. Its for W. After I explain that W is 2 they tell me that about a month ago while at Q's future elementary Spring fling carnival W won a basket prize. You may recall that Q won recently. ~~I've had some luck lately too. For another post.~~
So basically at the end of the event we had a TON of extra tickets. SO G and I took turns entering the boys for baskets that seemed cool, musical instruments, Legos, art supplies etc.The basket he won turned out to be awesome and perfect for W. It had a Farm theme filled with lots of plastic animals ( his current obsession) a tractor flashlight and books. It had a neat piggy bank and book about money for Q. All in all it was a great WIN!!!

W wants into that basket!!

The loot!!

House Of Boy.

2011-06-23T11:19:00.000-04:00

Walking into the kitchen I was faced with this. Proof that I am the mom to two boys.
1. a container of baseball cards.
2. Jet planes.
3. Thomas paraphernalia.
4. Star Wars stuff.
5. a computer
6. a mini skateboard.
7. Little boy toes decorated in nail polish...hmm okay maybe that's not proof.

Baseball love.

2011-06-22T13:22:00.001-04:00

Summertime means Baseball and being lucky enough to have a Triple a farm league nearby. We take advantage of the cheapest entertainment in town as often as we can. We went last night. W is finally old enough to really enjoy it and Q and I sat and talked about things that were happening and the rules of the game ( I have a mental list of questions he asked that I must Google). It was a lovely night.

Today as I looked at the pictures I came across this:

While not the best of me it really captured the evening. It also seemed familiar.

So I went looking and came across this:

Not exactly the same but so similar. Taken almost exactly two years prior.

I love baseball.

Own Place.

2011-06-10T17:27:00.000-04:00

" When I turn 31 I'm going to not live here anymore"

" Well I hope not"

" I'm gunna have my own place" " with a room for W"

" good thinking"

First Apartment

With room for 2

Pizza Face (s)

2011-06-09T15:25:00.000-04:00

leftover pizza topping stickers + 2 blank faces = Pizza Boys!

What they ate.

2011-06-06T18:06:00.000-04:00

So I'm s a fan of organic, unprocessed, local, trendy food. You knew this. However I am also LAZY! like really lazy. In my former, young pre-children days I liked processed artificial junk. I still do. I just eat WAY less of them. But sometimes we indulge. This weekend was one of those time.

G was gone this past weekend. So when the cats away the mouse orders takeout and eats red dye 40. We hit the supermarket before he left. The following is a list of food that I'm pretty sure disqualify me from the above blog tittle.

Pretzel Rods

Rocket Pops

Trix

Fugecicles

Veggie Booty

Peanuts ( in the shell )

~~a large BAG of chocolate~~

~~a bottle of wine~~

Tollhouse cookie dough

not to mention the food we bought while out of the house

Whoopie pies at farmers market

Pop Corn chicken

Pickles

Pesto Pizza

Cheese Pizza

Sushi and Miso Soup.

Lets just say it was a good and treat filled weekend. Oh and Q wore the same outfit for 2 days.....and 2 nights. Go me!!

Video Proof!!

2011-06-03T08:37:00.000-04:00

Here he his. Its funny when you realize a parental mistake...we lowered the seat and now his dismount issues have lessened. I'm so proud of this boy!!

Milestone # 2736: Riding a two wheeler!

2011-06-02T09:19:00.000-04:00

Out of the blue this spring Q declared that by the time he was 5 he would ride a bike with two wheels. The thing about Q is when he decides to do something he does it.

I feel like you need an example...way back when, long ago when he was two he wanted to go in the grocery store play place. I told him when he was 3 and potty trained he could. He had no interest in potty training. He turned 3 woke up the next day and put on underwear and never went back.

So I knew that if I gave him a few tools he'd be off of training wheels by July. Over Mothers day weekend G and a friend took a 12 inch bike and made it into a balance bike (removed the pedals and the gears). Most of May he tooled around on that going down BIG hills and having a great time finding his center of balance.

On Monday while trying to figure out what to do Q declares that today he would like to ride a two wheeler. So off to the park we head. In two minutes he is up and riding on two wheels. His dismount is lacking a little something but man it is cool to see. The video will have to wait ( until I find the camera ) but here are few pictures.

The first attempt!!


he's got the hang of it!!

I run to eat.

2011-05-30T08:55:00.000-04:00

I like to run. Well, sometimes I hate to run. Other times I love it. Yesterday was an I love it day. I joined 8,000 other runners in the Vermont City Marathon. I ran with a group of women who I adore. We split the 26.2 miles between 5 of us and really enjoyed our runs. It is pretty awesome to work towards a goal, and acomplish it.

I ran the 4th leg. It was 5.4 miles of rolling hills in a shaded neighborhoods. I've been increasing my miles so this distance was a reachable goal. I haven't been doing it alone and this was my first solo run over 3 miles. that made me a little nervous. The first part of the run is one I've run many times before. I had to fight muscle memory to not turn towards the bike path and go home. My cheering squad was at mile 1 (the fields 16th) and they provided a nice boost of pride.

The neighborhood run was something I've never experienced before. Neighbors all gathered on their lawns cheering and often providing unofficial water stops. They set out their sprinklers to cool the hot hot day. They played drums and had their radios playing good music. It felt like such a party and the love of the community was overwhelming.

Coming into the turn to the hand off I couldn't wait to be done and I couldn't believe it was over. I think it is fair to say I have been bitten by the running bug. I just signed up for a half in October.

Two.

2011-05-27T11:21:00.006-04:00

It seems as if you entered the world in the same way you plan on living in it. Fast and hard. You do everything with a impending doom about you. You fall down stairs, you trip over air, you laugh until you cry. You color happily on paper until you are inspired and then take to the walls. Your dogs growl and your horses stomp and bite.
You hug the ones you love with such a fierce openness. you give out waves and Hi's to everyone you meet. You sequel when you see a baby. You adore your brother and nudge and pick on him in a way that is only permissible for little brothers.
With everyday you bring a new challenge to overcome. On Monday you scream and push until I get out of your way. On Tuesday you say " scuse me mommy" and because it works you use it. On Wednesday you get frustrated when the little people fall out of the car as you zoom it across the kitchen floor. On Thursday you line the people up and zoom the cars into them, much less frustrating.
With everyday you add light to my life. Your desire to get what you want is something I admire. The screaming till you get it is something I could live without.
Two years ago there was something missing in my life, in our family and now I know what that was. Every family needs a little spark and you my love are ours. Happy Birthday. Today you are "du"

Cheesey

2011-05-20T20:22:00.000-04:00

LOVE his new cheese face

These boys are CUTE. They get even cuter when I make them match.

Tonight I had them wear 2 adorable handmade local T's.

They are special to me because VT is where I grew up, Where I met G, where we fell in love and where we decided to raise our family. They are made with love by my friend. I'm betting She could make a custom order for the state you love. Oh and this is not a sponsored post. I felt all cheesy and glad when I dressed the boys tonight and I wanted to share.

LOVE that Q insists on the older brother head lock pose

Just...

2011-05-11T12:54:00.000-04:00

I just wrapped my almost 5 year old into my arms. I held him as he chattered in my ear about fighter planes. I buried my nose deep in his neck and sniffed. I smelled sunscreen and dirt and a faint hint of honey. I held him and sniffed and remembered the new baby smell that faded to quick and the faint sent of pee that he used to carry around him. I remembered the smell of tempera he sometimes wears and breathed deep one last time. He keeps changing and so does his smell. I wonder how much longer he'll let me hug/smell him while he chatters in my ear? Not long enough.

Better late then never.

2011-05-10T17:05:00.000-04:00

Last night was do random errands night. We ended up at Kmart. Smack dab in the middle of the store was a huge display of 75% off Easter ~~junk~~ merchandise. As Q is hugging the giant bunny/snoopy doll G hits himself on the forehead and says " I forgot to pick up the Easter basket Q won" (he really spelled it, but that would be annoyingly redundant) after a ~~brief interrogation~~ few questions it seems that Pharmacy I'm not supposed to use because they are incompetent fools, had called and said that Q had won the Easter basket raffle/coloring contest. It also turns out this had happen 1-2 weeks prior. So on the way home we swung by to see if they still had it kicking around. and low and behold they did.With only a snide "its been here awhile" from the clerk. The basket FULL of candy. So the candy fairy might have to visit again...or I'll take one for the team. Q was so excited to have won something.

With the basket and a "cheese" smile from W

Urban Gardening: Step Three

2011-05-07T15:25:00.000-04:00

Mom Uses her rake to spread the WET Soil.

All filled in with soil and LETTUCE

My happy happy Lettuce and me.

Urban Gardening : Step Two

2011-05-05T14:06:00.000-04:00

Washing love. Causing sadness.

2011-05-04T16:35:00.000-04:00

Urban Gardening: Step one

2011-05-03T15:46:00.000-04:00

It smells like mud.

Bubbles and scooters

2011-05-01T08:40:00.000-04:00

The coolest Bubble gun. It lights up and has lasers with pretty awesome bubble blowing abilitys

I love his face here.

It was time for a scooter upgrade. W gets the hand me down.

Hoppy Easter

2011-04-23T11:55:00.000-04:00

things that make you go hmmmm

2011-04-22T08:51:00.000-04:00

Posted by Rachel at 2:25 PM 1 comments <------------ You'd think that blogger could get its grammar right.
It could be they are aware this is my blog and it really is a grammerless zone.

A peek.

2011-04-19T14:25:00.000-04:00

At sheer terror. I hate heights. But when we noticed that the zoo had a sky tram and Q's comment was " oh mommy you can't go on it because you don't do heights" I was brave and swallowed my fear. So here is a peek at me hiding my fear.

Doing a good job, no?

The Sugarless Journey of Rachel: Day 30

2011-03-31T10:57:00.000-04:00

Oh Em Gee! One more day. This seemed like such a crazy journey to take. I thought it would be really hard. It wasn't. YAY!! I did learn that I don't need chocolate to no kill my children. I have not had any sweetened chocolate in 30 days and I have 2 children alive and well. One is currently eating Mini Wheats because while he stopped out and out taunting me ( telling me things didn't have sugar and then as I went to take a bite would then tell me it did) after I freaked out on him. He continued to eat sugar and sugar cereals. ~~Bastard.~~

I am going to allow myself to eat a little sugar. Like Ketchup. at of all the things I've missed I've missed that the most. I will try and use real sugars (maple and honey) in place of white sugar. I think I'll stay with plain yogurt. Not much is going to change. I will finally get to eat a girl scout cookie. I think that I'll save 2 boxes and the rest will get donated.

All in all I lived. I'm really glad I did this.

Getting to know you.

2011-03-28T10:22:00.000-04:00

It is clear that while I know Q backwards and forwards. I don't know W that well.

On a good day I can rationally attribute this to having had almost 5 years to get to know Q. While I've only had 2ish to get to know W. I won't even tell you what goes through my head on a bad day. My imagination may or may not play out in a 20/20 style headline. Youngest Son Slays Mother for not knowing he hates Lima beans.

I noticed some things about the boy that I thought I should write down before I forgot ~~and Diane Sawyer is interviewing G about the tragic death of his wife.~~

W does NOT like tomatoes. If faced with one he shakes his head picks it up Says "NO" and flicks the tomato somewhere.
W really wants to like Pickles. He asks for one takes a taste gets a OOOO sour face and then flicks the pickle somewhere.
He also dislikes peperoni, mushrooms and eating pizza in a conventional way. His preferred method is stripping the toppings. cheese and sauce and then adding raw cheese and eating it this way. Next time he may get a piece of bread and pile of shredded cheese.
When he is sick he prefers me over no other.
He hates to pee in his diaper, prefers to potty.(so not ready for that)
He loves Cheese its!! OMG does he love these. (I blame June)
He Loves planes and Birds (brrds and pains)
His favorite books are 10 minutes till bedtime and Goodnight Gorilla. ("night night and good goilla")
He now sleeps in his Crib for nap!!!!!

Good golly that little boy has stolen my heart.

Blog issues and mommy guilt.

2011-03-23T16:11:00.000-04:00

I wrote a new recipe post ( being REALLY behind in writing them up) yesterday and it never got saved. I don't have the energy to do it today. Not to be all Scarlett O'Hara but " I'll do it tomorrow"

Today at Q's Dentist appt it was discovered that he has FOUR cavities. Little one but still. The kicker is it was our decision that caused them. They told us 6 mths ago that he had deep pitted molars. The suggested that we seal them ASAP so that they didn't turn into cavities. We decided that we didn't like the idea of putting BPA directly into his mouth. So we took the wait and see approach. Looks like he's getting those sealants now, along with 4 fillings and ITS ALL MY FAULT!!!

W woke up from his nap today after 45 minutes today. Not because he was full up on sleep but because his brother was pissed at me for shutting his door while he was playing his harmonica. and Threw the biggest fit I have ever seen this boy throw. Honestly he's thrown 2 Fits in his life. I am now the proud owner of a harmonica. The strange upside to this whole debacle. Is I stuck W in his crib in hopes that he might fall back asleep and he DID!! the first crib nap he's taken in months.

So that is my Wednesday. Aren't you glad I let you peek into my life?

The Sugarless Journey of Rachel: Day 20

2011-03-20T18:02:00.000-04:00

This weekend seems to have really tested my will power. Yesterday my in-laws visited. They took us all to Ben and Jerry's. the smells of that place are amazing. Amazing and wonderful for those that could enjoy a little of the ice creams and sorbets they have to offer. I walked across the street and got a coffee which was yummy but NOT ice cream. If I was doing this for longer I might make some homemade ice cream right quick.

At the store G suggested we have BLTs with our homemade chicken soup. Never one to pass up Bacon I agreed. As I walked downstairs after a nice run and a nicer nap to the smell of bacon I was reminded of what the cure bacon in....sugar. Damn.

Oh well. It really isn't that tragic. I am seeing some result. I really don't crave sugar anymore. Simple things like oranges and apples are really sweet sometime too sweet. I accidentally put to much honey in a yogurt the other day and couldn't eat it because it was REALLY sweet. Still glad I am making this journey.

His Hair is Barley There.

2011-03-19T17:27:00.000-04:00

But he LOVES to Rub stuff in it.

Today it was soap. Oy.

4 year old mad genius.

2011-03-17T17:05:00.000-04:00

St. Patty's day is a favorite in this house. Leprechauns visit and make a mess. After 3 years of them showing up one little boy expects them. This year he thought he should make a trap. That way he could extort the hiding place of his pot of gold. I cheerfully went along with this even though we were all tucked in and ready for bed when inspiration struck. There is something fun and exciting about watching your child think the way you do.
After gathering some supplies and remembering that Me-Mom had supplied him with lots of St. Patrick's day stickers he set about making his trap. He even came up with a great idea as bait...misdirection.


" I bet he'll need a place to rest after making so many messes"

It says " Leprechaun Hotel" and then an arrow

We didn't catch one, but there is always next year and trap designs are already in the making.

And the Winner is!!!!!

2011-03-16T12:51:00.001-04:00

I am so glad I was able to introduce Junie Babie to you and that one of you is going to get her very own Purple Purse Pouch. I know you are all waiting on the edge of your seat. So the Winner is ( drum roll please)

#14 Maria from Is my Motivation hiding under all these toys ?

I know she will love her pouch as much as I love mine. Maria I'll be in touch.

Thanks to all my new followers. I hope my lack of proof reading doesn't drive you away.

Gravity.

2011-03-15T17:30:00.000-04:00

I just dumped urine out of a Mr. Potato Head nose.
An accident was had whilst standing atop the little red slide. Somehow the only pee that escaped the fleece footed PJ's slid down the slide and filled the nose. And who said being a Stay at home Mommy wasn't filled with surprises and excitement.

Mommy Observation FAIL.

2011-03-14T17:26:00.000-04:00

**** There is still time to enter the giveaway. Win the beautiful purple purse pouch (say that 3 times fast) here*****
W loves to paint. He loves to paint at the easel. He also has Houdini like traits where he is able to get things or go places I thought impossible. Impossible I'm sure for a normal un-freakishly resourceful toddler.
I turn around to see that somehow W has managed to reach 3 paintbrushes and he then proceeded to get my attention. Letting me know that he wanted to paint. Cute right? It would have been had the paintbrushes been clean and not dripping with paint. I quickly grabbed them and counted myself lucky he hadn't managed to paint anything. This was Friday. We were home all weekend. I went into the playroom several times, I did laundry, I even swept the floors. So I'm not sure why I didn't notice this:

This is my broom closet, on the way into the playroom and across form the washing machine.

until today.Today is Monday. Makes the mind boggle.

Toddler in Translation

2011-03-10T16:49:00.000-05:00

*** If you are looking for the FABULOUS Giveaway click Here******

Oy, it really is about time I stop calling him "the baby" here is my first attempt. His words have exploded in the last few weeks/days and we have a lot of call and response going on around here. Officially reinstating the " watch your mouth" zone around all our children.

Day-zin=Raisin
JaaK-Jack
Win-Quinn
Buder-Brother
Outda-Outside
Ommpa Ommpa- Sleep Sack ( G and I call it the Ompa Lumpa Suit)

I LOVE it when they start to talk. It makes them all the more fun. well unless he's using his favorite words.

NO!=no
Top=Stop
Don=Don't

Joys of toddler hood!

Creativity and a GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2011-03-08T13:39:00.001-05:00

In my life I go in stops and starts. When I was pregnant with W all I wanted to do was sew. I spent hours in front of my sewing machine making things for the baby. The hum of the machine was really cathartic and let me chill out and de-stress ( you may recall my husband was layed off during that time just a wee bit stressful).

After he was born it was a lot of work to sew. I currently have 2 projects and a basket full of costumes that need mending. These days I de-stress by running and exercising. So while sewing is on the back table for me it is not for a super creative friend of mine who recently opened an Etsy shop.

I LOVE Etsy. I find such amazing and creative gift giving ideas as well having a list of wants for myself. I admire the hardworking artists and crafty people who open shops.

This shop and woman are no exception. It is full of beautiful and well crafted items, each made a very inspiring person. I am lucky enough to have the shop owner as a very dear friend but also own 2 items from this shop.

A pouch that I use everyday as a wallet/key chain

Mine is just like this one. We could be twinsies!

and a beautiful gathered clutch that I use when I don't have to carry diapers with me.

This is not the one I have...It is still for sale (hint hint)

I am lusting after this pillow. It reminds me of a hot air balloon!

In celebration of her new shop Junie Babie wants to give one of YOU a beautiful pouch.


I love these colors!!

So pretty!!!

How to enter:
Mandatory Entry- Leave a comment and tell me your favorite item from the shop. ( make sure you leave a way for me to contact you)
Additional Entry #1- Like Junie Babie on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Junie-Babie-Designs/114617838616071)
Additional Entry #2- Heart Junie Babie on Etsy (http://juniebabie.etsy.com)
Leave a Separate Comment and let me know what you did.
For extra Karma (not a giveaway entry) you could follow this blog.

Fine Print: Giveaway to end one week from today March 15th 2pm EST. Open to US residents ONLY.

**** I received nothing for doing this giveaway. Except maybe some free babysitting, but lets be honest I get that anyway!!

The Sugarfree Journy of Rachel: Day 8

2011-03-08T08:37:00.000-05:00

I hate to be all Merry Sunshine and tell you that it really hasn't been an issue not eating refined sugar. The thing is, it hasn't. The hardest/best part is having to think before I stick it in my mouth.You can't even imagine how often I would eat the remnants off the boys plates without even thinking about it.
They were eating bagels yesterday with yummy cream cheese and they didn't finish them. It really was the hardest thing to throw away the remains. I'll be honest I grieved a bit, may have shed a tear or two. I love bagels.
But other then that its been okay. I even went out to eat and managed to successfully avoid sugar. I didn't get to ask about the bread so I just avoided that.
I also notice that I'm eating less. I'm not just eating chocolate or the secret stash of sugar cereal or a bowl of Ice cream. All of which I ate for the taste. I ate them even if I wasn't hungry. Now I have maybe one snack for the "taste" but its something like yogurt with blueberry's or granola. Much better choices. That have real nutrients and fill me up.
So far so good, no temper tantrums yet. Stay tuned its bound to happen.

Week 7- Power Balls...or the key to Rachel Surviving Sugarless March.

2011-03-06T15:03:00.001-05:00

I have really been enjoying this blog over the last few months. I have found inspiration and guidance as I take a rather slow route to our family eating all whole foods. And today I found my key. The key to surviving this sugarless journey. Power Balls. Unsweetened chocolate mixed with other yummyness make a concoction that tastes like REAL chocolate!!! The other upsides is they are packed with protein so the fill you up.

The How to:

¾ cup tree nuts (I used pecans)
¾ cup dried pitted dates
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
3 tablespoons 100% cacao (unsweetened chocolate bar)

Combine all ingredients into a food processor and blend. Form into balls (makes about 10 – 12 depending on size) and serve immediately or keep refrigerated.

No cooking and so yummy. I added shredded coconut to what was left in the mixer and next time its going in the big batch!!

Be still my heart.

2011-03-05T12:13:00.000-05:00

His preferred spot on Saturday mornings.

New Recipie Challange Week 6- Massaman Curry

2011-03-04T14:09:00.000-05:00

*** no pictures because we ate it too fast!!***
I bow down to all Thai food. I adore going out to eat and I most adore Thai food. That said it doesn't happen enough (in my opinion and too much in my husbands). I attempt to make foods at home that will thrill my taste buds and satisfy my craving to eat out ( that rarely happens but I can keep trying). Over winter break when the Brits where here, we ate at a Thai restaurant for lunch. The service was S L O W! The food was only okay and by the time it got to us it was cold. The Massaman curry I got only satisfied my craving a little bit. I was left wanting more. I can make curry I had just never mad this type. So I searched out a recipe and found a pretty cool blog in the process. The Very Hungry Cook has great recipes and beautiful photos that made me hungry just looking.

The Recipe: ( my notes in italics )

chicken breast                                    -      1 pound (boneless, skinless)
massaman curry paste                     -       3 tbspns
cardamom                                           -      8
cinnamon                                            -      2 sticks
star anise                                             -      3
~~shallots                                                 -     6 small/3 large (peeled, quartered if large)~~ I used 2 Medium Onions

coconut milk                                       -     2 cans
water                                                     -     1 cup
fish sauce                                          -     1 and 1/2 tbsp
potatoes                                               -    2 medium (peeled, quartered)
tamarind paste                                   -     1/2 tbsp
~~brown sugar                                       -~~     ~~1 tbsp~~ The whole sugar free thing led me to use honey instead
~~peanuts                                                -     3-4 tbsp (roasted, unsalted)~~ I forgot to buy some oops
peanut/vegetable oil                         -      2 tbsp
Thai basil leaves                                -      a handful, chopped.
Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
Add 1 tbsp of the oil and the massaman curry paste to the chicken. Mix well, and set aside to marinate.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, fry the cinnamon, cardamom and star anise in it for 30 seconds.
Add the shallots and fry until golden-brown.
Then add the chicken, lower the flame and let it cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add coconut milk, fish sauce, water, potatoes, peanuts and half the basil.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
If needed, remove the lid and cook until the curry reaches desired thickness.
Check seasoning.
Remove the pan from the flame.
Stir in the tamarind paste, brown sugar and remaining basil.
Serve hot with jasmine rice.

It seems like a complicated recipe but it really isn't. I made it ahead of time and then just heated it and the tamarind and honey and basil before serving.
The Verdict: The boys ate it. I loved it but will add less cardamon next time. G loved it.

Dare Devil Boy!!

2011-03-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

Q has been taking Ski lessons all winter. Every Saturday G and Q head to the mountain while W and I chill in our pjs. He's gone from learning how to carry his ski's to a full fledged skier who turns and stops and apparently hums his way down the mountain. He mastered the Mighty Mite and the Beginner lifts and now happily and with some skill is skiing blue trails. I am so proud of my little skier.

Love the video. He seems so confident and sure of himself. I also think he may be making on that snowboarder chick!!

Giving Up....The Sugarless Journey of Rachel: Day 1

2011-03-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

Sugar. Refined and processed sugar, that is. I will continue to eat honey and maple sugar ( although this type technically falls under the processed umbrella, because heat is used to make the sap sweet, I am ignoring this). I will keep this up until March 31st. The hopes that I will change my habits and taste buds. I make really good choices during the day. But 7pm comes and it is like a sugar free for all in my mouth. Coincidentally this is when the children stop watching me and go to bed.

For the most part this is just my journey, but because I am chief grocery shopper, meal planner and cook around here, I can imagine we will all be eating less/no sugar.

Today has gone great so far with only one little misstep. I had breakfast ( oatmeal, blueberries and a dab of MS) Went to the gym, Took the boys out to lunch. Was foiled by the added sugar in the spicy salmon rolls I bought. Oops. Lesson learned, salmon rolls fine, spicy salmon not. I found an all fruit no sugar jam to add to my plain yogurt and a bread without sugar, but after this week I plan to bake my own.

I imagine this will be 31 days full of lessons and maybe a little wishful thinking. Join me. Or just enjoy the show.

Station Break.

2011-02-22T22:47:00.000-05:00

Or winter break. Regardless, I'm too busy snowshoeing and sledding and hanging out with visiting family to blog. One needs to live life in order to write about it for the Internets. I'll get back to you when all the fun stops. Or I start to go crazy with all the talking.

Why I love where I live.

2011-02-18T17:21:00.001-05:00

Because sometimes if you are really lucky during the middle of February, 2 weeks after a huge snowstorm, it becomes spring for a day. When it is spring for a day you embrace it. You go for a run outside in a t-shirt and you stomp in puddles. It will be winter again tomorrow but for today it was spring.

Ode to the Gym.

2011-02-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

I love the 80 year old men who can barley walk from the locker room to the weight room, but once there in the YMCA sweatshirt they wore in high school proceed to lift my body weight.

I love the slightly over weight man who comes in right at 11 o'clock and changes one of the TVS to the Price is right. He then walks very slowly for the entire hour.

I love that I can guilt free watch daytime TV and once I get on the elliptical I can read trash magazines.

I love that cute college guy who checked out my ass the other day. ~~In all fairness he checked out every ass in the gym.~~

I love that after my workout I have earned the 15 minute shower I take with no one trying to join me.

I love the girl who is always seeing how fast I am running and the ups her speed to catch up with me.

I love how I feel after a good week of workouts.

Week 5- Fancy Shrimp with Pasta!

2011-02-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

The rumor is that on valentines day if you are in a relationship you need to have a fancy date and smother each other in love and crazy high expectations. I'm in a relationship alright, a relationship with two children. Also a wonderful husband who has crazy low expectations. Due to the aforementioned children a fancy candlelight diner just isn't our thing. I did however want to have a fun special night. However we all know how I feel about long complicated fussy recipes. The solution:

Shrimp and Vegetable- Pasta Toss

3 tbsp. olive oil
Splash of white wine
3 cloves garlic
3/4 c. chicken broth
1 lb. vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, carrots, onion, red pepper, etc.)
1 1/2 lb. shrimp, cleaned
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp. cream cheese
Pinch of oregano
Bow tie or shell pasta

Boil water, cook pasta. Saute garlic slices in olive oil. Add vegetables. Add shrimp. Cook until shrimp curl. Add wine, broth and salt and pepper. Let simmer until veggies are done. Stir cream cheese and oregano into drained pasta. Serve vegetables and shrimp mixture over pasta.

The verdict:

A success. I liked the simple flavor. G thought it would be better with white pasta. The boys ate every bite.

Yummy!

And for all of you ( hi dad) who can care less about my recipe goal. Here are some pictures of the boys and their Valentine Day loot.


Darth Vader clutching candy hearts. So commercial.


The boy of very little words can now say. "Da vader"

Hibachi!!

2011-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

We went to the Hibachi for my birthday dinner. We were lucky to have some friends join us. It was a lot of fun and Q is already counting down until he can do it again. Some highlights from the evening include.

As the chef juggled his tools Q exclaiming with complete Glee " You are SO talented "

W taking us very seriously about hot stuff and when seated next to a HOT table got a little nervous when there was fire and wanted to hold my hand.

Q and his Friend L so cute!

W finally not so nervous.

New Traditon. and some of todays higlights.

2011-02-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

On my birthday. I am going to give blood. It seems like a great way to celebrate my awesome, amazing, beautiful life.

I got to sleep in.

I didn't have to bring Q to school or pick him up.

A friend sent me flowers.

I got a haircut.

W said happy birthday.

Q is very likely more excited about my birthday then I am.

I had cake for lunch.

at last count I had 74 Facebook birthday wishes. Which are yes a little silly but they still make me smile.

I got 2 birthday cards. 1 plays the star wars theme and the other the chicken dance. Clearly these are big hits in this house.

I have successfully survived this year. I have a beautiful life and wonderful people surround me.

I am lucky.

Gone Fishing

2011-02-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

It began early this morning. With the need for beads and a long string. This need came before my eyes were open fully and before the coffee was done the slow process of being made.
Once I provided the beads to the Big boy and a pack of post-it notes to the Little boy ( he needs something to destroy). He set out crafting a fishing pole. Its amazing what some pony beads and a piece of purple ribbon can do.
He/we then set out on a Ocean Voyage. Each of us adrift on our own vessel. He was on a rather narrow boat while I got the largest boat ( kitchen), his brother who happened to be standing on a box during assignment was delegated to a raft.
He quickly set out fishing for our breakfast. He was inclusive enough to catch some and send it to G at work. Who I am sure was shocked and concerned by the "invisible but real not imaginary" pile of fish that landed on his desk. We all enjoyed some after breakfast ice cream from the handy ocean located ice cream factory. My strawberry sundae was delicious.
This game has gone on all day. I love his imagination. I wish I had it.

Crazy Penguins!

2011-02-07T10:49:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I thought I'd jump in our local lake. The sun was shining and a dip in the lake sounded good....Saturday it was February 5th. It was 30 degrees out. Which for February 5th is a warm day in this Canadian border state.
I joined 1,500 other crazy penguins who raised over $360,000 for the Special Olympics. One of my oldest friends jumped with me and together we raised $728.77.
It was crazy, it was fun and it was cold. The anticipation was the worst part. That and the getting out of the water. My legs didn't want to move. Mind over matter and a pair of toe warmers waiting in my boots for my icicle feet made the run back dripping wet much more bearable!
Glad I did it. Not planning on doing it again. But something everyone should do at once.

I'm the one wearing the blue tank top looking very freaked out.

Proof I got wet, see the water flying!

SNOW DAY!!

2011-02-02T20:01:00.001-05:00

Q had his first snow day. Here is how we enjoyed the day.

We brought snow inside.


we tasted the purely white snow.

We wore mittens in the house.

We practiced our shoveling.

We climbed mountains in the arctic.

We drank hot chocolate with whipped cream marshmallows and candy canes.

We took a toboggan ride down the sidewalk.

We embraced the cold, the snow and the wet. We were glad to own 2 sets of snow gear.

Blind Spiderman

2011-02-01T11:08:00.000-05:00

Week 4- Lemon Pepper Cod

2011-01-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

Let me just say right off, I think this is a cop out new recipe. I think this because I'm sure most people now how to pan fry fish but I didn't. So here is the most simple but yummiest fish I've had in a long time. The light lemon flavor and the spice of the black pepper make it mellow enough for the kids to enjoy ( devour).
Cod is relatively inexpensive and very low on the mercury index.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds cod fillets
1 lemon, juiced
ground black pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Add fillets and squeeze 1/2 of the lemon's juice over the tops. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Cook for 4 minutes and turn. Squeeze with the remaining lemon's juice and sprinkle with pepper to taste. Continue to cook until fillets flake easily with a fork.

So easy. And yummy

We don't use forks :)

Add steamed spinach and rice pilaf =easiest and full of goodness dinner!

See no forks.

Take care of you.

2011-01-25T10:38:00.000-05:00

Every Friday as I trek to school I pass 2 women running. I catch them early in their run so they are still chatting and catching up. They have yet to reach the quiet part of the run. Although I suspect they don't and they just enjoy what they are doing.
As I passed I often felt jealous. I was envious that they could take time on a Friday morning and run without children and with a friend. It seemed like such a wonderful thing to do for yourself.
I made assumptions about these women. They had school age children and worked fabulous part time jobs that gave them the luxury to run together on Friday mornings. In my made up world they also had housekeepers and were able to maintain regular haircuts. If I was making things up I might as well give a Utopian lifestyles. I often wished I could figure out a way to make that work. To make time to run by myself during the day. I set those women as a seemingly unreachable goal for the foreseeable future.
Until I ran into them in the hall way of Q's preschool which is also a gym. The tall one was holding a screaming 18 month old under her arm as she struggled to grab a bag. I watched her carry her through the hall and down the stairs to where member child care was. As I waited I saw her walk back up the stairs and towards the gym.
The perfect life bubble she had lived in had popped and I realized that she had a the same obstacles ( although calling W an obstacle seems unfair ) I had. But she was making it work.
I started paying more attention to the member childcare area and how it was used. Sometimes the parents would go to the gym, go for a swim or go outside and go for a run. A mom in W's swim class would change after swim and her daughter would go to Member Childcare and she would go take a spin class.
My hatred of new is not foreign in these pages, nor is my mommy guilt. I wondered if it was worth taking time away from W so I could go workout. I wondered if it was fair to him. I thought about this a long time , like 6 months long and decided that everyone was happier when I was happy.
So I did it. I've started bringing W to the member childcare when Q is at school. Its not always easy to leave. He screams when I go but I trust the women who are there, I know he's fine when I leave and if he's not they will come and get me. This is week 4 and 2 days a week I am getting in a hour and a half workout. I run and I run and when I pick him up he's glad to see me and I feel so happy and healthy that the moment of anxiety I had when leaving is gone.
Last week when I went to pick him up the running moms where there. They were each bundling their youngest children. We had polite conversations about the ages of our kids, turns out I was right (in part) they both have 2 school age boys and toddler girls. 3 kids in all for both. They Joked about how it can be crazy at times and I mentioned how I think 2 is the perfect number for me when the tall one said.
"It took me having 3 children to remember to take care of myself. Good for you for figuring that out now, it makes me a better mom"
I think it makes me a better mom too.

Perculating

2011-01-24T16:40:00.000-05:00

I am currently marinating a few posts and whatnot. I'm very sure that what I am obsessing about in my mind or out loud while I run (on the treadmill in the basement not at the gym, I'm not that far gone yet) are really only interesting to me. Or maybe not. They are not ready to go yet, in the meantime I will show you cuteness and update you on stuff.

W is talking lots. 99% of it is full speeches complete with arm and hand gestures. Nobody understands what he's saying but he says it with gusto. He also adds a few new words to his vocab daily. Keeping true to himself once he debuts the word he will likely never share it again. Unless its no. No, he uses A LOT!
He is also experiencing a second child right of passage. He gets to experience the Gym daycare. He loves it, once I leave. It has opened up my world. More on that. That is what I'm working on.

Q learned a good lesson today. Mom is right. While spinning one of those low tech helicopter toys he didn't to heed my warnings that he was going to hurt himself or others. It landed in his eye. OUCH! upon inspection I found what appeared to be a large scratch. A quick trip to the DR. Proved me right and thankfully he'll have little or no permanent damage.

I am busily planning our impromptu vacation to somewhere warm, thinking I may have to break my never say Disney again rule...but am hoping we can come up with a better option. It has to be in the 48 states. Any Ideas? We're thinking March.

Cookies for Breakfast!

Remembering to pause.

2011-01-20T10:08:00.000-05:00

Taking time to remember what happens. To stop moving and watch. It is harder then it sounds to pay attention when no one is screaming or needs immediate attention. I listened as I did dishes to happy play and when my curiosity go the better of me I paused. With drippy hands I saw this. Two brothers who worked together and made a "cozy spot" with all their friends.

Week 3- Sesame Swai

2011-01-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

We try to eat fish at least once a week. I like my boys untainted by heavy metals which is why I don't let them snack on paint chips. Because of this I only cook fish that is low on the mercury index. Which is sad because I LOVE swordfish and shark etc. The smaller fish are good and we all enjoy Cod and Salmon. Those are pretty much what the boys have tried. So I'm trying to branch out ( hey look mom new things) and try other fish. We decided to try Sawi which we've heard is a mild tasting white fish. Despite my inability to pronounce it I bought it.

Sesame Fish
Ingredients:
4 Fish fillets                                        2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 cup sesame oil                                 Kosher salt to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced                             Black Pepper to taste

Directions-
Place Fish in bowl , drizzle with Oil,season with garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover, marinate 30 minutes in refrigerator.

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Place fish and marinade in baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, until fish flakes easily with fork.

Verdict-
The boys loved it. I hated ,the flavor of the marinade was too strong and the fish was spongy. G didn't love it but liked the flavor of the marinade. I doubt I will use Swai again. I may try the marinade on another fish.

Overheard in the kitchen

2011-01-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

Q-Here you go W, I'll take the light saber and then I'll hit you with it. You pretend to have your hand cut off and yell.

Me- Hey boys what delicious and nutritious meal and I slave over a hot stove to create for you beautiful children?
W- HAWT DOGGGG


Q-Mommy I'm glad I can take fish oil now (long pause) it really is spirit food.


W- No No No No

As I get ready to leave after dinner for a meeting, W is screaming "no mama no"
Q-Don't worry W she'll come back. She always comes back, she can't get a better offer.

Week 2- Udon Noodle and Chicken Soup

2011-01-12T16:24:00.001-05:00

If you forgot, I'm trying new recipes trying to get us out of our ruts. My computer has been on crack cocaine ( or a pesky virus) for a couple of weeks so I'm behind.

I LOVE Udon noodle soup. It makes me so happy and is the perfect thing for a cold winters night. Of which we've been having plenty. So last week in the middle of a blizzard I whipped up this yummy, hearty and delicious soup.

The Ingredients-

4 ounces chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, diced (about 1 breast)
2 teaspoons gingerroot, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock ~~(or beef)~~
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 ounces udon noodles, fresh
2 cups bok choy, sliced
~~1/2 cup snow peas, sliced~~ 1/2 cup green beans
~~4 ounces shrimp, peeled and devined, chopped~~ 1/2 red pepper diced
~~1 cup bean sprouts~~ 1 Mushroom ( i don't know what they are called)
~~2 large green onions, chopped~~

Directions-

In a large wok or large saucepan sprayed with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium high heat for 4 minutes or until meat is barely cooked.
Add gingerroot and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring stock and soy sauce to a boil. Add udon noodles; redturn to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high; cook for 4 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Add bok choy, ~~snow peas and shrimp~~ Other veggies; cook for 2 minutes ~~or until shrimp are pink and snow peas are tender crisp.~~
Add chicken, ~~bean sprouts, and green onions~~; cook until heated through. Serve soup ~~drizzled with sesame oil and sprinkled with parsley.~~

So as you can see by my cross outs I didn't have everything the recipie called for because a) Makes it cheaper and 2) I forgot to buy the shrimp and the green onions ( we don't dig sprouts)

The Verdict-

Despite the stuff left out it was very yummy and had a great flavor. Both the boys loved and G and I were surprised that it had such a great flavor.I liked that it wasn't too hard to make and fairly quick (35 minutes). I will make this again and again.

Hot and bubbly! Yummy!

The boy loving the "chop stick soup"

She likes her coffee black...

2011-01-11T11:14:00.000-05:00

I don't. Like my coffee black that is. I wish I did. My stepmother does and I wish that I had trended towards her instead of my dad who like his coffee sweet and light. I LOVE coffee and recently I realized that while I liked the taste of the coffee I was hiding it beneath a ton of cream and sugar. I did a calorie count and realized that in drinking my typical 3 cups of coffee I was drinking a good chunk of my calories for the day. The breakdown

1 ~~gigantic mug~~ cup of coffee

2 Tablespoons of Sugar (90 Calories)

2 Tablespoons of half and half (41 calories)

8oz of coffee (2 calories)

_____________________

133 calories per cup

x 3

_____________________

399 calories

THAT IS CRAZY!!!! I don't typically count calories. I live an active and healthy lifestyle that includes daily exercise as well as whole foods. I also really like my body so I tend to eat what I want with out guilt.

But to DRINK 399 calories with little to no nutritional value is LUDICROUS! and we are not talking about the rap artist Ludicrous kind but rather that woman is Ludicrous for drinking 399 calories a day.

So I made a change ( but you guessed that right?) I couldn't go black just like that, so I am just cutting out the sugar. I'm copying my mom who likes her coffee with a little milk. I am still drinking a lot of calories for my caffeine fix but I've also reduced the amount I'm drinking. So the new math looks like this.

1 ~~gigantic mug~~ cup

1 Tablespoon of half and half (19.5 Calories)

8oz coffee (2 calories)

____________________

21.5 Calories

____________

43 calories

That is a much better number and I do get a little tiny ittsy bit of calcium from the milk and we'll just ignore that coffee is calcium leaching.

I thought it would suck but it hasn't I'm happy with my coffee and I still have to heat it up 6 times before I can finish it so its like 6 cups a day. I also buy REALLY good coffee so it helps.

Sad Sad Dryer time.

2011-01-10T11:51:00.000-05:00

Hi. What? I can't hear you.
Ya, that's W. He's screaming.
What? Oh how long? 20 minutes.
What? Oh, Why? I'm washing his monkey.
Well actually, his monkey is in the dryer. I couldn't wash it in the washing machine it takes to long and I'm not that strong. So I hand washed it and stuck it in about 20 minutes ago.
Why? The thing is it was gross. It smelled and I'm sure had many types of bacteria as of yet undiscovered.
What? Oh why am I washing it now? why didn't I wait until he wasn't paying attention? I have been. For 2 weeks ever since Monkey number 2 went missing.
But I couldn't handle the smell anymore. I watched him drag it across the ski lodge on Saturday, rub it along the cart in the grocery store on Sunday and just a few hours ago I watched him lay it ever so carefully on the locker room floor and lay his head on it.
It was time for a wash. The timing was right. Monkey will be dry and ready for another disgusting journey by nap time.
So sorry I couldn't hear you but come back at nap time and all will be well.

Taking time to remember the little ones.

2011-01-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

The cold wind hits my face as I push the stroller down the sidewalk. I'm grateful it didn't snow last night adding an extra element to my morning commute. The older boy dropped off for a morning of singing and swimming. I head home chores littering my mind, beans to soak, floors to sweep. As I swerve to avoid the animal droppings that a courteous neighbor bagged but then left. I hear a little voice.
" Wa"
I peer through the vinyl cover and around the layers of fleece that keep the wind out. A little face peers at me around his hat.
" Wa mama Wa" He says again.
You want to walk? I ask my littlest passenger.
A smile lights up his face and his head nods in such a way that I am fearful it will detach. I look ahead, I have successfully managed to traverse the .5 mile home with only a block to go. So I lift up the cover as a blast of wind hits and cold really hits his face for the first time. He smiles increases as I un buckle him and rearrange ourselves on the sidewalk.
His little legs take off with such speed and joy that I struggle to catch up pushing the stroller now lighter then its ever been. The first moment of freedom ends as he reaches for my hand and we walk home together slowly to the narration of our neighborhood as told by one who is experiencing the winter beauty for the first time.

New for the first time.

2011-01-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

I hate new things. There once was a time where I was satisfied to eat white rice with butter or plain noodles. I didn't want to try a new food and I certainly didn't want to cook a new food. In fact until my eldest was born I very rarely cooked. I also wasn't very gracious to the person in my house who did cook. It was not uncommon for me to watch him prepare something all day and then take one bite and push my plate away. It is a amazing to me that he still married me. I digress.

So now that I'm the cook and plan the menus I tend to get in a rut. I like un fussy quick meals. I didn't really do side dishes and I much prefer the meal to take less then 45 minutes to prepare, cook and serve. I suck at mincing and favor recipes with the words "Coarse Chop" So when I find meals we all like I often choose those instead of branching out, like I said I hate new.

This year I am going to branch out. I am going to try and find and enjoy 52 new recipes. I am ready, I like a challenge. So away we go.

Lighter General Tso's Chicken-Martha Stewart Style

I like Martha's recipes because they are often quick and taste good.

1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice ( I used white and our brand new rice cooker)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled ( didn't have it I used ground)

3 tablespoons light-brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes ( 1/4 so the boys would eat it)

2 large egg whites

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

Random Veggies lying around the house

Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).
Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

The Verdict:

I liked it. G liked it and the boys ate it. It didn't have as much flavor and wasn't as sweet as the takeout variety. It was way to fussy and there wasn't as much sauce as we like. If/when I try this again I'm going to double the sauce and add more veggies.