Hey folks! I still exist. Sneaky Pong over at Wives on the Edge tagged me for a meme in hopes of getting the ball rolling here again.

Being a people pleaser I will do this. And additionally, I hope everyone out there in the blogosphere is doing great! Is spring getting close for you yet? Not for us here in A2 sadly, but for now I’m content staring at my Margaritaville wallpaper on my computer and snuggling under an electric blanket.

THE RULES:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Post THE RULES on your blog.

3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.

4. Tag 7 people and link to them.

5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

I am not sure I can come up with 7 People to tag but I can atleast attempt the 7 weird and random facts about myself.

1. It’s no longer new to most of you since I always use this one but I have been elbow deep in a fistulated cow on repeated occasions.

2. I am not a “do it in your own time” kind of person. If I set my sights on a task, I want to just blaze through it until its complete. Be it laundry or a work project, etc. I can’t stand things to be “unfinished.” Which is quite contradictory to just how unorganized I am.

3. Although I’m a chick, I’m not so much a romantic. Blunoz told his crackberry buddy, aka my hubby, no matter what I said, to make sure and get me a vday gift. I insisted he don’t, he didn’t (mainly b/c we’d just dropped a chunk on said blackberry and my new cellphone…its red and counted for vday) and I was perfectly happy. I don’t need wine and roses, mushy cards and such. Luckily my dude is always quick to tell me what he appreciates (in our almost 9 years together I can’t recall a single time he’s NOT thanked me for making/picking up supper) and such, and that is enough for me.

4. Girls don’t like me. I don’t know why. I get along better with guys in general. I think my friendships with people like T3rry and Jack are a good example of that. I just feel I can be myself more with them. I’m the typical “just one of the guys” kind of girls. Don’t get me wrong, I have a few really good girlfriends. But in general I feel very uncomfortable in a largely female setting. (Makes for interesting times when I’m tossed into the whole navy wife thing)

5. The marathon bug did NOT bite me. Runners find it so amazing that I ran a full marathon, and don’t ever care to do another as long as I live. The sense of achievement was wonderful. But I am not a good, nor fast runner. The training consumed my life as a result of running not being “easy” or “natural” for me, and the recovery time just sucked. I’ll stick to halfs and relays from here on out.

6. I am like a female version of Jimmy Buffett reincarnate. Its unexplainable but I’ve been a parrothead since I was wee and have always been a fan of everything he’s about.

7. I could care less for TV. Really. Many people say if you say that you’re lying. But I’m not. I watch it on occasion. There are a few shows I like to see but none that I’m obsessive about watching every episode of. And if its just me here, or its not tv time for the kids, you can guarantee my Dtv is on 818, which is XM radio’s flight 26…super great variety of music, black screen.
I’m not sure who all has been tagged, and if you have before and don’t want to jump in again, no worries!
Kel because being fabulous can’t always be easy, and reading what makes her tick is interesting and fun! ,

Kristen A because being far away sucks and I love finding out about her various quirks! ,

Cory to get him talkin’ again ,

P3 because I always have to include T3rry ,

Andrea if she has time doing the cross country move thing ,

Em because she’s awesome and I can’t wait to find out more about her!

Scarlett because she’s super entertaining and although she posts plenty of cool things about herself, her swarm of blog fans would love to read more!

Pleasure | 8 Comments »

Looks like I’ll not be blogging anymore. I’ll leave the website up for those who have bookmarked recipes, etc. but no new content so feel free to delete from your list.

S

edited on sunday evening:
I’ve received comments and emails from several about my abrupt stoppage here. Please trust that everything is A-OK here. I just don’t feel like the blog is serving its’ original purpose and right now my heart isn’t in it.

I also received a rude comment from someone who is most obviously a coward as they were hiding behind a fake .com and email address stating that attention seeking is my achilles heel. Unless you feel bold enough to show your true identity, I certainly won’t waste any concern over your pettiness. But I will assure those of you that visit here that it has nothing to do with attention getting. If that were the case, I’d just try to find something something super spectacular and different to blog about in hopes of garnering comment after comment. *chuckle* It might have been smarter to just not post anymore instead of giving a heads up.

Thank you for your concern and I’m sorry for those that were worried thinking something was up! Take care!
~S

Pleasure | 23 Comments »

I chose this title because the “she’s not just a….” has been resonating in my mind in recent days as its going to loosely serve as the theme for a new ad campaign I’m working on for FFGF . For awhile I’ve been trying to find things OTHER than “mother” that identify me. Be it runner, dance teacher, graphic artist, philanthropist, etc.

In high school and college I was the girl who quite frequently verbalized my lack of intent for marriage or kids. It just wasn’t in my “plan”…whatever that plan was. Things changed quickly when I met the hubs in my senior year at NCSU and without a lot of the inbetween fluff, here I am, moments away from 30, married for 7 1/2 years, with two children. As I’ve posted some recently, for many years now I’ve lived in some state of mild to more discontent, not allowing myself to fully soak up all life has to offer. Instead of living a full life with few rough patches, I’ve lived miserably with few happy spots. That is changing.

Today I hurriedly dropped big kid off at school for lunch birds and a field trip. I’ve been fighting losing my voice and my throat feeling like it did when I came down with my holiday sickness. The plan was to come back home and rest with the wee. But something unheard of happened…the sun shined for TWO DAYS IN A ROW here in A2! I briefly toyed with the idea of a 3.5 mile run with the wee but even bundled up tight in the jogger, I felt guilty taking him out in 10F weather. Instead we set out for Noodles & Co. for lunch, and then some wandering around town for a few hours. As I left big kid, I glanced behind me and for a moment, reflected on what a little man he’s becoming. He’s so handsome, smart, independent yet sensitive. He’s a challenge. But what child isn’t? And undoubtedly much of the issues we’ve had have stemmed from my own discontent and lack of patience. He’s striking out with me tomorrow for a 1.5 mile run. He’s going to do the Martian Kids Marathon (mainly for the medal! ha ha). I look forward to chatting with him about todays’ field trip and planning a sleepover with his new friends. Seriously, how did he go from this teeny little baby that was so sick when he was born that he had to stay in an isolette that made him look even more fragile, to this lanky, bright eyed zip of a kid?

Onward we go and sit down at Noodles & Co. to a toasty lunch of thai curry soup for me, mac and cheese with a snickerdoodle for the wee. He is talking up a storm these days…new words all the time, so we were chatting about yummies and milk and other things that excite 22 month old boys. Again with one of those “feelings” like I had a little while before w/ big kid. At that moment time STOPPED, the noise of the other diners seemed to be reduced to muted mutterings and everything but him and I seems to blur a little. This warmth and flood of emotion just took me over. As I locked eyes with him and said “I love you”, to which he sweetly responded “love you too dude”, my eyes welled up with tears. Then I was snapped back to the here and now. You see, many of his words sound the same, and as he’s very much my child, his temper is quick to flare when I don’t immediately understand him. Thus, after bite two of the mac, he starts saying “dootie” which is his word for cookie. At least that’s what I thought I heard. I went to grab the cookie and he shakes his head vehemently exclaiming “No no no mommeeee, nooooo dootie….booooooopeeee”. Oh, my mistake love, did you poopy? *shakes head* “Yea yea, me boopee.” I chuckle and grin. And of course go to the restroom to change the diaper.
What a fool I’ve been to not realize just how flippin’ blessed my life is! Many times I’ve commented on how much I miss livestock work and want to get back into it, etc. But honestly, how often have I said what an amazing job I have as a MOM?!?! What can compare to it? Sure , it has its bad moments or days. And like Milton Berle said, “If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? “. My days (and nights) are longer than they ever were when I had a career. I am a pseudo single parent half the year or more when hubs is at sea duty. My heart breaks when a fever spikes or feelings are hurt. My heart swells to see pride over an accomplished task, or that first hug in the morning from a sleepy eyed tot. I question every single day of my being how I’m ever going give these boys all they deserve. To both my boys…THANK YOU for not giving up on mommy!

I apologize if this is beginning to ramble. I made notes on a napkin at Noodles on what I wanted to say. But now I’m crying tears of joy and laughter reflecting on these two amazing pieces of work and just can’t seem to form my thoughts. Mothers are amazing creatures don’t you think? We can go nights on end with sick children, hardly sleeping at all, yet still managing to do what needs to be done. We somehow possess the magic to make a scraped knee “all better” just by kissing it. It hurts us more than you when we have to dole out punishment. We cut your pb&j diagonally because we know thats how you like it. We beam when you include us in your “God bless….” list at night before bed. We cheer when you accomplish something you never have before, that you doubted you could. We wipe your tears when your little heart is sad because you want to visit friends and family that live far away. And we thank God every day that we’re lucky enough to bear the name “Mom.”

To all the moms out there…bless you and all you do. To my mom for being patient, strong, and a “tough old bird,”(NOT my words!) and for helping shape me into who I am today which is hopefully someone you can be proud of. To my sister who does the best job ever with three of the most amazing daughters to ever grace this earth. To Christy H who works two jobs and still manages to be at the tee ball games and school programs, and whose two boys adore her. To Kel who handles everything with grace, especially when the times get rough, those two boys are very lucky. To Christy C who became a new mom for the second time this week (Congrats!). To Sheila who is raising two boys to be proud of, and is school mom to scores more. To Melissa who is learning how to be a new mom and loving it. To Cassey who radiates love to her son and daughter with every ounce of her being. To Kelly (mother to Brendon from Team Brendon) who has been put through more than any mom ever should and is one of the most selfless people I know. To Abby who is pouring everything she has into her precious two little girls during a time that has been challenging but also rewarding (Congrats Lil on your first 5k!) To Dawn who, while becoming a Mom, hasn’t lost her sense of self and who fosters a positive environment for her son. The salute list goes on and on!

This has been long one, but for once I won’t apologize for that. Have a great weekend…I’m off to curl up with the wee who is asleep by my side, and rest up for some quality time with my big kid tomorrow! ~S

PS-Remember this: “You’re writing the story of your life one moment at a time.”-Doc Childre and Howard Martin Learn from my mistakes…don’t waste the precious time with your little ones. They won’t stay small for long, they grow before your very eyes. Let every moment be special!

Pleasure | 11 Comments »

I know my writing isn’t engaging or entertaining. And truth be told, after clogging for 3 hours on wed, then only sleeping 3 hours wed night, and having a long day today, I don’t even care to garner a mediocre attempt at putting something out there. Thought instead I’d toss up a few pics of big kid and wee enjoying the snow today.
But I wanted to at least log on and say CONGRATULATIONS to my MOM who won a Chili Cook Off tonight! Way to go!

     

Another weekend is almost here…hope you enjoy it! ~S

Pleasure | 5 Comments »

Rest assured I’m in much better spirits than I was during my last post! The week has started out great. Running is going well…had my longest run since MCM yesterday. I did 9.25 in 4F/-15 windchill elements. Despite it being a challenge to get out of the house, it was a great run. I took off from home and met Mary at the park for the last portion of the run. Hubs met me there w/ the car/kids and he took off for his run. Yay for efficiency! And bonus points for productivity. I finally finished the treasure map I’ve been talking about. My mind wavered on whether or not I should post the final product, but if I do it might help me stay more accountable to it. Hopefully some others that have read about this form of creative visualization might consider doing one as well. (click to enlarge)

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Onward to consumption! The plan is to report back here every Monday with reviews any new recipes we’ve tried the previous week, especially healthy ones. I have found some yummy foods via blog review from T3rry and figured I’d try to do the same. Thanks to him we’ve found Almond Thins and White Chocolate Wonderful PB. Not to mention a huge lemming for a vitamix!
+Mojito Chicken: Last week I was perusing the website of one of my favorite stores, Trader Joe’s, when I stumbled on this recipe. It looked and sounded promising so I picked up a jar of the cuban mojito sauce on my next visit. If you don’t have access to TJ’s, you could likely replicate the sauce fairly easily. We made this pretty much as written. The hubs and I really enjoyed it although the flavor was definitely not what I’d anticipated. It was much lighter and fresher which was a good thing! The big kid and wee found it a tad spicy though. I’d think the sauce would work well as a grilling marinade, a salad dressing, or a dip if you mix in some avocado and sour cream. The nutrition label isn’t bad on it either. Hubs took the leftovers to work which is always a good sign.
+Lemon Garlic Baked Shrimp: Blunoz posted about his LW making this tasty recipe recently. They are doing the Weight Watchers thing and trying out lots of new stuff that tastes great but works with the program. After reading about this one I had to try it and I’m glad I did! It was a big hit with our whole family! Even the big kid who always says “but I don’t love it!” long before he ever tries “it” gobbled it up. There were no leftovers with this one! Its’ a very versatile recipe too…you could make it as an appetizer, toss in on rice or in pasta, serve it with roasted veggies, serve it over grits (although that defeats the WW purpose), etc. Prep and cooktime are quick which is an added bonus!

+Sundried Tomato Meatloaf w/ Red Currant Wine Sauce from Cooking Light: This one is another winner in our book! I made a few changes to the written recipe: namely cutting the recipe by half, using panko instead of white bread, and using dry white cooking wine instead of red wine as thats what I had on hand. I used a petite loaf pan filling 8 of the 9 holes, and I put the sauce on before baking. The entire family enjoyed this one and even better, I had enough to freeze a few petite loaves for later. I also have a turkey meatloaf recipe from Kel , and I think I prefer her base recipe. The two sauces are very different, hers having brown sugar and horseradish. I’ll use them both depending on my sauce preference. Here are a few pix of that meal. Not the most attractive presentation but it worked.

+Beer Cheddar Soup from Cooking Light: Save your time and ingredients and pass on this one. It was supposed to be our supper tonight, along with some herbed wheat rolls. It ended up in the disposal. I’m not really sure where to pinpoint the problems with this recipe, but the reviews speak for it. I don’t even know what I could’ve added or adjusted to salvage the recipe.

+Steamed Banana Cake from Chow Times: I found this recipe while I was looking through CT after running across an article on making a ziploc omelette. (which I’ve now made twice and they turn out great!) I thought the concept was interesting. And the photos were very tempting. I had all the ingredients and figured it’d make a nice healthy post supper treat for my boys. I made a few changes…I replaced the oil with non fat honey greek yogurt, I cut the sugar by half, and instead of raisins or chocolate chips I used flax seeds. All in all I think this is a neat recipe and a way to make a healthy treat without baking a large cake or using a passel of carby, fatty ingredients. Mine turned out a tad dry….likely due to omitting the oil. Next time I’ll double the amount of yogurt I use. Additionally, mine steamed for much longer than the recipe says to steam it and wasn’t cooked through so I dropped my bowl in the top of my pot, double boiler style, and finished it that way. The boys LOVED it! I sliced their pieces in half, spread with a bit of peanut butter, and drizzled some caramel sauce on top. I plan on trying it again with some cooked apples , vanilla extract and cinnamon.

+Do It Yourself Power Bars from Heidi Swanson: It’s no secret I’m a fan of Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. We’ve test driven several recipes from this book (faves are the sweet potato spoon bread and the animal crackers) and several more from her blogsite 101Cookbooks. Her approach to cooking is to use whole fresh ingredients and let the flavors really pop without the need for alot of added sauces, dips, garnishes, etc. I’ve been wanting to try these as most of the ones in the store, with the exception of Larabar and KIND bars are, IMO, just a little too frankenfood. I had most of the ingredients so this morning I thought I’d toss together a variation on them. They really do taste great…the kids shared one during snacktime and the hubs had one after work and gave the thumbs up. Following is a photo and my recipe.

Sam’s Adaptation on the Energy Bar

nonstick cooking spray
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups toasted mixed nuts and seeds (I used walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds dusted w/ mexican cocoa)
1/2 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup all bran buds cereal
1 cup craisins
3 tablespoons chopped ginger
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup vanilla sugar (or cane sugar)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla butternut extract (or vanilla extract)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla salt (or sea salt)

Grease a baking pan or container with cooking spray. The larger the pan, the thinner the bar. Mix all ingredients through the ginger in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring agave, sugar, extract and salt to a boil over medium heat. Stir consistently and allow to cook for a few minutes until thickened. (around 3-5 minutes). Pour into the dry mixture and stir until combined. Spread into greased pan, cool to room temperature and cut bars.

***Notes: My bars were a tad “loose.” I cut back on the binding mixture so as to not have so much sugar, but I think it needs a little more “something.” Possibly protein powder as a binder. Additionally, instead of the all bran buds, next time I’ll try cinnamon puffins, and add some dried apricots in with the craisins. All in all its a great base recipe for you to add in whatever you choose…nuts, mini chocolate chips, various fruits, etc.

+Spicy Polenta Cheese Crackers from 101Cookbooks: I’m not really sure where I messed up on this one. The dough tasted great raw! But it stayed very wet and very sticky. Even after adding in more flour. I was able to save the recipe though and instead of making crackers, I made biscuits. Hubs was thrilled with them and the kids went to town on them. So all was not lost. I just wish I knew how to correct it for next time as I’d really love to make these as crackers for snacking.

+Toasted Pumpkin Seeds from 101Cookbooks: Are we seeing a trend here?! *grin* I have done the sweet and spicy as well as the black tea and butter versions of these and they are excellent! I toss them in with some kashi granola and craisins for a homemade trail mix on the go. You can usually find pumpkin seeds in the bulk section at your grocer. They are a nice, lower sodium alternative to sunflower seeds, are extremely filling, and work in many dishes. My kids love the tea and butter ones with string cheese for a snack! Thanks Heidi for providing so many easy finger food recipes that my family love. Its nice knowing I’m feeding them natural foods and not a bunch of boxed and bagged junk day to day!

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Yes, I know, this is a long one. No wonder rarely anyone reads/comments here! But this is just too cute for me to not share! I’ve exposed the big kid to yoga a few times and thought today would be perfect to try again. It was a school holiday and he was bouncing off the walls. Couldn’t hurt to try, right? After lunch I took both kids to the spare room, figuring it was as good a time as any to expose the wee to it as well. We did some breathing, some poses, some more breathing…and low and behold both my kids were utterly quiet for TWO WHOLE HOURS today! Coincidence? Possibly. But maybe not. This might become a daily part of the pre-quiet time routine. Here are a few pics from today…I didn’t photograph the big kid doing breathing as thats more a meditative thing and I don’t want to invade. (click to enlarge)
Spinning top to warm up.
Doing a partner pose…the ‘cat.’ The wee wears his beanie all over the place! Down dog.

Up dog.

Child’s pose…my favorite!

Big kid was trying to do Cobra but the wee wanted to wallow on him.

There’s the Cobra! He’s working on his flexibility.

My little froggies!

Thanks for swingin’ by folks! Have an amazing week! ~S

Pleasure | 6 Comments »

Don’t feel compelled to read, I’m just letting thoughts flow.

Why is it some people only contact you when they need or want something? Seriously. I’m over it. If you don’t like me enough to email me just to say hi every once in a blue moon, or breeze by my blog when you get the chance since I keep it updated, etc. then don’t think I’m going to be thrilled by your email or IM that somehow begins “I was wondering if you could….” , etc. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t mind helping anyone out. It’s nice to know you can be of service every now and again. But it’d be nice if there was some general friendship in there.

And on the same note, if I’ve been this way to anyone…Damn, I’m sorry! Because it SUCKS and I’d never want to bestow that type of feeling on anyone.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m not reverting back to my whiny bratty self that I was before I started moving towards more a more positive existence. Quite the contrary. Today is a great day aside from some loved ones that are sick, etc. And I feel stronger inside than I have in a long time. But along with growing into who I want to be, I’m going to stop brooding so much inside about some of the things that bother me, and start standing up for myself more. My name is Samantha and “doormat” doesn’t make a suitable middle name…so I might as well leave that by the wayside.

Weekend should be nice and low key, should be able to get some random tasking taken care of and probably going to go running with Mary sunday. Looking forward to some quality family time and organization. Hope yours goes well too! ~S

Pleasure | 4 Comments »

My mom just called. My Aunt Pat (one of dads’ sisters) had a stroke this morning. From what she knows, there was paralysis on the left side but she has regained some use of her leg and upper arm. It’ll be a few days yet before they know the extent of the damage.

There’s also still a long lingering unspoken prayer request that I appreciate folks keeping in mind.

Thanks, S

Pleasure | 2 Comments »

It’s awhile since I did a random and I’m feeling sort of random tonight…so here’s the stew!

1- POSITIVE VIBES: There are a few folks out there that I want to send some extra prayers to. Someone very close is going through a very trying time. It WILL get better and we WILL be here. Christy Carter is either going to have a baby boy this week or be induced next week!!! Caleb, Jared’s best bud back in GA (you see his mom Kel on here some) is having a procedure soon. Here’s hoping he recovers quick and it helps! There have been numerous prayer requests come across email this week as well.
2- BEWARE OF THE ICE: No kidding…this morning I slipped and fell for the THIRD TIME this winter! Last winter I made it almost all the way through, only falling once, during a run. I’ve now fallen twice during runs, and then this morning putting Jared in the car. Landed right on my knee which is nice and bruised. But no harm, no foul. I did speedwork on the dreadmill tonight with no pain or problems.
3- STRIKE A CHORD: Last weekend we took the kids to the mall to play. Electronics Boutique is Andy’s mecca, somewhat like Sephora is mine. It also just so happens to be located right beside the play area. Andy says he’s going to go in and look around. Next thing you know, it’s been 30 minutes, I’m about to pee in my pants, and I glance over my shoulder to see Andy rocking out with a plastic guitar on a demo system. You guessed it…we came home with Guitar Hero. I was super annoyed with it at first, but I must admit its growing on me. I get to hear Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” anytime I like, with cartoons!
4- MERGING MAN AND NATURE: I’ve recently seen Bill’s Woodturnings he’s offering on Etsy. These are some truly beautiful pieces and maybe I’ll just splurge on a piece myself! Bill is a fellow runner that has a passion and talent for working with wood.

5- DS DS DS RS: Or a triple as it would be in clogging. Class starts back next week! Yay! I’ve got a decent number enrolled so far and know of a few others that have intent to sign up, and usually do in the last week prior to the start. Hopefully we can work out Clog I and Clog II in an overlapping class to make it easier to accommodate the various levels of dancers. No more solos for me though!
6- CALLING ALL HORSE FOLKS: Rie turned me on to the Cowboy Junkie . They offer handpainted horse tack in a variety of themes/styles. Unique, great handiwork.

7- OM AND AMEN: The wellness routine is still going strong. I took sunday off to sleep up but every other day am getting up much earlier than I used to to have that “me at peace” time. Its really paying off. While I still have bad moments/days and some anxiety, I find myself not having quite such a quick trigger. Less getting spun up means a happier more patient mom and wife, which is making for a happier house.

Thats about it…nothing too exciting. Will post back soon with some recipe reviews. ~S

Pleasure | 7 Comments »

excerpt from Yoga, Power and Spirit (Yoga Sutras 30-32)

The Great Vows are:
Nonviolence…
bring no harm to yourself or others.
Truthfulness…
be true to your word, and let your word be true.
Integrity…
do not steal; walk your talk.
Moderation…
use wisely the life force within you.
Generosity…
give more than you take,
for nothing int he world really belongs to you.
……….
The Principles are:
Practice purity…
be unsullied by anger or vengeful thoughts.
Practice contentment…
be at peace with what is and what is not.
Practice austerity…
purify, reject greed, lack and envy,
and the endless desire for more.
Study…
and cultivate wisdom.
Open your heart to all that can be known.

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Some might note that there isn’t any mention of faith, etc in those passages. They are from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I don’t subscribe to this as my choice of religion, but I DO very firmly believe that the Yoga Sutras, at the very least, in part, can be valuable for inner peace. There are definite parallels between the sutras and the Commandments of the Bible….general “golden rules to live by” for a healthy happy existence. Maybe some of these words will help some of you find a little peace, as they have with me!

My cup overflows with blessings! Ps 23:5 NLT 

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Well the weekend is upon us and I for one plan to spend it fairly relaxed. I have some work to catch up on after yesterdays’ computer issues, and the cold and snow are on their way back in here. The plan was to go to Whole Foods tonight to pick up more vitamins, and some mochiko flour, green tea powder and lemongrass (thanks T3rry) to make Mochi. But the wee napped late, I got carried away with some projects, and just decided I didn’t want to head out at suppertime for errands. Maybe I’ll take the big kid tomorrow. We need to buy a birthday gift for a friend of his’ party next week anyhow.Speaking of the big kid…he’s *knock on wood* always been a very healthy, non injury prone child. I can think of rare few times he’s needed to go to any kind of medical facility for something other than checkups. Fridays are his “lunch birds” day at school so he goes in between 11:30-11:45 to eat and then go to school. Today we got stuck in nasty Washtenaw Ave traffic and pulled up right at 11:45. I deposit him on the playground and take off for coffee. Fast forward to several hours later…I hear the garage door and in comes the hubs. He turns around says in the direction of the laundry room “Go show your Momma.” Uh oh…this can’t be good. In walks my big kid, swollen face streaked with road rash. Hubs says there is a note in his bookbag about it so I dig around and withdraw it. Apparently he took a tumble on the sidewalk and his face broke his fall. Poor guy. They noted the time of incident as 11:45 AM. What?! He wiped out as I was driving away? They said he didn’t cry, and he seems no worse for the wear. I know my mom is shaking her head, chuckling, and saying “Honey it’s JUST BEGINNING!”

I’m a little worried about the wee. Probably no reason to be…the Dr’s say he’s just got more of my genes. But the kid just isn’t growing, at all. He’ll be 2 in March…he’s the same size he was at 18 months and I’d venture to guess, very very close to where he was at 12 months. Today he wore a pair of pants in a 12-18 mos size. *sigh* And its not for lack of eating because he does that all the time!!! Developmentally he’s doing well though. Using alot of words and understanding concepts, memory is growing by leaps and bounds. He learns so much from big kid! (good and bad! ha ha!) Here’s a little sugar after naptime…

Hubs is busy slaving away on his masters classes. Since we’ll leave for him to go to SOAC 6 months earlier than expected, combined with ODU being several weeks behind sending him a coursepack for his current class, he’s having to put his nose to the grindstone. He started training this week for the Martian Half … it’ll be nice to run it with him! Although with my lack of performance, and the rate his increases when he really focuses on his training, he’ll blow me out of the water.

GOOD LUCK ABBY!!! She’s running the Goofy (Dopey if you count the 5k with her daughter Lil today) this weekend at Disney. For those that don’t know, Goofy’s Challenge is a half marathon on Saturday followed by a full marathon on sunday. So between the 5k she ran today that I’m sure was special since she ran with Lil at her first 5k, she’ll have rounded out the weekend with an impressive 42.4 miles!

And good luck to everyone else running this weekend wherever they may be! I know lots of folks are doing Disney or Houston this weekend.

Quick Praise: Clarice and Cheyenne that I mentioned a few days ago have both been released from the hospital and are doing well. Clarice had developed preeclampsia post delivery and was put in ICU and observed, at a different hospital from Baby Cheyenne who was battling her own severe bilirubin levels. Mom and baby are doing well and Cheyenne is now ONE WEEK OLD!
Hope your weekend has started out right! Mine sure has!
~S

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Updated 08Jan:
Just wanted to pop back in and post this, more for an affirmation for me than anything but to keep my momentum going. This morning I MADE myself get up well before the kids (I’ve been in a nasty late night, late morning sleep cycle). I did a quick energizing yoga/pilates sequence to perk up and focus, then sat down and read some in both the Yoga Sutras and Traveling Light to start my morning off with hope, determination, strength of soul and a full heart! I feel so invigorated and am ready to set out and tackle the day and whatever it may bring!

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Not much going on but want to roll a few thoughts off my brain…

++Many prayers go out to the missing sailor on the USS Hopper, his family, and crew. The search has officially been called off at this point.

++Might be headed out Wed for NC. Not sure yet. Andy is urging me to go but something needs to happen first. Hopefully the trip will be smoother than our spring trip which was not so much!

++For those of you lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s nearby, check out the Pear Champagne Vinaigrette, Chili Lime Chicken Burgers, French Onion Soup from the Frozen Section, Green Tea Mochi … and anything else that strikes your fancy! I’ve already been mapping…the closest TJ’s to Groton is an hour away. You bet I’ll make a trip up there every 2-4 weeks for my goods!

++Many prayers going out to Clarice and family. Clarice had her first baby, little Cheyenne, on Friday. After being released and sent home, the next morning Cheyenne spiked a very high fever, went to the ER and was admitted for severe jaundice. We’ve been there (with the big kid) and it’s a scary thing. Sending prayers and healing vibes to Cheyenne and strength to Clarice and family.

++Anyone that might be interested in some fitness and nutrition solutions, Former Fat Girl Fitness is having a pretty good New Year New You promotion you might check out! Additionally, in a matter of days the forums will be public all except for the client journals. This will allow anyone, a program client or not, to get advice and support, talk with others going through the same process, learn about recommended products and more.

++Don’t forget, Kel has a FREE SESSION FEE for photos through January!

++Yesterday I had a great 7.25 mile run! The best in MONTHS! I fell on the ice and bruised my arse but it still didn’t bring down the high from the good run. The asmanex is really working on my lungs, and my legs feel stronger. I need to order a new pair of brooks…maybe the pink ones!

++Andy’s semester has started again. He’s got freshmen…ugh! But this will be his last semester teaching before heading to SOAC. He’s started a half program and is training for the Martian . It’s hard for him with the foot issues he has but he seems pretty amped up about it!

++If the kids and I don’t head south this week, I hope to make it to Conor’s on sunday to dance a little. One of my clogging students goes for music and dance (mainly irish, celtic, folk stuff) most sundays and keeps inviting me. It’d be nice to go a time or two and enjoy the atmosphere and music. The food is great there too! (thats where Andy and I went for NYE)

….well, I didn’t ramble TOO bad this time. Going to try and relax a little if possible in the midst of this bad weather. Night! ~S

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