Small Talk Six: Last Few Things You Do At Night

Today’s topic is “The last 6 things you do before you close your eyes at night.” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . . .

Go to Mom Dot to learn more!

1. Put clothes over my girls and give them another good-night kiss.

2. Put on PJ's

3. Go pee

4. Set my alarm

5. Make sure I have my phone and book by my bed.

6. Read for at minimum for 30 minutes.

Food and working out

I am fans of many pages on Facebook and the C25K page linked up this article on Eating for Endurance.

What this article states is that when and what you are eating, or lack of eating can hinder your work out.

This got me curious, because some days I have more stamina and energy than others.

One quote struck me the most, "Some athletes consider food their reward at the end of the day; they save up their appetite for a huge feast at dinnertime."

I really don't consider myself an athlete, but I do think of food more of a reward than fuel. I don't save my appetite and I do eat when I should. However, what I chose to eat and how much I eat could hinder my work out performance. I eat less at certain meals like breakfast so I can eat more at dinner (reward for being good during the day). I work out after breakfast, so really may need to change my eating habits in the morning.

I never thought to think about my food as fuel for when I work out. I am more of a "make sure I eat something before" kind of person. What I should have been thinking is that I need to eat foods that will give me the stamina I need to work out and not feel winded over everything I do.

So now I am going to be a person that keeps this in mind, "Wiser athletes treat food as fuel; they knowledgeably fuel before, during and after exercise. They get more out of their workouts and prevent needless fatigue."

The one time I did not eat before working out I paid dearly.

To potty train or not to potty train...

That is now the question!

Chick 3 is almost 21 months. Not yet 2 years old.

I know some parents can't wait to potty train their children, and get rid of the expense and use of diapers.

I am not one of them. Chick 2 was 3 when I started the potty training process. It went extremely well and was potty trained in a couple days.

Then there is Chick 3. At almost 21 months she has learned a new catchphrase of, "I poo" in which she lifts up her shirt.

She has a 50/50 chance of being right with the whole poo in diaper thing.

Chick 2 never showed signs like this. At least non I was aware of.

I am so not ready to potty train, but what happens when they start to show the signs?

Do I rush out and get a potty and see what happens?

Do I just wait it out and see if this phase is short-termed and will come back at the age of 3?

I have a feeling I will end up waiting for a couple reasons:

1. She is a camel and drinks her cups filled with "flavored water" one right after another.
2. She leaks through her diapers, because of #1
3. She wakes up with a heavy 1 ton diaper, also because of #1.

The verdict is still in limbo on this one.

Cheat Sheet Mondays!

Today's Cheat Sheet Monday's will be 3 different, yet quick ideas for lunch. For lunch I try to include one veggie and one fruit. That way I can get my 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

• Fat Free Hot Dog: (I prefer Ball Park, because they do taste pretty good). They are about 50 calories each and in WW land a fat free hot dog is 1 point. Pair it with a low calorie bread or bun and a bit of condiment, and you are all set!

• Sandwhich: For bread I use either a low calorie whole grain bread, or sandwich thin (they are extremly yummy... Here is what they look like --> Click). For lunch meat I use a lean meat. I prefer turkey, because they are low in fat and in WW land 0 points for one slice. I top this with Kraft 2% skim milk American cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a bit of avocado. I don't use mayo, because honestly not a big mayo fan. You can always use some hummus (new thing I have tried), or even some fat free Thousand Island. If you love mayo, just use some fat free mayo, or use the minimum that will give a bit of the taste.

• Veggie wrap/burrito: I have always been one on the search for a low calorie tortilla that was a nice size and tastes yummy. Smart and Delicious makes just that. A nice big tortilla for 100 calories. I am on a black bean kick, so I will heat up a 1/3 cup of black beans. Don't like black beans? Try some fat free refried beans. Once I heat up my tortilla and black beans the "hard work" is over. What I love to fill my wrap/burrito up with is about a pinch of shredded, low fat cheddar cheese (can use whatever kind you prefer, but I would stick with low fat), 1-2 tbsp of salsa (make sure fat free... I have heard there is non fat free out there), lettuce (which I pile as much as my tortilla will let me), and some avocado (just a bit, because even though it is a healthy fat, must be used in moderation). This wrap/burrito is high in fiber and filling foods, and paired with a fruit is a nice filling lunch!

Remember to add some fruit, like an apple, orange (I love the cutie oranges, because they are easy to peel), strawberries, berries, etc.

If I don't have a veggie that goes with the main attraction of my lunch I will add some baby carrots, a small side salad with fat free dressing, or some jicama. You can always add whatever veggie you prefer.

I Surrender

The white flag is up.

I surrender finally.

To who may I be surrendering to?

I am surrendering to the sleeping gods.

I do have selfish reasons, because I am hoping that by surrendering I may just get their sympathy and finally they will give me the sleep I so feel I deserve.

Sleeping gods please have mercy on this mommy, who would love to have 1 good nights sleep eventually.

Please?

I really would greatly appreciate it!

C25K Weeks 4 and 5

C25k means Couch to 5K. It is a running program to get us lazy couch potatoes to running a 5k. Don't be crazy it isn't meant to get there overnight. It is designed to build you up slowly over a 9 week period. Best yet it only takes 30 minutes. We all have 30 minutes right?

Last week I completed week 4. Well 2 of the days. I really did complete it... well let me explain.

Day 1: Today was the first day of running for 5 minutes. I was truly worried I would not be able to do it. I mean 5 minutes is a lot of running! At least they threw in 3 minutes of running in between. Accomplished this no problem.

Day 2: This was a repeat of day one. For some reason day 2 felt harder. Maybe it is that middle of the week slump we all feel.

Day 3: Ok, so today I was supposed to do day 3. Well silly me looked ahead to Week 5 Day 1 to see what I had in store for me next week. Smart me forgot to put it back to Week 4 day 3. Didn't figure it out till I was halfway done with my running. Whoops. Made it through and knew I at least could accomplise Week 5... um thought I knew what I had to look forward too, because well, I had no idea!

Week 5:

Day 1: I have tendencies of bouts with OCD and had to finish Week 4 today. Of course it was a piece of cake (mmm cake... nope let's not think about that).

Day 2: This day I ran 2, eight minute runs. I was very proud of myself and how easy it seemed to be. My high lasted a short while, because I knew what was coming up for Day 3. AHHH!

Day 3: TWENTY minutes!!! Yep, TWENTY minutes of straight running. I thought they were INSANE! I mean I JUST got to 8 minutes and now they want me to run TWENTY? I was tempted to go back to Week 5 Day 2, but I got my head out of the sand and figured they must know something I don't.

All I have to say is NEVER EVER underestimate your ability! Twenty minutes may seem like a lot, but I did it. The last 5 minutes were hard, because I knew that my running was coming to an end. I got in my zone, and made sure that if I felt thirsty I drank water. There is nothing better than the feeling of accomplishing something you never knew you could do!

STAY TUNED FOR WEEK 6!

*To Learn More about the C25K click the link I have posted at the top of this blog!*

Happy Earth Day!

Today I was the cool mom and let Chick 2 play hooky from school. Okay I am not that cool.

Chick 2 is a science buff and her dream is to be a Marine Biologist. Since today was Earth day I let stay home from school to do some Earth day activities. I got some little dollar grow kits from Target, so we could plant some flowers and such. I would have done a tree, but honestly there is no room and they are not cheap.

Her big Earth day present (also a learning experience) was to see Disney's Oceans. I have to say they really outdid themselves. My eyes were filled with tears the whole movie (could have been because I am one over tired mommy, but still...). The footage is amazing and to see the damage we are doing to this wonderful place God created is astounding. Seeing it from the ocean life's point of view really puts it all into perspective.

I give this movie 2 thumbs up!

To see learn more about the movie click ---> Here

Wordless Wednesday

Brought to you by Mom Dot...

In this picture: Chick 3

Caption: EGG DYE DOES NOT TASTE GOOD!

A part of life?

When it comes to news I sometimes live under a rock.

I don't watch the news (too depressing).

I don't read the newspaper (would rather be reading a book).

What I do see is from my Yahoo! home page when I click on my web browser, or from when I am at the grocery store and gaze at People Magazine.

People Magazine is exactly where I learned about Phoebe Prince who committed suicide, because she was being bullied.

When we think of people getting picked on in school, we think that it is a part of life.

Why should being bullied be a part of life?

When I was in junior high school I was bullied, and it was more of taunting because I was a little overweight, and didn't look the part of the "popular crowd". I would get things thrown at me, and when they walked by me in class I would get slaps on the back of my head.

Did my teachers know? Probably, but what teacher gets voluntarily involved. Plus this was circa '92, '93, '94.

I am glad I am not a bullied child these days. Now we have social networks, instant messaging, emails, and text messaging. I was just bullied at school. These days it never ends at school, it follows you home.

When I hear stories about Phoebe Prince and others who commit suicide because they are bullied my heart breaks yet again.

No child deserves to live like this. They should be able to go to school and go through their day, without worrying if they wore the right thing, or said the right thing. Bullying IS NOT a part of life. I am one of the lucky ones who got through it.

If you are a parent please make it a point to be more aware of your child and their moods. That can be a big indicator!

Cheat Sheet Mondays

Today's Cheat Sheet Monday is titled "Add some Pizazz to Oatmeal."

I know what your thinking when you hear oatmeal *yuck*. I was the same way. I thought it tasted like cardboard cereals that you know are healthy, but taste gross. And don't get me started on the flavored packs of oatmeal... that just made it worse!

Now plain oatmeal still is *yuck* to me. I need some pizazz, some flavor.

Why am I focusing on oatmeal?

To me I get a lot more food compared to cereals, or even an egg and whole grain toast. Plus it makes me full. I love feeling full after eating and know that I didn't just gorge myself on unhealthy foods. Feeling full without the guilt is just that much better!

Ways to "pizazz that oatmeal" (I use a canister of rolled oats: 1 cup of boiling water for 1/2 cup of oats = 1 cup of oatmeal)

Add 2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tbsp of thinly sliced almonds

A few shakes of cinnamon

a handful of raisins

My favorite:

2 tsp of reduced fat peanut butter

1/2 of a banana sliced

Some like to add a little bit of milk to make it creamier.

Some add other fruits like any kind of berries, or even apples.

For those WW die-hards like me at most these bowls of oatmeal equal 3.5 points.

C25K update!

I may have slacked with the blog, but proudly I have not slacked with my attempt at the C25K program.

If you aren't familiar with this program and love to run, but don't know where to begin this is the program for you! This is a 9 week program to get you from being a couch potato to running a 5k or 3.1 miles.

Week 1:

I did finish week one, but did an extra day so I put in a total of 4 days instead of the 3 they suggest. I felt I wasn't ready enough for week 2. I never thought that 60 seconds of running would be as hard as it was at first. I guess I was more out of shape than I thought.

Week 2:

For week 2 I decided to use the gym, so I could work in some weights as well. Some people like being outside while they run. I on the other hand need a spot to focus on so I don't think about what I am doing or how much time I may have left. The gym is that perfect place for just that.

There are some negatives with the gym though. The treadmills seem to always be the most popular machine. If you go at the right time of day there is no problem with this. At my gym they put a 30 minute max on the machines. I have to make sure to time it just right to fit the run in.

At the end of week 2 I really wanted to run more than the program said to. That is the overachiever in me, but I stuck to the actual intervals instead of making up my own.

Week 3:

I was very scared about week 3, since I would be running for 3 minutes straight. Three minutes may not sound like a lot, but for those who don't run often it is a long time. What I really liked though is that at every 60 second mark the program told you how much time was left.

By the end of the week I felt so energized, because I knew that I really could do it and that this program was doing it's job of slowly getting your stamina where it needed to be. I also notice definition in my legs that wasn't there before. If that isn't motivating enough I don't know what is!

I am now onto Week 4, which means 5 minutes of running! AHH! I know I will be able to push through like always!

So far this program does not disappoint and I cannot wait to sign up for some 5k's in the near future.

Cheat Sheet Mondays

I know I know I have been slacking in the blogging department. The last few weeks I suffered from writer's block, and then spring break with the chicks. Trying to get back on track here and what better way than to start with a post on food!

Today's Cheat Sheet Monday is a dessert idea. I guess I like to write about tricks that involve dessert, because I always always need to end mine with a treat!

This was an idea given by my mom so I thought I would share.

You will need...

I used reduced fat graham crackers... even low fat/reduced fat cinnamon would work. I take a whole cracker and crush it into tiny crumbs. This goes at the bottom of the bowl.

I take one pudding snack. I prefer sugar free, but fat free works as well. I scoop out the pudding of one and put that on top of the graham crackers.

I am a whipped topping feign and put this on any dessert I can think of. In WW land this is 0 points for 2 tablespoons. I put that serving on top of the pudding.

This snack is low in calories and in fat. For me this is a 2 point snack and perfect for the end of my day!