OH THE THINGS KIDS SAY

I thought I figured out a way to post using the iPad with photos but alas, Blogger keeps freezing. Ugh.

So instead, I will post a funny story. This occurred on our drive home last night. The whole family was in the car driving home.

Peanut: Daddy?
Vans: Yes?
Peanut: Daddy, Squeaker is playing with your purse straps.
Me: giggling
Vans: My what!? No, no that is my computer bag. Not a purse and that's ok.
Peanut: Ok. Daddy?
Vans: Yes?
Peanut: Daddy now she is chewing your purse straps. Daddy she is eating your purse!!
Vans: It.is.not.a.purse!!!!
Me: Hysterically laughing.

Man I love kids!!

I have been doing a lot of running. A lot of thinking. A lot of soul searching. I am contemplating going back to school. Am I crazy!? Am I too old to change career paths!? I know I really do not want to go back to what I was doing. I would love to use what I spent four long years in college majoring in but this market is so bad and we live too far away for me to really get back into that field.

Decisions decisions. I am starting to feel the pressure and I really have no clue what is next in my life. Well, other than maybe another run tomorrow.

DOORS

There has been an interesting change of events in the Trailmomma household. I cannot and won't go into details, but let's just say that I went for a 6 mile run today. By myself. Instead of working.

A friend of mine reminded me that "When one door closes another one opens." I hope she is right. I also hope my Mother-in-law is right. She has some crazy powers that lady.

I am surrounded by good people now. I have great supportive friends and family and although 2012 does not appear to be starting off any better, I have high hopes. The glass is half full in my eyes right now. "Someone" is definitely trying to send me a message and I think I am finally ready to listen.

However one unfortunate thing is that I no longer have an outlet to blog AND upload photos. The iPad is not capable of uploading photos ... Yet. I guess I have the time now to figure that out.

Here is to new beginnings.

LONG WEEKENDS

I love long weekends. Usually I get a decent run in but this past weekend was really a mix of things. Friday after work I managed a 6 mile run with 2 miles at a tempo pace of 7:45. I felt great. Really strong in fact and the weather was perfect. I love starting my weekend off with those runs.

Saturday was a busy day so I could only manage about 6 miles but I ran with TiggerT bright and early. We had a nice run that included the Serrano hill in the middle. I wish I could have joined her and her running group (Java Joggers) on Sunday for their loop around Lake Natoma but Vans was going mountain biking and I was kid duty. The girls and I had fun which included a trip to Target.

Giggles all the way!

Squeaker is getting so big. She is semi-able to sit in the front of the shopping cart now but she tries to turn around to see the Peanut and eventually slumps down too far. She is also getting teeth (or something) because all weekend long her sleep has been terrible which means MY sleep has been terrible ... My heart aches for her though and the pain that comes with getting your first set of teeth. I just wish they'd arrive already!

Monday I had grand plans of running around Lake Natoma but then an opportunity presented itself Sunday afternoon and I jumped on it. Diane Cressey over at Folsom Breakout Fitness had a Martin Luther King Special: half off one of her TRX/Interval Training classes which included:

20 minutes of total body resistance training followed by 20 minutes of interval training. Maximize your muscle gains and fat loss! Interval training includes plyometrics, balance and agility work.

The first half of class we did some TRX work. I have a TRX at home but I wanted some additional insight into some new moves as well as how to properly do some of the moves that I have been doing lately. Oh boy. Um, yup, I have not been doing a lot of the moves correctly or at least my form was not correct. Simple things such as a bicep curl ... just one tweak in my stance has my biceps SCREAMING today. I wish I could take her TRX class more often but my schedule does not jive with the class schedule. After TRX we did some interval work using a bosu ball, some medicine balls, the TRX and the TRX Rip Trainer. Needless to say, my bum and every other part of my body is sore today.

While I was off doing that, Vans and the girls were home goofing around ....

Little Miss Cute who woke up early!

We have been working on a few house projects lately. It has been difficult juggling who watches the girls, who gets to work out and then Vans doing random house-hold projects like painting and yard work.

We have some colder weather coming this week too and I have a trail run planned tomorrow night with TiggerT and her Java Joggers ... should be interesting especially since the temps have been in the 20s and they are also calling for rain (finally!).

I also have to bite the bullet and look into the Crossfit classes that Vans purchased for me. I am a little scared as I have zero upper body strength ... which was made quite clear during Monday's class.

I mean really ... the only "lifting" I do these days is in the form of lifting these two ...

32 lbs & 17 lbs of cuteness!

FEELING BETTER

Things are improving in the Trailmomma household. We had a good weekend. Let's recap ...

Friday, Squeaker was home with Vans. He took her to see the pediatrician but it turns out no ear infection ... just a regular cold but she is tons better today. After the visit to the pedi, Vans dropped her off at my office as I was getting out of work and he had to race to a meeting.

Squeaker and I took the jogger stroller to my old running location and busted out 6 miles! Afterwards I did some TRX strength moves at a nearby park.

Fitting it in the best I can.

Saturday was a busy day because Vans was participating in his first ever duathlon! TBF Racing hosts a free duathalon once a year. It consisted of a 2 mile run, a 7 mile bike ride followed by another 2 mile run. This may seem "easy" but Vans has never ever done anything of the sort. Sure he bikes and yes, he runs but he has never done a triathlon and has never run after biking ... as in ever. He was a bit nervous for this race because he had no idea what to expect.

Peanut & Squeaker bundled up waiting ...

Of course he did great. He experienced what it is like to cramp however during the transition when you are trying to put on your running shoes ... that part was not fun. It was also very cold Saturday morning but luckily, he finished before the strong winds came ....

Finished!.

Free food afterwards made it even better!

As always the Peanut was super excited to cheer Vans on ... she and the Squeaker are great when it comes to going to races and this race was very spectator friendly. While at the race, I ran into my new running partner TiggerT and she told me that her running group, the Java Joggers, were meeting on Sunday at the Fish Hatchery to run around Lake Natoma.

I thought about it and thought about it and was actually going to pass when it hit me on Saturday evening .... do it! You deserve it! I was a little worried about the distance since most of my runs have been in the 6 to 8 mile range but I figured, why not .... So bright and early Sunday morning I met the Java Joggers at the Fish Hatchery for a run. It was cold but it felt great!

We ran 11.66 miles around the lake and I felt amazing. I did not have one issue. No tummy troubles, no aches or pains ... not even a negative thought! I was on a total high and enjoying the company of those I was running with. Gosh how I missed running longer distances .... for fun!

While I was gone ... Vans and the girls were getting into some mischief.

Guess who is mobile now?

Squeaker is still rolling but she's also doing the army crawl thing a bit now too. All she does is look for her sister and then makes her way over to her ...

See.

The Peanut was too busy "creating" art to really notice her sister ....

Ta-Da! Such an artiste!

(and still obsessed with Christmas)

When I arrived home the girls were happy and the house wasn't entirely trashed ... I consider that a win win situation.

She loves her .... now

Later in the day we headed down to Sacramento for the CHP car seat inspection at Mel Rapton Honda. I just like to have our seats checked from time to time. This time, I am glad that I did. I knew that Squeaker's seat was semi-expired (yes, car seats apparently expire - they can last 5 years). Well, Squeaker's seat was VERY expired so much in fact that the CHP confiscated it! Yup, they took away our car seat ... and gave us a brand new one...for FREE!!!!! They installed it too. Sweet deal!

We then headed home after visiting with Grandma and Poppa. Vans went on a mountain bike ride while the Peanut and I got to work. She loves to bake and instead of an "Easy Bake Oven" for Christmas, Santa provided her with simple baking mixes like brownies and cookies. I let her go to town and bake her very own brownies. Jersey Gramie made her this neat apron for Christmas which she is obsessed with.

How cute!?

She made the brownies all by herself. I simply would measure out the ingredients and she would add and stir. They are not gluten free so I couldn't give them a taste but both Vans and the Peanut said they were VERY good! Squeaker is also gluten free for now (and a little young) so she also could not give them a taste test ...

Whatch-you talkin about mom?

Overall it was a great weekend. When I can get runs in without missing more than two days in between I always feel better. We shall see what this week brings in terms of workouts ... I have high hopes.

SMUDGING

Wow. I did not realize I have not posted anything in the "New Year." It is easy to not post as much when you do not have a computer at home and you are not running as much (aka not really having a reason to post). However, I should post something as this is supposed to be a "new" and "better" year right?

The Friday before New Years started off great. I was able to get in 6 miles on my old bike trail route before picking up the girls at daycare. It is the one time during the week that I get a little "me time" and I love it.

Happy to see Momma!

New Years Eve day I was home for a bit and then had to go to work at my part-time/once in a while job. It had been a while since I've seen the crew. Despite a horrendous game, it was fun to see the old gang again. I was able to make it home by 9:00 pm and just in time to say good night to the Peanut before ringing in the New Year with Vans.

New Years Day started off with a nice 8 mile run for me on some fire road trails near my house. I even busted out my new trail shoes because I miss wearing trail shoes (they weren't necessary for the terrain but it was nice to wear them).

Brooks Adrenaline ASR - heaven!

Right after our incident, a good friend of mine sent me a present to help change the recent string of bad luck we have had lately. She told me that we needed to get the "bad ju-ju" out of our house and so she purchased me a "smudge" so that we could smudge our house and chase out the bad ju-ju. Hey, I was game. Sure it sounded bizarre but at that point we really couldn't say no because things just kept getting worse and worse in our house.

Vans and I waited until January 1st, New Years Day to smudge. We figured it was a good way to welcome the New Year.

Smuding the house!

The Peanut enjoyed smudging with me.

I can see why the bad ju-ju goes away ... the smell of the smudge was terrible! It is basically bound up sage but when lit ... holy heaven it stank up our house something awful! We eventually had to open the windows and turn on the house fan to get the smell out! Bad ju-ju be gone!

The rest of the weekend was spent doing some fun things like fooling around on the Peanut's new art easel from Santa ... I have to say, she's quite talented for a 3 year old ...

Santa ...and a few other people

She drew me, Vans (complete with mohawk) and herself

on a skateboard with Squeaker "sleeping" above us

We all had Monday off. Vans got in a nice mountain bike ride while I rearranged furniture in our house trying to make our upstairs more functional. Later we ventured to Costco. This is how we roll at Costco ... using our jogging stroller ....

Squeaker's socks make her look like that scene in The Wizard of Oz!

Needless to say, back to work on Tuesday and life's been a struggle since then. Tuesday resulted in no workouts for me because the Peanut had evening swim lessons. Wednesday I got motivated (and Squeaker slept well) and I lifted some weights in the morning and then ran 3.5 hilly miles with my running partner after work.

Unfortunately, Squeaker was up all night last night which resulted in me sleeping with her in a recliner chair from midnight to 5:30 am when I had to get ready for work. Not fun and it also meant no morning workout as planned. If I want to get anything in tonight (which should be my TRX) I will have to do it when both girls are asleep tonight ... after 8:30 pm. I don't enjoy that but things are kind of crazy right now and I need to relieve some stress.

Despite high hopes for this New Year ... there is an ugly situation that I am currently dealing with on a daily basis. I am kind of just waiting for something to erupt or explode but never knowing when it might happen or if it will happen. I am just trying to take it day by day.

I am trying to have a better attitude about my commute as well but on days when I have just a few hours of sleep, miss a workout and feel like I am being tugged in a million directions it is hard. I honestly regret our move and oddly enough, Vans has found peace with it ... although Vans can workout at lunch, Vans doesn't have to commute as far, Vans doesn't have to feed Squeaker all night long ... but Vans does have to hear me and deal with me. He's a great help and a great Dad. I am not ragging on him but sometimes, I wish that men could either nurse or multi-task.

Happy New Years Blog World

CHRISTMAS RECAP & NEW TOYS

Christmas came and went in our house rather quickly but it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

He came!

This was the first time the Peanut "really" understood and was excited for Santa. We did the Elf on the Shelf thing starting December 1st and that really REALLY made Christmas seem to drag on last forever.

Fortunately for us she slept in until about 7 am (her usual time) and we heard her squeal from the living room with excitement. Unfortunately for her, we made her wait until Squeaker woke up (on her own) which was not until 8 am. Torture!

Squeaker and I had a nice trip to Kaiser on Christmas Eve Day ... never doubt a mother's intuition. I knew something was not right with her despite being fever-less ... sure enough, she had an ear infection and is now on antibiotics. Luckily, the antibiotics kicked in really quickly.

Christmas morning was wonderful. The Peanut enjoyed opening her AND Squeaker's presents. We Skyped with my family on the east coast and opened more gifts and then had our California family over for dinner and opened even more presents.

The Peanut and I made cookies for the family & of course for Santa.

I hope he isn't diabetic

We made one for Dad.

I also made dinner for the entire family. It was great having Saturday free to prep everything and then just tossing it all in the oven on Christmas morning.

Regular & Gluten Free/Vegan Baked Ziti

YUM!

Santa was good to all of us. Vans got a new Garmin watch for his training (which, ahem, still sits unopened in its packaging on his night stand) and I got a few nice things as well including a work out bench!

I have been wanting one of those for a while. I have been using my stability ball for most of my dumbbell moves but this bench is nice and compact and convenient. Santa also got me something I have wanted forever ... well, to be honest, I got myself this but Santa needs to attach it to the ceiling to make it work better.

TRX

Since I have had limited time to run due to my long commute and just having to be a mom in the evenings, having these tools in our garage gym have been a life saver. Of course I still miss running. I haven't abandoned running all together mind you ... I just don't do it has often as I would like.

Right now I am running two nights a week with a friend which has been great. She is super flexible in her schedule and is patient with me and my commute and my evening mommy duties. Last night we ran for 4 miles in the dark decked out in our headlamps and reflective gear. Once school is back in session we plan to maybe hit the high school track once a week and do some speed work.

On the nights I don't run I try and spend at least 45 minutes in the garage doing some TRX moves as well as some moves with my dumbbell set (purchased on craigslist) and squats. I did the TRX on Tuesday evening and my bum is still a bit sore but in a good way. I am looking forward to using it tonight.

Work lately has been very very stressful and without these outlets I don't think I would be handling it all very well. I also don't think without my wonderful girls in my life would I be as sane as I am.

The Peanut in SF

Having Monday off was great as well. Vans took the Peanut to San Francisco to see The Grinch play and she was in heaven. Vans was exhausted. While those two were off playing in the city, Squeaker and I were playing around at home.

Always smiling!

Squeaker and I went on a nice 5 mile run too with the jogging stroller. She loves it (lucky for me) and I needed a good run.

The Trailmomma family is hoping that the New Year brings us some better mojo. We had a rough 2011. Oddly, it is starting out with me working New Years Eve and Vans getting oral surgery the first few weeks of the New Year but beyond that ... bring on the happy, healthy vibes!

Happy New Year Everyone!

STILL AROUND

I am still here. I just haven't been running much more than one day a week so I really haven't had that much to blog about.

However, I realize it is the holidays and I do have two adorable little girls and that a lot of my audience tunes in just to see what THEY are up to and not just what I have been doing running wise lately. Which is good because the running is almost zero but the girls are keeping me busy.

Surrounded by friends

Earlier last week the Peanut gathered all her favorite stuffed friends on the couch so that they could all enjoy Frosty Returns. Much to my delight, the Peanut is very into Frosty the Snowman and anything Rudolph lately. Love. The holidays are so much fun with her this year.

I was contacted by Tigger T via email asking me if I wanted to go running sometime. She's read my blog posts and my posts about not finding time to run and/or lack of motivation. She's great. She knows that if someone is out there waiting for you, you won't bail on a run. She also was anxious to show me some neat trails around the neighborhood. So after a few quick texts on Friday, we agreed to meet at the almost half way point between our homes and she'd show me some trails.

We met at 8 am on Saturday morning. It was chilly but it felt great to be out there with some fresh air. We jumped onto the NY Creek Trail and then up towards a fire-road that lead us towards Serrano. I had no idea this fire road trail was even there. It was great. We'd run, we'd walk, we'd talk. It was exactly what I needed to get my motivation back. I miss running so much.

When I arrived home, Vans informed me that the Peanut was being a bit fussy which is unlike her. Friday was her 6 month check up complete with three shots. She did great but I think was starting to feel the affects of those shots.

Doesn't she look like she's fussing? ha

The girl is still pretty darn cute even when she isn't feeling 100%. However, this little episode of fussiness would eventually come to blows on Sunday when Vans left for a 3 hour mountain bike ride.

Squeaker got her first real fever ... until now, she's never really had much more than a bad cold sans fever but come Sunday ... her temperature rose to 102.7. Poor girl. She still was okay and smiling some what but she would not let you put her down period. She napped on my lap.

Vans took the Peanut to visit the REI Family because she's been asking daily to see Little REI.

I think she just wanted to ride her bike.

This was good though because it allowed the Peanut some time away from a sick Squeaker and hopefully avoid passing the cold onto each other. Instead, I am now the lucky recipient of said cold. Ugh.

By evening time though, Squeaker was dosed up with some Tylenol and feeling a bit better. She allowed me to put her down but I had to stay close by ... so I had to get creative so that I could cook dinner for Vans and the Peanut.

My little helper

She was content playing with those measuring spoons and cup for a good 20 minutes allowing me time to chop, toss and bake whatever I needed to in order to get dinner started before the family came home.

Monday however, she and I were home. I officially have her cold and she officially no longer has a fever but remained quite clingy. It was a long day on Monday complete with more naps in my lap and lots of snuggles.

Before bed I gave her a bath and discovered that she is in fact part baby and part fish. The minute I put her into the water she flipped onto her belly and literally swam her way to the rubber ducky in the tub. She swallowed a big gulp of water in the process but was completely un-phased. This summer is going to be fun!

Steaming it out in the bathroom post bath.

Today we're all back to the normal routine ... daycare, work, commuting. Blah. The Peanut is anxiously counting the days until Santa comes .... and I am anxiously counting the days until cold and flu season is over!

Happy Holidays!