This is my favorite meal lately – it’s awesome for lunch or dinner. It’s a mix of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed), roasted Brussel sprouts, roasted carrots, and sprouts. Sometimes I add in sliced cherry tomatoes, too. Cover it all in a drizzle of BBQ sauce and mix it up.
I had a great day yesterday because… I woke up an hour before the kids. This is truly the key to a good day for me. It gives me time to pull my life together before tiny humans start clawing at me for food and entertainment. Hah. I managed to get so much done, in fact, that I had time to pull together this fun activity for Henry:
We headed to a local greenway with a ‘treasure hunt’ sheet that I printed off my computer. I used Google Image Search to find pictures of stuff I knew we could locate (a bench, a trashcan, a Y-shaped stick, a dog, a leaf, a flower, a bike) and then we searched. I think we walked 1.5 miles. Guess who had a great nap after all of this? Hint – not me, but I wish.
The treasure hunt eventually devolved into a rock hunt. The stroller is an excellent holder for lots and lots and lots of rocks, which were eventually thrown into the river.
Check out what we found at the end of the trail! A bike service station. I’ve never seen one of these before. On one side was a bike pump…
… And the other side had a bunch of handy tools, like Allen keys and wrenches. Neat, huh?
Henry was SOOOOOOO dirty by the end of our walk that I stripped him nekkid in the parking lot and drove him home in his diaper. And then he went straight to the tub!
I got my sweaty workout on, too.
It was cardio day. I’m super excited for the upcoming Publix Savannah Women’s Half and 5K on March 29 – I’m doing the 5K. (PSSST – If you’re in the area, join me! Use coupon code HTPSAV10 for $10 off!) So I figured a 5K on the dreadmill treadmill was a good idea – except I got bored within .25 mile and had to switch to the indoor track. That’s a LOT of laps!
Also – if you don’t have a tea timer, you must get one!
I have a new favorite workout tea tee. I LOVEEEEEEEEEEE this shirt.
I have it in black and the greenish color and am probably going to buy more. Why is it so awesome? Well, it’s loose, breathable, and has a longer front and back, so it’s flattering, too. Also, when you get all sweaty, the shirt doesn’t get super wet. I’ve been rockin’ it to boot camp and it’s perfect (it also goes nicely with actual pants). Warning – it runs large. I originally ordered a medium and sent it back for a small, and it’s still pretty loose on me.
Have you heard about the Sitting Disease? It’s a made-up term, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how much I sit (thanks to the Misfit fitness tracker <– review). You can see a larger version of the below infrographic here.
“Research shows that if people sat 3 less hours a day, it would add 2 years to the average US life expectancy.†Crazy, huh?
Speaking of not sitting… The bootcamp quest continues. We did so many squats on Monday that I had to close my eyes and pretend like I was somewhere else while I squatted. Thought I was going to fall apart. I am really looking forward to the day where I can do the ENTIRE workout without ANY modifications. That’s my goal! I’m really loving the class and feel stronger every time I go.
What else? Oh, I have not one but TWO Book a Week reviews for you! I am late on reviewing Week 9’s book and Week 10 was so good that I read it in a SINGLE DAY, so I’m a bit early with that one.
I read this book after a friend on Facebook shared a quote from the author’s Facebook page. The book is about how to talk to your kids about money so they (hopefully) become more responsible and respectful of money. Many of the discussions in the book is targeted to parents in the middle and upper class, although the book would work for parents with lower incomes, too.
This book reinforced one of my ideas about allowance – that it shouldn’t be tied to chores. Lieber argues that when you tie allowance to chores, kids end up believing that they should get paid to do things around the house, not because they live there, too. Kids also end up holding you hostage over chores for money – i.e. they won’t do an extra chore unless you pay them. Allowance, he says, is given to teach kids how to manage money – that’s it. He has a ton of recommendations for conversation starters, techniques, and other tools for kids of all ages.
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. Good book with strong points, but I got bored with the last few chapters – it might be because my kids are too young to really do any of these techniques right now. I also think I’m a little burnt out on parenting-related non-fiction. I bet a parent of a school-age child would REALLY appreciate this book.
THANK YOU to every reader who recommended I read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It was so good. If you liked Gone Girl, you will love this book! I don’t know how to sum it up without giving away all the good bits, but it’s basically a psychological thriller/mystery that centered on three women and their relationships to themselves and each other. I don’t want to say anything else! But trust me – you should read it.
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Like I mentioned, I devoured this book in a single day! Super good with an excellent twist (that I didn’t see coming).
Okay, last, but not least, I’ve been wanting to share this video forever but kept forgetting!
If you are pregnant or have a baby less than 3 months old, WATCH THIS! It’s about “baby language†and how babies make universal noises for certain needs. It TOTALLY WORKS and helps you understand your baby so much faster. I can clearly hear Claire do the “Neh†sound when she is hungry. Pretty cool.
Random Question: Did you get an allowance? Was it tied to chores? What were your chores? I got an allowance, and it was tied to chores and my grades. I don’t think my mom made me save any of it, though – I could do whatever I wanted with it. My chores included walking the dogs before school every morning and washing them once a week. I also had to clean the bathrooms <—I still hate that chore; I am really looking forward to the day that my kids are old enough to do it! Hah.
Holy heck. The weather in Charlotte was BEAUTIFUL this weekend. Especially on Sunday. Warm and sunny and pretty much everything I think of when I think, “Spring!â€
Daylight Savings rocked our world – I totally forgot about it and was super confused when Claire and I woke up at 9:45 (!!). I bolted downstairs yelling, “You’re going to be late to your football game!†I can’t believe that we made it to the Husband’s game on time. I put clothes on three people (myself included) in the blink of an eye.
(Same exact eyes, huh?!)
It was so warm, in fact, that we could have dinner out on the back deck. This is truly my spring/summer “thing†and nothing makes me happier than a meal + a big glass of wine on my back deck.
This week’s workouts:
Monday: High Intensity Interval bootcamp at the gym
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: HIIT bootcamp
Thursday: 1200 yard swim
Friday: HIIT bootcamp
Saturday: 10 minutes on treadmill, 10 minutes on stairclimber, 10 minutes on row + some weights
Sunday: A long walk <—my legs were tired!
On Friday night, I went out with BFF Nicole to get margaritas. Well, I should say that I got margaritas because it turns out that Nicole hates tequila. I cannot get over the fact that I’ve been friends with her this long (five years) and never knew she hated tequila! Anyway, we sat at the best bar ever and chatted for a long time, and then I went back to her place and had this soup. It was SO good that I asked her to write down the recipe so I could share it.
It’s got a ton of goodies in it – carrots, celery, lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk, kale… So healthy. And so filling.
Nicole’s Super Soup
Ingredients:
1.5 cups dried lentils, soaked overnight (just place in a big bowl of water overnight)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 inch ginger, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 celery stalks, diced
5 carrots, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
16 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 quart veggie broth
1 cup water
7 ounces shredded kale (that’s a lot of kale)
1 can light organic coconut milk
Directions:
Soak lentils overnight.
In a large pot, cook the ginger, garlic, and oil on medium until soft. Add the celery and carrots and cook until tender. Add the spices and mix well.
Add tomatoes and wait until mixture simmers.
Add veggie broth, lentils, water, and shredded kale. Cook with lid until kale wilts down.
Using an immersion blender or a blender, blend mixture. If using a blender, blend portions of the soup at a time. Blend until kale and veggies are small pieces, but not until it is pureed.
If necessary, return soup to pot. Add coconut milk and mix well.
Let simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until all veggies are tender.
Serving ideas: With goat cheese, shredded cheese, crumbled tortilla chips.
I am having a very good day! Things started off kind of wonky. I was snoozing away when I heard, “Mommy? Mommy?†in a tiny stage whisper. I whipped around to see Henry next to the bed (he’s never come into our room before!) and panicked because Claire was still asleep in the cosleeper <—she’s back next to me. The nursery thing was killing me with her nighttime wakeups. He said, “I broke my curtain,†and I went into his room to see this:
Arg. So fixing that is on agenda for today!
I had my Vega One smoothie (I am sooo into these things now), and then hustled everyone out the door. Today was dress-up day at Henry’s school. On Wednesday, he wanted to dress-up like a crocodile so I borrowed a friend’s dinosaur costume and told him it was a crocodile. Close enough, right? It totally worked. He loved it!
Then I was off to boot camp. You guys – I’ve made it to boot camp THREE TIMES this week! THREE TIMES. And I swam 1200 yards yesterday. I’m so proud. These boot camps are super challenging for me, and sometimes I feel like I’m gonna die in the middle of class, but I try to hang tough.
70 tricep dips nearly broke my soul, especially after those 80 bicep band curls. Oh, and it was a “team†workout so everyone waited (and by “wait†I mean did jumping jacks) until everyone else was finished before moving onto the next move. And for the 60 second plank, if anyone fell down, we all had to start over! I was scared I was going to be the guilty party – Claire destroyed my abs. But seriously, I really like the group aspect of these workouts, and the instructors are so nice. I’m glad I found this!
Post workout snack was some of these cookies I made yesterday – I’m not sure if I’m going to share the recipe because it’s not peeerfect. But they are pretty good! The base of the cookie is almond and chickpeas. No flour at all. Cool, huh?
After I showered, Claire and I went to see Julie. She’s pregnant! Boy or girl?! I know, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy!
Can you tell that Claire has entered the drool stage and Henry is into sea life now?!
We had lunch afterwards.
I had black bean tacos with yummy globs of cheese sauce.
After lots of chatting, we parted ways so I could go pick up Henry. We came home and did tummy time with Claire, which is actually one of Henry’s favorite things to do with her.
<3 <3 <3 Love these two. I’m feeling really thankful and blessed lately. My life is very full and very complete and I’m grateful for it all.
“Don’t wiggle, Qlaire!†<—Henry says Claire with a Q.
I’ve started doing a bootcamp at my gym. I’m committing myself to ten classes for the month of March, and then ten more in April. I’ve decided that part of the reason that I’m historically slow on the bike ride portion of the triathlon is lack of muscle in my legs – even when I was doing long rides of 70 miles, I never got much faster. My problem is strength, not duration (well, duration is also a problem right now, but you know what I mean!).
The classes are a High Intensity format. On my first class, I did the above workout. I had to have the teacher explain it to me because it was like reading Chinese…
Set 1:
48 seconds of burpees, followed by 12 seconds of rest. 48 seconds of tuck jumps, followed by 12 seconds of rest. Repeat whole thing 4 times.
Set 2:
48 seconds of boom shuffles with a 20 pound soft ball, followed by 12 seconds of rest (a boom shuffle = I’d squat, pick up the ball, drop it, and then shuffle a few feet sideways to switch place with a partner, then I’d pick up her ball and repeat). 48 seconds of toe taps, followed by 12 seconds of rest. Repeat whole thing 4 times.
Set 3:
48 seconds of 10-pound dumbbell curls and presses, followed by 12 seconds of rest. 48 seconds of bicycle crunches, followed by 12 seconds of rest. Repeat whole thing 4 times.
Step 4:
48 seconds of lunges while passing a 10-pound soft ball back and forth to a partner, followed by 12 seconds of rest. 48 seconds of jumping jacks either holding the ball or not, depending on who had it last on the lunges, followed by 12 seconds of rest. Repeat whole thing 4 times.
It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hard. I was sore within hours! But it was also really fun and has motivated me to go back.
Is anyone else watching House of Cards Season 3? We’re six episodes in. I’ve heard mixed things about the season overall but so far – I love it!!! I wish we could binge watch it but – alas – that just doesn’t happen with our schedules anymore. So one episode at a time!
It hit 75 degrees on Wednesday! GLORIOUS. I am so glad that the snow is gone. I hope it stays this way…
This is probably a post on its own, but check this out… On the left are Carter’s Size 6 Month boy pants. On the right are Carter’s Size 6 Month girl pants. I’ve been thinking that Claire is a giant but I’ve recently realized it’s just that baby girl clothes are a lot tighter overall than baby boy clothes. Like – a LOT. She’s swimming in those boy pants and the girl pants are nearly too tight. Interesting, huh?
I got my USAT card in the mail! So excited.
And last, but not least, I tried Emily’s Sunflower Butter Balls recipe. Huge hit! I replaced the sun butter with almond butter and used almonds instead of seeds (because it’s what I had on hand), but it was sooooooooooooooooo delicious. We inhaled these!
