Hello everyone! I am in a very grand mood today. Feeling good and feeling motivated! Let me tell you about my day.
Started off with a great 30 minute run. Have I told you that I can now run 30 minutes straight without stopping? Yes, I am patting myself on the back. I LOVE IT! I've done it a handful of times now on my usual neighborhood routes, and don't ever plan on looking back! Today's run felt good, and I know I pushed myself a little harder. You see, I have this heart rate monitor. It was on my Christmas wish-list about 2.5 years ago. My mom bought if for me, and it's the kind with the watch and the strap you wear around your chest (is there a kind WITHOUT the strap? I'd like to upgrade to that one day...). It worked great for quite some time, however how much trust do I really put it in that the calories burned and such are totally accurate? Anyhow. I've tried wearing in a few times in the last 2 months, and it just didn't work. The watch could NOT get a heart rate reading and keep it for an extended period of time. So during an entire 30 or 45 minute workout, it would say that my heart rate was a steady 98. It was frustrating, and I just thought "Darn it! What a piece of crap!" Well today I had a revelation - what if the STRAP part needs a battery? I dug it out of the closet, and sure enough, there was a battery opening on the back. Changed the battery before my run and wore it, and it worked beautifully the entire time. 30 minutes, with a 3 minute walk to cool down at the end, and 344 calories burned. So both of those things made me happy!
Then I gave the kids some breakfast, and Leah and I did some nice coloring together. We called Grandma, and she met us at the park. It was a gorgeous day, so made for a nice quick walk to get there, and we were the only ones there for awhile. Despite Leah getting her knee stuck (and stuck pretty good!) between a post and a pole, and CiCi (the little girl my mom watches) falling from nearly the top of the equipment (no injury, just frightened!), we had a good time. Pizza for the kids for lunch, which is always a success. I called Lindy up and offered to take him to a little restaurant downtown called The Cookie Jar. It's been there for ages, however I"ve never eaten there. What a quaint, cute little vintage place! I loved it! We both had pulled pork sandwhiches, me fresh fruit and he chips. The meals come with, of course, a cookie. Mine went to Leah. She was a bit disappointed because when I asked her what cookie she wanted, I thought she said "the clown one!" So that's what the waitress brought us. Needless to say, she had said "the CROWN one!" Sure enough, there were not just one, but TWO cookies decorated with a crown that said "Princess." I should have known better! I reassured her that she could have that one next time. There will be a next time, as I LOVED the place! And it's just downtown, so we'll have to walk there - I like combining exercise with pleasure!
The kids are both napping as we speak, and I've been browsing many blogs for weight loss inspiration and some recipes to try. I've got some yummy ones I am anxious to try, and will be sure to post about. I've also written TWO other posts today - one on my Weight Loss Goals and the other on my Fitness Goals. Check them out!
Speaking of yummy recipes, I tried one last night for Quinoa Lasagna that I found from this blog [
here]. It wasn't too bad. The flavor was very tasty, however the texture was a bit strange for lasagna. But I think I would make it again, although the rest of my family won't eat it. The hubs tried it but wasn't a huge fan. Leah won't eat ANYTHING so of course all we could get out of her was to lick it! I've actually got a funny story about this encounter. Stop reading now if you hate "my-kid-is-so-cute-listen-to-this-story" stories...
I know lots of kids are picky eaters. Leah is one of them. However, to say she is picky isn't entirely accurate. In order to know that you don't like something, you actually have to TRY it and TASTE it first. She will not even put anything in her mouth. She literally has a panic attack where she screams, vomits, cries, and carries on about putting a new food in her mouth. It's both frustrating and ridiculous. We are to the point where she will let us put a little on her plate, but she immediately says "I don't have to have that, do I?" UGH. We've tried forcing her to try a bite, but that not only results in tears from her, but from me too. Plus I know it's not a healthy parenting practice and I don't want to scar her for life. So for now, just a bite on the plate is all it is, even though she never touches it. We thought we could up the anty a bit, and possibly bribe her with some special treat she gets - something that she can only have if she tries a new food. We had some Blow Pops leftover from her birthday party, so we thought we'd start with those. It worked one night with some pasta that she tried. But it hasn't worked since...
Ok, so that is the background info. Here's a little more. (Sorry, this is getting to be a long story!) The hubby is pretty picky himself, and was pretty much the same way as Leah when he was a kid. He's alot better now, but still annoyingly picky in many ways (like with onions). So he himself was a bit hesitant to try the lasagna last night. One, the "noodles" were zuchinni, and two, the "meat" was quinoa. He put the TINIEST helping on his plate, then we proceeded to tell Leah,
"Daddy is scared to try this. He is afraid he's not going to like it. But he's going to be a big boy and take a bite!" Leah considered this for a second, and then said,
"What are you gonna get Daddy? You gonna get a Blow Pop?" We laughed out loud! If she gets something for trying a new food, then daddy should too! Fair is fair, right? HA!
Well sorry for the long post. Little Man is awake now and beginning to need my attention. I've got a load of laundry to fold while I watch last night's Big Brother, then some junk to get ready to sell at a friend's garage sale. Here's to the rest of a productive day! Thanks for reading friends!
